Japanese pensioners learn to play video games in a special club. This is how they struggle with loneliness
In Japan, there is a special gaming club designed exclusively for pensioners. The aim of the initiative is to unite older people through video games and help them avoid loneliness, especially during a pandemic.Photo: South China Morning Post YouTube Channel
The ISR esports Center in Kobe was opened in the summer of 2020.
However, the South China Morning Post recently released a short video about him, telling a little about the initiative and talking to visitors.
According to the owner of the club Koji Nashimoto, this space is designed to help people “find meaning in life after retirement, avoid isolation and give them a sense of community.” Anyone over the age of 60 can come to the ISR center. Registration in the club is free, and the game sessions themselves last 90 minutes. After that, older gamers can chat with each other and drink tea or coffee during a 30-minute break. One of the club’s visitors, 63-year-old Tamae Hitomi, says that video games help her feel younger: “It’s like I’m regaining my youth or feeling like a child again.” 70-year-old Yuriko Takeda perceives visiting the center as an excellent workout for the brain. According to her, the organizers teach the elderly new games every month, so this process never gets boring.The staff of the ISR center provides basic instruction for each pensioner for a specific game. At the same time, they try not to give gamers too complex titles or try to teach them a large number of techniques.
Many of the club’s visitors felt lonely and isolated from the outside world after the lockdowns. However, video games have helped them to reconnect with other people.
