Abstract
BackgroundIn the last few years, the introduction of immersive technologies, especially virtual reality, into the gaming market has dramatically altered the traditional concept of video games. Given the unique features of virtual reality in terms of interaction and its ability to completely immerse the individual into the game, this technology should increase the propensity for video games to effectively elicit positive emotions and decrease negative emotions and anxiety in the players. However, to date, few studies have investigated the ability of virtual reality games to induce positive emotions, and the possible effect of this new type of video game in diminishing negative emotions and anxiety has not yet been tested. Furthermore, given the critical role of body movement in individuals’ well-being and in emotional responses to video games, it seems critical to investigate how body involvement can be exploited to modulate the psychological benefits of virtual reality games in terms of enhancing players’ positive emotions and decreasing negative emotions and anxiety.ObjectiveThis within-subjects study aimed to explore the ability of commercial virtual reality games to induce positive emotions and diminish negative emotions and state anxiety of the players, investigating the effects of the level of body involvement requested by the game (ie, high vs low).MethodsA total of 36 young adults played a low body-involvement (ie, Fruit Ninja VR) and a high body-involvement (ie, Audioshield) video game in virtual reality. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Form-Y1 (STAI-Y1) were used to assess positive and negative emotions and state anxiety.ResultsResults of the generalized linear model (GLM) for repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed a statistically significant increase in the intensity of happiness (P<.001) and surprise (P=.003) and, in parallel, a significant decrease in fear (P=.01) and sadness (P<.001) reported by the users. Regarding the ability to improve anxiety in the players, the results showed a significant decrease in perceived state anxiety after game play, assessed with both the STAI-Y1 (P=.003) and the VAS-anxiety (P=.002). Finally, the results of the GLM MANOVA showed a greater efficacy of the high body-involvement game (ie, Audioshield) compared to the low body-involvement game (ie, Fruit Ninja VR), both for eliciting positive emotions (happiness, P<.001; and surprise, P=.01) and in reducing negative emotions (fear, P=.05; and sadness, P=.05) and state anxiety, as measured by the STAI-Y1 (P=.05).ConclusionsThe two main principal findings of this study are as follows: (1) virtual reality video games appear to be effective tools to elicit positive emotions and to decrease negative emotions and state anxiety in individuals and (2) the level of body involvement of the virtual video game has an important effect in determining the ability of the game to improve positive emotions and decrease negative emotions and state anxiety of the players.
Highlights
Regarding the ability to improve anxiety in the players, the results showed a significant decrease in perceived state anxiety after game play, assessed with both the STAI-Y1 (P=.003) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)-anxiety (P=.002)
The results of the generalized linear model (GLM) multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) showed a greater efficacy of the high body-involvement game compared to the low body-involvement game, both for eliciting positive emotions and in reducing negative emotions and state anxiety, as measured by the STAI-Y1 (P=.05)
Starting from hypothesis 1 of this study, the GLM for the repeated-measures MANOVA was used to test whether video games played in virtual reality increased self-reported positive emotions and reduced negative emotions and perceived state anxiety
Summary
BackgroundAs stated by Bowman and Tamborini [1], “Video games can’t be understood divorced from their role as technology that persistently pushed the limits of communication.” While in the 1970s, video games first emerged as simple activities that involved using a keyboard or dial to control tiny black and white objects on the screen, today’s computer games are increasingly and dramatically advanced in terms of both graphics and interaction.One of the most important points in time in the evolution of contemporary gaming is represented by the entry into the mass market of virtual reality video games in the last few years, following the mass diffusion of commercial head-mounted display (HMD) devices, such as Oculus Rift (Facebook Technologies), Vive (HTC Corporation), and PlayStation VR (Sony Interactive Entertainment) [2]. One of the main relevant differences is the level of immersion, defined as a “quantifiable description of a technology, which includes the extent to which the computer displays are extensive, surrounding, inclusive, vivid and matching” [7] Technologies can immerse their users in a virtual environment to different degrees, from a simple nonimmersive presentation on a computer screen (ie, desktop displays) to immersive systems, such as HMDs like Oculus Rift (Facebook Technologies) or Vive (HTC Corporation) [2]. Given the unique features of virtual reality in terms of interaction and its ability to completely immerse the individual into the game, this technology should increase the propensity for video games to effectively elicit positive emotions and decrease negative emotions and anxiety in the players. Given the critical role of body movement in individuals’ well-being and in emotional responses to video games, it seems critical to investigate how body involvement can be exploited to modulate the psychological benefits of virtual reality games in terms of enhancing players’ positive emotions and decreasing negative emotions and anxiety
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