Exergaming facilitates the flow experience by providing an opportunity to become easily absorbed in the goals and challenges in the game. Greater enjoyment of exercise and adherence are linked to the psychological experience of flow during physical activities. Several studies show that some people get greater enjoyment and feel more positive toward exergaming compared with other forms of physical exercise. The physiological health benefits of exergames are comparable with exercise such as running and aerobic dancing. Exergaming is a valid method for targeting sedentary behaviors in children, adolescents, and adults.
Exergames in HMDs have the potential to encourage people to exercise but are understudied, and the aftereffects of exergaming need to be closely monitored to ensure that VR exergames can reach their full potential.Įxergaming combines exercise and gameplay into a virtual environment with the intention of promoting greater physical activity among users.
We recommend that users commit to a waiting period after exiting VR to ensure that any aftereffects have deteriorated. We also showed that the participants who experienced a high level of sickness after a short exposure were almost certain to experience a high level of symptoms after a longer exposure.Ĭonclusions: Irrespective of the duration of exposure, this study found no strong evidence for adverse symptoms 40 min after exiting VR however, some individuals still reported high levels of VR sickness at this stage. Although at a group level, participants’ sickness levels returned to baseline 40 min after VR exposure, approximately 14% of the participants still reported high levels of sickness in the late test period after playing 50 min of Beat Saber.
The total simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ) scores increased immediately after VR ( F 1,35=26.515 P<.001) and were significantly higher for long compared with short exposures ( t 35=2.807 P=.03), but there were no differences in exposure duration in the late test period, with scores returning to baseline levels. Measures on cognition revealed no concern. For both short and long exposures, there were changes in accommodation ( F 1,35=8.424 P=.006) and convergence ( F 1,35=7.826 P=.008) however, in the late test period, participants returned to baseline levels. For most participants, any immediate aftereffects were short-lived and returned to baseline levels after 40 min of exiting VR. Results: Beat Saber was well tolerated, as there were no dropouts due to sickness. We measured accommodation, convergence, decision speed, movement speed, and self-reported sickness at 3 test periods-before VR, immediately after VR, and 40 min after VR (late). A repeated measures within-subject design was conducted to assess changes in vision, cognition, and well-being after short (10 min) and long (50 min) durations of VR exposure. Methods: A total of 36 participants played an exergame, called Beat Saber, using an HMD. Objective: This study aims to investigate the consequences of playing one of the most popular VR exergames for 10 and 50 min on aspects of vision, cognition, and self-reported VR sickness. Considering the potential benefits of VR exergaming, it is crucial to identify the adverse effects limiting its potential and continued uptake. Apart from the commonly assessed self-reported symptoms, depth perception and cognition may also be affected. Despite the recent surge in VR popularity, numerous users still experience VR sickness from using head-mounted displays (HMDs). Immersive environments can distract users from the physical exertion of exercise and can motivate them to continue exergaming.