Loneliness among the elderly is on the rise, with 1m older people going over a month without speaking to anyone (source: Age UK). And during Covid-19, that sense of isolation worsened. Yet the virtual worlds of gaming have become places where gamers can build and maintain real-world relationships. ‘Beyond Generations’, aimed at bridging that generational divide, by showing the relationship-building potential of today’s games.The platform featured two documentary films, each following the real-life stories of families who had lost touch, whether it was through distance or just growing apart. The social experiment films follow the journeys of Howard & Dhillon, and Mary & Jason. Shot over the course of 4 weeks, during the pandemic, we follow them on their quest to reconnect via the virtual worlds of gaming. These films lived on Xbox’s YouTube page, as well as being promoted on social channels.
