Sharon Wood Boosts Connection, Memory, with Video Games

Sharon Wood is the founder and CEO of Happy People Games and The New Forevers, an evidence-based video game company dedicated to memory wellness and boosting connection. We spoke with Sharon about the inspiration behind her company and how video games can be a force for good in the world. 

What is the purpose of Happy People Games? 

The purpose of the company, and the only products we’ll do, are products that use technology, that lower barriers to happiness. 

How did you get involved in the world of video games? 

I went into video games in 1996. I didn’t want to, that was something my kids did. But a company CEO convinced me that we had an opportunity to bring a broader audience into the video game market. We partnered with the Nashville Network and did a bass fishing game which was phenomenally successful. Later, I launched a product called Grand Theft Auto.
I had to talk to a psychologist to help people understand that it wasn’t turning kids into hooligans. We were giving them an opportunity to explore right and wrong through a video game experience. 

What I came to understand was that video games offer human experience, versus other forms of media where you are the passive observer. And I love that. There have been studies that show that you can improve knowledge by 34% and up.  

What inspired you to use video games to address memory care? 

My beloved grandmother had a stroke during surgery and didn’t say a coherent word from just before Christmas until the day she died in July. And before she died, she said my name. It was the first coherent word she said in those eight months. It was just a light bulb moment for me because I kept thinking she was in there. I would talk to her whenever I was with her. She was always staring into my eyes, searching, trying to figure it out. My dad died of the more classic understanding of Alzheimer’s and had a real hard time remembering stuff. It felt like having a product to ease that part of one’s life was the thing to do. 
 

It’s kind of remarkable what games can do. A game can’t cure a physical problem. But what it can do is provide relief. So the goal was to break the isolation that comes with memory care by helping people connect with each other, even when they can’t remember their name.  

What makes your games unique? 

It was kind of annoying to me that memory brain training games were impersonal. “Is this a frog or a lily?” “Do you remember the sequence of numbers?” I wanted our games to use real memories, because your fond memories stick around the longest. You can actually use those fond memories to exercise your recent memories, which are the ones that are fading the fastest.  

So that’s what we did with our two products. We looked at it from a music standpoint and then with still frames, which are visual memories.

What we’re doing is giving users a sense of connection and completion, and showing them that memory loss shouldn’t define you. There should be tools that aren’t pandering to you and making you feel like a baby – but respect you, play with your memories, and break that isolation. It’s just a joy to behold: the power of a simple game to bring us joy and connect us.

To hear more from Sharon, listen to her on the Intergenerational Relationships episode of Senior Planet’s Aging Rewired podcast!

What does Aging with Attitude mean to you? 

What I love about any kind of attitude is that it generally ignores what other people think. Haters gonna hate, right? 
 

YOUR TURN:

What video games do you enjoy?  Do you play solo or with friends?  Share your experience in the comments!

Pam Hugi is Senior Planet’s Community and Advocacy Manager. Based in Brooklyn, she is a contributing writer for this site.