One of the key elements of successful aging is participation in regular physical activity. The main factors limiting the participation of older people in regular exercises are: the insufficient level of training safety and rehabilitation programmes, inaccessibility to the required equipment and facilities, lack of the exercise partner, fear of an injury and lack of positive stimulation. Exergame is a combination of interactive game (eg. video) and physical activity. Due to the elimination of a significant part of the aforementioned barriers, these applications are successfully used in stimulation of both mental and physical activity of the elderly people. In spite of appearances and misconceptions, exergames are widely available, relatively cheap, and at the same time allow for an individual adjustment of their parameters to the needs and abilities of elderly people in the safe domesticity. The paper discusses the essence and the main objectives of application of exergames in active aging. The four-level model of impacts of exergames on the human body described in the literature and the main positive and negative aspects of application of the method from the point of view of an elderly person were presented. The results of the research available in the literature, with particular emphasis on the health benefits obtained by the patient, were referred. The attention was paid to the variety of applications available for the elderly and finally, the tasks and challenges for the future which should determine the direction of further development of exergames were presented.

Key words: exergames, elderly people, physical activity.