GOAL manifests that recent advances in open gaming technologies can lead to innovative products and services, thereby contributing to economic and social benefits for citizens and corporations. Indeed, GOAL exploits the best-of-breed in a number of leading edge ICT technologies (i.e. server-side and client-side software engineering, body sensing, user context understanding and physical activity measurement & classification) in order to introduce the next generation of gaming platforms, systems and applications that will exploit the benefits of gamification. The respective economic and societal benefits will be manifested and evaluated in different settings as part of the GOAL validating use cases.
Overall, the project is perfectly aligned with a main goal of the ICT workprogramme, which is to use innovative ICT technologies in order to respond to societal challenges and improve the citizen well-being, especially since the effectiveness of the gamification process is a key pre-requisite towards accomplishing the above objective.
Economic Impact
GOAL will have a multi-facet economic impact on European organizations, including several direct and indirect contributions to economic growth, as outlined in the following paragraphs. GOAL will target several products and services falling in the scope of the games market. This is because the GOAL platform will give rise to a wide range of products and services, centred around the inclusion and wellbeing of elderlies through games and gamification. The value chain of the GOAL products and services includes the following business roles and stakeholders: Product Vendors, Game developers, Technology Providers, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), GOAL Solution Providers and Integrators, Consultants in the GOAL models and tools
Direct Economic Impacts
The indirect economic impacts of GOAL will be measured by the number of new companies and projects generated by the action as well as revenue growth of existing companies. This will apply to game developers, but also to companies related to the activities (providers of game developers, advertising networks etc.). The impacts will be beyond the initiating group of GOAL, but apply to a lot of third parties which have an interest and ambition to be part of the GOAL platform or use the platform for additional or only business activity.
The silver games target market is a large and growing market, with lots of unused potential as far as gaming is concerned. GOAL will thus impact on the European gaming and ICT markets. This will be made possible by offering an innovative platform for adapted or tailored to the needs and preferences of more elderly users. Supporting the expansion of applied gaming and gamification into non-leisure contexts will help SMEs to create a new type of products & services and to get new business opportunities.
Indirect Economic Impacts
GOAL will also have indirect economic impacts associated with the improvements in the quality and effectiveness of inclusion and wellbeing. The level of impact on individuals and society will be measured by significant quantitatively assessed and documented improvement in the social and psychological status of the primary, the elderly people in this case. It will generate a better quality of life, as psychologists we are beginning to understand that eudaemonics (the theory of being happy) can be realised with engagement and immersion on video game play.
Social Impact
GOAL will introduce a novel gamification platform and will contribute towards the inclusion and wellbeing of the elderly. Based on the innovative services stemming from the GOAL platform, the project intends to have a significant social impact in Lifestyle coaching, Physical activity, Cooperative behaviours, Social inclusion.
