VR Game Research Articles

An examination of scene complexity’s role in cybersickness

This study explored the effects of scene complexity factor on cybersickness. In this between-subjects experiment, 44 participants played the Pendulum Chair VR game, half with a simple scene and half with a complex scene. The complex scene featured higher optic flow (lower-level perceptual factor) and higher familiarity (higher level factor). Dependent variables were cybersickness and task performance. Results were unexpected in that cybersickness did not differ significantly between the simple and complex scenes. These results suggest that the impact of optic flow and familiarity on cybersickness may be affected by each other or other factors, making them unreliable predictors of cybersickness if considered alone. Both lower level and higher-level factors would benefit from further research to deduce the conditions under which they affect cybersickness. VR designers could consider that optic flow and familiarity alone are not reliable factors when predicting the cybersickness-inducing effects of a new environment.

Amplifying Cognitive Functions in Amateur Esports Athletes: The Impact of Short-Term Virtual Reality Training on Reaction Time, Motor Time, and Eye–Hand Coordination

Objectives: Electronic sports (esports) have grown into a major competitive field in today’s digital landscape, attracting the interest of established companies and evolving into a fast-growing industry. Cognitive function, including reaction time, motor time, and eye–hand coordination, plays a crucial role in e-athlete performance. This study aims to examine the impact of VR training on these cognitive functions in amateur e-athletes. Methods: The study involved 66 amateur e-athletes (45 men and 21 women, aged 19–41, with a mean age of 23.96 ± 3.90 years) who reported active, non-professional involvement in esports. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (E) (n = 32) and a control group (C) (n = 34), with initial comparisons confirming no significant differences in daily gaming habits, esports experience, or age between groups. The E group completed 15-minute daily training sessions using the VR game Beat Saber over eight consecutive days. Results: The results demonstrated that VR training significantly improved eye–hand coordination in the experimental group, although there were no notable effects on reaction time or motor time. Conclusions: These findings suggest that VR training may be an effective method to enhance certain cognitive functions, specifically eye–hand coordination, among amateur e-athletes. This could offer a valuable approach for performance improvement in this rapidly growing field.

Changing Climate Change Mental Models Through Game-Based Learning: A Controlled Experiment Involving Cognitive Mapping

Climate change is one of humankind's grand challenges, and how we think about it influences how we perceive its risks and act. Understanding people's mental models of climate change (that is, how they internally represent it) and potentially challenging and changing them can be a fruitful avenue towards engagement. However, our understanding of how games can affect climate change mental models is limited, especially in the lack of control conditions with comparable content. In this experiment, participants created cognitive maps of climate change before and after experiencing an immersive VR game, a desktop PC game, or a text with graphs. We show that all conditions improved the quality, focus, and systems orientation of cognitive maps, but no significant differences were found between groups. The intervention effectively increased the salience of issues such as health and biodiversity impacts, even though changes were limited in scope. The game was on average more enjoyable than the text, with the VR version significantly more so than the other two conditions. The findings suggest that games can be a viable and attractive communication and learning method where engagement is a struggle. We provide avenues for future research and, especially, game design in this area.

A Review on DISDAIN: An Auto Content Generation VR Game

This document discusses the manner in which DISDAIN has been conceptualized, developed, implemented, and evaluated, looking into its major mechanics, algorithm- based content creation as well as user interaction and all impact it has made on virtual reality gaming. It explores DISDAIN’s design and implementation with much detail to highlight how procedural content generation can improve replayability and immersion in virtual reality games. The results from user testing and gameplay analysis indicate that the game has been successful in providing various experiences that are interesting while at the same time ensuring high levels of player contentment. Besides, this study analyzes technical performance and adaptive AI of DISDAIN so as to project what may be expected from dynamic content generation in VR gaming in future. In general, these results indicate that DISDAIN is a starting point for new developments in VR gaming henceforth while at the same time setting new standards for this kind of game category

In-Game Advertising: Role of Virtual Reality and Persuasion Knowledge

ABSTRACT This experimental research examines the effect of brand placement (prominent or subtle) and use of technology (2D or head-mounted-display (HMD) VR) in in-game advertising (IGA) on brand recall and how persuasion knowledge moderates this relationship. Results showed that for a prominent brand placement, a 2D game resulted in higher brand recall than an HMD VR game. Players with high persuasion knowledge, showed superior recall for the embedded brands in two game conditions: a prominent placed 2D game and a prominent placed HMDVR game. However, insignificant results were found for a subtle brand placement-2D game and a subtle placement-HMD VR game irrespective of whether the player has high or low persuasion knowledge. Further the study provides strong theoretical and managerial implications and avenues for future research in the gamified-advertising context.

Metaverse VR technologies in contemporary Chinese music education

ABSTRACT The research purpose is to explore the need to introduce innovations in the curriculum and the classroom in music colleges and universities influenced by virtual reality multimedia environments with elements of metaverse VR technologies. Particular attention is paid to the metaverse platforms with VR games in academic disciplines such as Applied Music, Fundamentals of Composition, and Learning to Play Musical Instruments. The practical part involves the analysis of the experimental and control groups of 240 individuals, selected and structured using the sampling method and the quasi-experimental method. Method Questioning is used by scholars to summarise the information and survey results collected from students. The experiment reveals that up to 72.2% of students suppose that the introduction of the art course based on digital multimedia virtual reality is effective, and their music teachers prefer to use multimedia virtual reality learning tools. The gamification elements in different musical disciplines are interesting for 78% of students. The results’ significance is the possibility to adapt the music curriculum in colleges to students’ needs. Further research is needed to evaluate the use of VR technologies for musical workshops as part of playing musical instruments and the basics of musical composition.

In Children Having Cast Removal or Percutaneous Pin Removal, Neither Interactive VR Gaming Simulation Nor Noninteractive VR Video Reduced Intraprocedure Heart Rate Compared with Noninteractive Visual Distraction

In Children Having Cast Removal or Percutaneous Pin Removal, Neither Interactive VR Gaming Simulation Nor Noninteractive VR Video Reduced Intraprocedure Heart Rate Compared with Noninteractive Visual Distraction

Enhancing perspective-taking and empathy in children with autism spectrum disorder through asymmetric VR games and peer collaboration

ABSTRACT Children with ASD experience pervasive social cognitive impairments, primarily manifested as challenges in social communication and reciprocal social behavior. These inherent deficits indirectly affect the development, based on the Theory of Mind, and empathy capacity in children with ASD, which are crucial in developing social skills and communicative interaction abilities. Research suggests that children with ASD struggle to judge and interpret the intentions, behaviors, and metaphors involved in social interaction. This impacts their abilities to engage in effective interpersonal communication and social interaction. Therefore, the present study developed a tool called Share VR. This asymmetric VR technology combines peer collaboration and cooperative games to hone the empathetic abilities in children with ASD. The objective is to stimulate the application of their abilities while enhancing their understanding of others’ behavioral intentions. In the experimental verification phase, the study recruited five children with ASD and three typically developing children to participate in Asymmetric VR multiplayer games. The games involved cooperation, competition, and exploration across three different game levels. Further, we used a three-stage experimental validation using a multiple-baseline across subjects design to confirm whether this method effectively enables children with ASD to acquire empathy through peer collaboration, game participation, and cooperative assistance.

Impact of Tutorial Modes with Different Time Flow Rates in Virtual Reality Games

Virtual reality's (VR) unique affordances compared to traditional media have produced innovative interaction modes and tutorial methodologies in VR games. Existing research predominantly focuses on the performance of VR tutorial modes, such as the placement of text and diagrams within tutorial content. However, few studies have delved into other attributes of tutorials. This study categorizes 4 VR game tutorial modes based on time flow: (1) traditional instruction screen, (2) slow motion, (3) bullet time, and (4) context-sensitive mode. This paper evaluates the impact of these 4 VR game tutorial modes with varying time flow rates on controls learnability, engagement-related outcomes, and player performance. We conducted a between-subjects experiment with 59 participants. Results indicated that bullet time significantly enhanced controls learnability, reduced cognitive load, and improved player performance when compared to other tutorial modes. Our research contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of VR game tutorials and offers practical guidance for game designers, underscoring the potential of bullet time to enhance learnability and game experience.

Virtual Reality: Challenges of VR Game Development for Emerging Game Studios

This article is meant to investigate the challenges potentially being faced by an emerging game studio that tends to make VR games in early 2023 where VR technologies hit a plateau which barely having new features coming up, plus the decreasing population of VR players has advocated VR game development to face severe challenges to succeed in the VR field, thus, not being an early bird in the VR game field but tend to join this industry now could be found challenging. This paper explores the challenges faced by emerging game studios in the development, marketing, and economic realms of VR game production. It provides a comprehensive analysis from both macro and micro perspectives, drawing on existing research and scholarly conclusions. By addressing key points highlighted in the article, it advocates for the potential entry of small game studios into the VR gaming domain. Specifically, it delves into challenges concerning hardware, exclusivity, storytelling, marketing, user acceptance, competition, platforms, uncertainties, funding acquisition, short-term sustainability, originality, publishing regions, and engine selection.

An Analysis of the Combination of Anti-Anthropocentrism and VR Game Design

During the epidemic, the documentary film The Year the Earth Changed brought the topic of "anthropocentrism" back to the forefront of viewers' minds. It was discovered that many of the planet's negative changes were due to human appropriation of resources, and that in order to address this issue, humans needed to redefine their place and responsibility in ecosystem usage. this paper aims to illustrate a game that allows players to realise the importance of equality in an immersive gaming experience through the use of VR. The author used Unity to create the game, and Nomad and Houdini to assist in the 3D modelling work, with the intention of creating a new world that is more beautiful and fantastic without human intervention. The game creatively allows players to enjoy this mysterious new world while being entertained and to develop a deeper concept than the common notion of "environmentalism". This game creatively allows players to enjoy this mysterious new world while being entertained and generate a deeper feeling than the common concept of "environmental protection", which is that the earth is not better because of human beings, but human beings have been doing some immoral things that disturb other species. By experiencing the three levels in the VR game "New Earth", most players said that this immersive approach allows them to redefine the way humans and nature get along.

VR.net: A Real-world Dataset for Virtual Reality Motion Sickness Research.

Researchers have used machine learning approaches to identify motion sickness in VR experience. These approaches would certainly benefit from an accurately labeled, real-world, diverse dataset that enables the development of generalizable ML models. We introduce 'VR.net', a dataset comprising 165-hour gameplay videos from 100 real-world games spanning ten diverse genres, evaluated by 500 participants. VR.net accurately assigns 24 motion sickness-related labels for each video frame, such as camera/object movement, depth of field, and motion flow. Building such a dataset is challenging since manual labeling would require an infeasible amount of time. Instead, we implement a tool to automatically and precisely extract ground truth data from 3D engines' rendering pipelines without accessing VR games' source code. We illustrate the utility of VR.net through several applications, such as risk factor detection and sickness level prediction. We believe that the scale, accuracy, and diversity of VR.net can offer unparalleled opportunities for VR motion sickness research and beyond.We also provide access to our data collection tool, enabling researchers to contribute to the expansion of VR.net.

Effect of Virtual Reality Game Based training in Gait Improvement of Post Stroke Patients: A Quasi-experimental Study

Background: Stroke, also known as a cerebro-vascular accident (CVA), is the second largest cause of mortality and the top leading cause of disability worldwide, with 6.7 million people dying from stroke attacks each year. Stroke patients face different difficulties in which gait abnormalities is the most common. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of virtual reality game based training for improving gait in post stokes patients. Methodology: This was a quasi-experimental study (single group) with non-probability convenient sampling for which sample size was 40, calculated through Open Epi. Baseline assessment was taken at start of study and final assessment was done after 8 weeks through outcome measures (TUG test, MAS scale, forward stepping test and Functional reach test). SPSS version 23 was used to analyze and record the data. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate mean and SD for all continuous data and percentages were calculated for all categorical data. Paired T test was used to compare mean change in data before and after intervention. Results: Although there was some improvement post scoring on outcome measurement scales applied in this study, still there was no significant difference between pre and post walking speed (P = 0.702), TUG test (P = 0.146), MAS scale (P = 0.227), forward stepping test (P = 0.089) and functional reach test (P = 0.415). Conclusion: This study concluded that, VR game based task specific training has improved the gait in post stroke patients but statistically there was no significant difference.

Efficacy of a virtual reality-based cognitive interactive training program for children with traumatic brain injuries: study protocol for a parallel-group randomized controlled trial

BackgroundTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability in children. Cognitive rehabilitation for this population is critical for their long-term health outcomes. This trial aims to evaluate the efficacy of a virtual reality-based program (VICT) for training executive functions in children with TBI.MethodsA parallel group randomized controlled trial will be conducted among up to 32 children with TBI. Children in the intervention group will receive the VICT training while children in the control group will play a comparable VR game without executive function training. Each participant will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and 1-month follow-up. Outcomes will include core executive functions, attention, and health-related quality of life measured by computerized tasks or standardized questionnaires.DiscussionCognitive rehabilitation is among the top healthcare needs for pediatric TBI patients. Virtual reality-based training is promising due to its versatile content, flexibility, and potential cost savings for both patients and providers. Findings of this trial will provide data on the efficacy of the VICT program on core executive functions, attention problems, and health-related quality of life and serve as the empirical foundation for future larger multi-site effectiveness trials.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04526639. Registered on August 18, 2020.

VR 게임 이용자의 지각된 진정성이 재구매 의도에 미치는 영향 : 지각된 가치, 몰입의 매개효과 및 신뢰 성향의 조절효과

VR 게임 이용자의 지각된 진정성이 재구매 의도에 미치는 영향 : 지각된 가치, 몰입의 매개효과 및 신뢰 성향의 조절효과

Design of Human-Machine Integration System to Meet Diverse Interactive Tasks

A flexible production model in which humans and robots collaborate has become an urgent need for industrial production. Therefore, research on human-machine integration systems has received more and more attention in recent years. Human-computer interaction is widely used in industrial production and entertainment life, such as industrial control, VR games, etc. In this article, we designed and implemented a human-machine fusion system that meets different interactive tasks. Human movement estimation and robot interactive control are the key technologies. First, we propose a human posture solution method based on information fusion of multiple cameras and inertial measurement units. This method constructs an optimization problem, fuses the 2D joint detection information under multiple cameras and the measurement information of the worn inertial measurement unit, and optimizes the estimation of human kinematic posture, which improves the problems of incomplete posture information and sensitivity to noise under a single sensor. Therefore, this method improves the accuracy of pose estimation. Secondly, combining the kinematic characteristics of the robot and the characteristics of human-computer interaction, we designed a robot control strategy based on target point tracking and model predictive control, so that the robot can adapt to dynamic environments and different interaction needs by adjusting control parameters. At the same time, our design ensures the safety of robots and operators. Finally, we conducted human-computer interaction experiments such as action following, item delivery, and active obstacle avoidance. The experimental results show the effectiveness and reliability of the designed robot interaction system in a human-machine fusion environment.

Asymmetric VR Game Subgenres: Implications for Analysis and Design

This paper identifies subgenres of asymmetric virtual reality (AVR) games and proposes the AVR Game Genre (AVRGG) framework for developing AVR games. We examined 66 games “in the wild” to develop the AVRGG and used it to identify 5 subgenres of AVR games including David(s) vs. Goliath, Hide and Seek, Perspective Puzzle, Order Simulation, and Lifeline. We describe these genres, which account for nearly half of the 66 games reviewed, in terms of the AVRGG framework that highlights salient asymmetries in the mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics categories. To evaluate the usefulness of the AVRGG framework, we conducted four workshops (two with the AVRGG framework and two without) with novice game designers who generated 16 original AVR game concepts. Comparisons between the workshop groups, observations of the design sessions, focus groups, and surveys showed the promise and limitations of the AVRGG framework as a design tool. We found that novice designers were able to understand and apply the AVRGG framework after only a brief introduction. The observations indicated two primary challenges that AVR designers face: balancing the game between VR and non-VR player(s) and generating original game concepts. The AVRGG framework helped overcome the balancing concerns due to its ability to inspire novice game designers with example subgenres and draw attention to the asymmetric mechanics and competitive/cooperative nature of games. While half of those who used the AVRGG framework to design with created games that fit directly into existing subgenres, the other half viewed the subgenres as “creative constraints” useful in jumpstarting novel game designs that combined, modified, or purposefully avoided existing subgenres. Additional benefits and limitations of the AVRGG framework are outlined in the paper.

From a new product: Apple Vision Pro Impact of VR technology development on VR gaming

Apple vision pro renewed interest in VR technology. Whether academia and communities all have many discussions. In this article, three main questions could be discussed after the selecting of some data. The first is how it is being applied in the future. The second is what experience does this current application provide to the user. The last question is what direction could be taken in the future. This research may answer some of the doubts and bring some thoughts to the table

A Study on the VR Interface Design for Children Products and its Influence Towards China’s Consumerism

The present study intended to evaluate the impact of the virtual reality store interface, which comprised of two dimensions, virtual spatial cues (VR) and interactivity (INT), on Chinese customers’ purchase decisions which included the preference for product hedonic attributes (HD) and purchase intention (PIP). Secondly, the mediating role of perceived product design which encompassed aesthetics (PRAS), functionality (PFUN), and symbolism (SYMM), was investigated. A quantitative approach was implemented, combined with a survey-based strategy for data collection. The criteria for respondents included parents having children who are VR game users, and the age range of the children was between 10 to 16 years. A sample of 312 respondents was analysed with the use of statistical software. The researcher employed the prominent methodology of structural equation modelling to evaluate the proposedhypotheses. The findings demonstrated that INT positively and significantly impacts HD, whereas INT and PIN were found to have an insignificant association. VR was found to impact HD and PIN positively and significantly among virtual Chinese consumers. In terms of the mediation analysis, PRAS significantly mediated the association between INT and PIN and VR and PIN, whereas the negative mediation of PRAS in the association between INT and HD and VR and HD was not validated. Regarding the mediation effect of SYMM, it was revealed that SYMM played a significant mediating role in the four proposed associations. Lastly, the mediation effect of PFUN was found to be significant in the association between INT and HD and VR and HD, whereas PFUN was an insignificant mediator in the association between INT and PIN and VR and PIN. The study offers substantial and valuable insights into virtual consumer perception regarding product design and purchase decisions for theoretical and practical applications.

Research on the current situation and development prospects of VR games

Virtual reality technology is used to display some objects in life through electronic informationization on an electronic screen. It can perform a spatial interactive experience through VR glasses, which can greatly improve the display effect of design sketches. Through the retrieval and inspection of related literature, this article proposes the latest and future development of VR games in the current society. First of all, this article wants to explain what VR is and then discuss the current achievements of VR and future expectations in the market. This article also wants to continue to let people know what areas VR can use in other fields other than the field of the game. This article finds that ordinary people have no reason to buy VR devices, so the current VR game's success in the current market is not as good as previous expectations. However, as more and more technology industries have begun to join the VR industry, the future of the VR game industry will expand.