VR against corona isolation: study investigates effectiveness

Two researchers conducted an online survey to find out how VR use affects physical and mental well-being and even body weight during lockdown. The results show that VR motivates people to be active.

Biologists Alessandro Siani and Sarah Anne Marley from the University of Portsmouth conducted an online survey between the end of May and the beginning of June 2020. Members of VR-related Facebook groups and Reddit forums were surveyed.

According to the study, these internet meeting places were selected due to their accessibility, the high number of active users and the potential interest in participating. 646 people answered the 16 questions posed by the researchers. The survey participants were divided into four age groups: 18 to 19, 20 to 29, 30 to 39 and 40 or older.

The study had two objectives: Firstly, to investigate the effectiveness of virtual reality as a physical and psychological remedy for the effects of lockdown. Secondly, the effectiveness of VR fitness was to be compared with that of physical console games (Wii Fit, Xbox Kinect, Playstation Move).

VR motivates many players to be physically active

The study came to the following conclusions, among others:

• VR usage increased significantly during the lockdown, regardless of age and gender.
• The majority of respondents found that virtual reality was a good way to keep busy and increase well-being.
• The most popular VR activity was gaming, followed by fitness, social media, videos and meditation.
• Just under 70 per cent of respondents spent one to four hours a day playing VR games and one äA similarly large percentage used VR for fitness purposes for up to two hours.
• A smaller proportion (less than 20 per cent) reported spending more than an hour a day in VR on videos, social activities and meditation.
• 43 per cent of VR players described their physical VR activity as vigorous and nine per cent as mild. Among console gamers, the figures were 20 per cent (vigorous) and 38 per cent (mild). This suggests that VR gaming is better suited to physically active gaming than console games.
• The majority of respondents reported that their body weight did not change during the lockdown.

Limited informative value of the study

The significance of the study is limited by the fact that it was primarily VR enthusiasts who were surveyed. They tend to perceive virtual reality as extremely enriching anyway. For further studies, physiological and psychological factors of well-being would have to be recorded under controlled conditions, the researchers admit.

Nevertheless, they see great potential in the results of the survey. "VR goggles have now arrived in many households due to their increasingly affordable price and technological accessibility. Therefore, researchers, policy makers and health professionals should consider their potential for the common good and develop appropriate strategies to mitigate the negative consequences of prolonged lockdown periods," the researchers write in their conclusion.

VR Fitness is definitely fun from our own experience. Take a look at our report on the Cybergym test to.

The Study velvet Questionnaire are freely available on the Internet. How do you fill in the questionnaire?

Source: Mixed