The LIM (Living in the Moment) games were developed to allow people with dementia
to again enjoy entertaining and stimulating activities.
All the LIM Games were created with the idea that they would not need working memory
(short-term memory) to operate and enjoy them.
The games were accessed with a touchscreen and presented the user with engaging
3D environments to interact with just by touching the screen. Frequent prompts
guided the user to interact with each game.
The LIM games could be enjoyed as a joint or independent activity.
These interactive experiences were developed by continually trying out each new idea
with people who have dementia. Dozens of ideas were rejected during this process,
and the successful ones kept, until a final set of games emerged which had been proven
to be engaging and stimulating for a wide range of users.
Our research has found that two types of games so far work particularly well -
games that provide a chance to exercise skill, and games which allow the user
to be creative. All the action happens within a brief moment, so the games can be
enjoyed by those with short-term memory problems. From this feature we derived
the name for this set of games : Living in the Moment.
The games completed and tested
in the field were : Beat the Goalie, Coconut Shy, Shooting Gallery, Painting a Pot,
Playing Chimes, and Blowing Bubbles.
The games could be a source of fun for individuals, for playing together with a carer
or relative, or for enjoying in a group
