# Enhancing Social Engagement through Online Gameplay for Older Adults with and without Mild Cognitive Impairment

> **NIH NIH R44** · POTLUCK, LLC · 2022 · $449,777

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
This Fast Track SBIR proposal submitted by Potluck LLC (Philadelphia, PA) requests funds to design and
rigorously test the integration of multiplayer games into the online social engagement platform (OneClick) for
adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The long-term goal is to benefit health outcomes that are affected
by social engagement or lack thereof, such as survival and the onset of dementia. Older adults are at risk of
social isolation, and therefore, negative health and quality-of-life outcomes. The existing OneClick platform
connects people through live, small-group, video conversation, and has been optimized for older adults with
MCI. In this new project, games already well known and enjoyable to older adults will be integrated into the
OneClick platform to enhance social interaction between older adults, their family, and close friends. In
collaboration with experts in aging, cognitive decline, and technology and game design, new game interfaces
will be designed, tested and integrated into the existing platform. Phase I will establish feasibility and optimize
in-game social interaction for older adults with and without MCI. In Aim 1, facilitators and barriers of online
social gameplay and interaction will be identified through formative research and observational studies of older
adults with and without MCI playing in-person and online games. In Aim 2, Aim 1 findings will be used to
design and implement an intuitive and pleasant gameplay interface that will be compared against in-person
gameplay experiences to demonstrate technical feasibility. In Phase II, the efficacy of online game play as a
social engagement intervention will be tested in a properly-powered Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT), and
the scalability and market-readiness of the new product tested in a real-world pilot with an established industry
partner. In Aim 3, the new OneClick platform, intervention content, and implementation protocols will be
finalized based on Phase I learnings. This will prepare for Aim 4, a 12-week RCT that tests intervention
efficacy: 124 older adults with and without MCI (62 each) will be randomized to the OneClick intervention group
or a Wait-list control group. The intervention group will use OneClick for 12 weeks, while the Wait-listed control
group receives no intervention. Both groups complete social isolation and engagement assessments after 6
and 12 weeks. Subsequently, participants in the Wait-listed control group will start the intervention, with
assessments after 6 and 12 weeks. Within and between-group comparisons over time will determine effects
on social engagement, quality of life, technology acceptance, and subjective stress. In Aim 5, proven methods,
materials and content will be handed over to an industry partner to assess scalability by evaluating whether the
new online social gaming platform can be readily implemented and support social engagement among the
independently living older adults they serve. The de...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10484643
- **Project number:** 1R44AG078009-01
- **Recipient organization:** POTLUCK, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Maribeth Gandy Coleman
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $449,777
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-06-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10484643

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10484643, Enhancing Social Engagement through Online Gameplay for Older Adults with and without Mild Cognitive Impairment (1R44AG078009-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10484643. Licensed CC0.

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