It all has to do with orientation. When your senses give conflicting information to the brain, it results in disorientation and physical symptoms. Various theories exist regarding its cause, but their analysis is limited to human factors, not VR content.
A new study by researchers at the University of Waterloo collected data from 31 participants. They assessed their perceptions of vertical before and after playing two VR games, one high-intensity and one low-intensity VR game. The findings are published in the journal virtual reality,
Sensory rewetting: common mechanisms for subjective visual vertigo and cybersickness susceptibility
Those who experienced less illness were more likely to have the greatest change in subjective visual vertical after exposure to VR, especially at higher intensities. In contrast, those who had the highest levels of cybersickness were less likely to change the way they viewed vertical lines.
There was no significant difference between men and women, nor between participants with low and high gambling experience. They also found that the subjective visual vertical (a measure of how people perceive the orientation of vertical lines) shifted significantly after participants played the high-intensity VR game.
By understanding the relationship between sensory rewetting and cybersickness susceptibility, researchers hope to develop personalized cybersickness mitigation strategies and VR experiences that consider individual differences in sensory processing. All these measures reduce the occurrence of cyber sickness.
As VR continues to revolutionize gaming, education and social interaction, it is important to address the broader issue of cybersickness to ensure a positive user experience. This knowledge can be invaluable to developers and designers of VR experiences, allowing them to create more comfortable and enjoyable environments for users.
Source: Eurekalert
