Affected by the trend of aging and digitalization, the aging e-sports industry was born. Japan's elderly e-sports development has achieved remarkable results, how should Shanghai learn from Japan's experience and practices to guide the development of e-sports to adapt to aging.
First, the practice experience of the development of elderly e-sports in Japan
Japan's new population continues to decline, and the total number of people aged 65 and over in the country and its proportion of the total population have reached record highs this year - reaching 35.357 million and 28% respectively. Japan has become the "country with the highest proportion of aging" among the world's major economies. On April 1, 2021, the Japanese government officially implemented the "Correction of Employment Stability Law for the Elderly", which means that Japanese society will officially enter the era of promoting the compulsory retirement of 70 years old. According to data released by AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), in the three years from 2016 to 2019, the number of advanced gamers over the age of 50 worldwide increased from 40.2 million in 2016 to 50.6 million. Compared to the past, the proportion of players in the over-50 population has risen from 38% to 44%, and the average weekly game time is about 5 hours. Among them, the participation of the Japanese e-sports market has contributed greatly.
1. Actively respond to the aging of society
As a country with severe aging, Japanese society is highly concerned about the e-sports needs of the elderly group, and constantly explores the potential e-sports market for the elderly:
Strengthen market management in the political circles and give e-sports industry policy preferences in view of the aging national conditions;
The industry continues to enrich the content supply of the e-sports market and create demand on the basis of catering to demand;
The academic community continues to increase international and domestic cooperation and exchanges, as well as medical and other related industries.
From the social level, the construction of relevant facilities and the establishment of systems will help the popularization of e-sports culture and the satisfaction of the entertainment and health needs of the elderly. From an individual level, contact with e-sports is also its own support for the local game industry and a positive pandering to the development trend of the times.
2. Promote government-enterprise cooperation and joint efforts
According to relevant Japanese surveys, the market size of Japan's e-sports industry will reach 18.4 billion yen in 2024, which is about 1.03 billion yuan. Although compared with China, whose overall market size reached 147.4 billion yuan last year, the development of Japan's e-sports industry has been tepid. However, due to the deep historical heritage of Japan's game culture, e-sports has long been deeply rooted in people's daily lives. According to the statistics of the Japanese survey agency, more than 70% of the administrative agencies and pension facilities have said that they are integrating e-sports into the elderly care projects; some Japanese companies have also cooperated with the elderly e-sports team through sponsorship, providing venues and other forms; competing to build e-sports venues, elderly e-sports Internet cafes and hold offline experience activities to widely promote e-sports to the elderly. For example, the "ISR e-Sports" e-sports center for the elderly is an e-sports Internet café open only to the elderly. Since 2018, the Japan Activity Association has been conducting the "Healthy Game Instructor" qualification examination independently, and aims to cultivate talents who can teach game operation methods.
3. Build a professional team for elderly e-sports
Since 2021, there has been a gradual upsurge of integrating e-sports into the spiritual and cultural life of the elderly across Japan. Some regions have vigorously promoted e-sports for the elderly aged 60 to 90, and even set up elderly e-sports teams to compete on the field. A professional esports team called "MATAGI SNIPERS" in Japan's Akita Prefecture attracted attention, and eight men and women between the ages of 66 and 73 stood out from 21 candidates to focus on the popular competitive shooter Fortnite. The average age of 69 years old has grown to 14 in less than a month since its establishment. The team members all said that in e-sports, they can get "like the Olympic spirit".
Second, Shanghai to promote e-sports to adapt to the aging of specific measures proposed
1. Establish a targeted policy support system and strengthen social consensus
Countries have actively responded to the aging of the population, continued to promulgate various laws and regulations and policies related to the elderly, and China has initially established a legal framework for the governance of the elderly society with the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of the Elderly as the main body. As the main body of management, the government should still make full use of the market mechanism, attract social capital to actively participate in investment in the cause of the elderly, and enrich and innovate the way of old-age care services. It is possible to establish targeted policies for e-sports for the elderly, implement tax reductions and exemptions suitable for the facilities of training venues for the elderly, set up professional training courses for e-sports clubs for the elderly, create systematic e-sports education courses for the elderly, and formulate e-sports equipment allocation standards for pension institutions. So that the elderly in the field of e-sports "old-age to do something" has a practical institutional guarantee, but also so that the elderly can truly feel the acceptance and welcome of the e-sports industry to themselves.
2. Enrich elderly care services and reduce the risk of diseases in the elderly
Studies have shown that while the elderly enjoy the fun of playing through computers and game consoles, they also have the effect of preventing diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Although the specific effect of the impact remains to be tested, e-sports is based on electronic devices, and the training of physiological activities and thinking operation coincides with the new model of pension services relying on a variety of advanced intelligent medical equipment and daily rehabilitation training: the new model of "medical and nursing integration". Therefore, market support can be given through relevant policies, and e-sports equipment can be added to the main places of pension services such as pension institutions, and joint clubs and vocational e-sports training institutions can carry out lectures and training courses for the popularization of e-sports knowledge for the elderly. Scientifically view the recreational function and medical role of e-sports to meet the diverse nursing needs of the elderly. At the same time, in view of the possible addiction of elderly users, the parallel ideas of government supervision and industry self-discipline should be adopted. Promote the introduction of supporting policies for the elderly to prevent addiction, supervise and inspect the implementation of relevant measures, and seriously deal with online game enterprises that have not been strictly implemented in accordance with laws and regulations. Actively guide families, nursing homes and other aspects of society to co-manage and co-govern, and create a good environment for Shanghai elderly e-sports.
3. Promote the aging of e-sports software and hardware, and give all-round care for the elderly
E-sports is the use of high-tech hardware and software equipment as sports equipment, the intellectual confrontation between people. Through exercise, participants can exercise and improve their thinking ability, reaction ability, heart-eye limb coordination ability and willpower, and cultivate team spirit. Since there are certain differences in the level of learning, reaction and other abilities compared with young people and young people, when promoting elderly e-sports, we should first consider the game categories with low entry threshold, weak competitiveness and partial leisure. At the same time, due to physiological changes, the fluctuations of emotions in the elderly have a great impact on the normal operation of human physiological functions, which may lead to the occurrence and development of diseases. Therefore, in the organization and development of the event, the health status of the participants should be fully assessed, and the appropriate age group allocation and time and method suitable for the elderly should be set. And to take the care of the physical and mental health of the elderly as the starting point for real-time monitoring and timely intervention of physical data in the process of elderly players' e-sports participation. In addition, the visually impaired version of the UI interface and the aging of the hardware device should also be considered when developing and designing. Fully study and judge the risks in the process of participation in e-sports for the elderly, and conduct innovative research and experiments related to the participation of elderly groups in e-sports behavior through school-enterprise cooperation and school-doctor cooperation. Only by providing a "Shanghai basis" for the formulation of practical and feasible industry standards can Shanghai elderly e-sports have all-round protection.
4. Build a communication platform for young and old groups and break down barriers to cultural identity
As a product of the emerging era, young people have a deeper understanding of e-sports, so young people should benefit the elderly while spreading e-sports culture. Relevant government departments can host e-sports exchange competitions for the elderly and middle-aged and young people on chongyang festivals and other exclusive festivals for the elderly to enhance the communication and connection between elderly users and young users. The relevant downstream platforms of the e-sports industry chain can create an incubation plan for elderly e-sports anchors to enhance the attention of the elderly group. With the continuous improvement of the information literacy of the elderly, there is also a certain possibility for the construction of online e-sports communication platforms under supervision, and the exchange of e-sports technology and knowledge can use the high accessibility of the Internet to expand the audience. Eliminate possible cultural barriers between districts and between age groups by increasing esports participation among the elderly. Let the elderly e-sports scene truly become the "way we are old" in the hearts of young people today.
5. Embed e-sports for the elderly in major events to promote the high-quality development of the elderly
Under the background of the industry benefits of e-sports being selected for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games competition project, Shanghai should not only make a difference in the organization of high-end events and the construction of industrial ecology, but also take action in building a solid industrial foundation and opening up a new situation. E-sports for all cannot be separated from the elderly e-sports, not only for the better development of e-sports, but also for the high-quality development of the elderly. Shanghai should take the initiative to learn from the industrial development experience of foreign countries or other cities in China, then it is a good person. Actively put forward advanced topics related to "e-sports pension", promote multi-party discussions in enterprises, government and academic circles, plan relevant experimental practices, and demonstrate the responsibility of Shanghai's "e-sports city".
Source: Sina Finance