A Win-Win Strategy: Games to Build Better Relationships Between Generations

Relationships between older and younger generations can be mutually beneficial. However, developing these relationships can be challenging. The purpose of this paper is to suggest ideas and concepts through a positive psychology lens that may help to address the specific issues around interactions between both family and non-family individuals of different generations. An overview of generations and generational cohorts is provided, along with challenges to intergenerational relationships. Then, games and the benefits of playing games are discussed. Finally, a set of positive psychology-related recommendations are presented to optimize game design to support relationship building between generations. Considerations for future research are also discussed.