Still a lot to learn about effects of VR

A new study from the University of South Australia (UniSA) highlights potential for longer-lasting after effects from a virtual reality (VR) workout.

The study, ‘Exergaming With Beat Saber: An Investigation of Virtual Reality Aftereffects’ was published in Journal of Medical Internet Research and found that virtual ‘exergaming’, a popular way to exercise among younger people, can have ongoing side effects.

Researchers investigated the consequences of playing a popular VR game, Beat Saber, and found that one in seven players reported VR sickness 40 minutes after they had finished playing.

The study tested the effect of VR exergaming on gamers’ vision, nausea and reaction times after both short (10-minute) and long (50-minute) game play, finding that while Beat Saber was mostly well tolerated, some people had longer-lasting side effects.

Lead researcher Dr Ancret Szpak said that while VR offers promising benefits to exergaming, VR technology is only in its infancy and we still have a lot to learn.

“There’s no doubt that VR provides unparalleled benefits to a range of applications, but it’s important to be wary of how new technologies can affect you, both during and after play,” Dr Szpak said.

“VR is particularly promising for exergaming as it keeps players absorbed in the virtual world while distracting them from feelings of physical effort of exercise. In this way, people who are not particularly excited about exercise can still get their game on and get moving.

“For VR exergaming, the lessons are twofold: first it’s always a good idea to try a brief VR session to make sure you can tolerate it before you dive into longer play; if you feel a bit dizzy after a short time, you’re likely to feel worse after a longer exposure.

“Secondly, after playing any VR — exergaming or otherwise — it’s always wise to wait and see how you feel before you take on any higher-risk activity, such as driving a car.

“VR is such an exciting field that can potentially provide all sorts of benefits to all sorts of people. But we must walk before we leap. And it’s always best to exercise caution with the unknown.”

The study can be found here.

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