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Mean scores of the positive and negative emotional states. Positive emotions are reported in the left-hand column and negative emotions are reported in the right-hand column. C1: Condition 1, Fruit Ninja VR first; and C2: Condition 2, Audioshield first.
The two main principal findings of this study are as follows: (1) virtual reality video games appear to be effective tools to elicit positive emotions and to decrease negative emotions and state anxiety in individuals and (2) the level of body involvement of the virtual video game has an important effect in determining the ability of the game to improve positive emotions and decrease negative emotions and state anxiety of the players.
Results of the generalized linear model (GLM) for repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed a statistically significant increase in the intensity of happiness (P<.001) and surprise (P=.003) and, in parallel, a significant decrease in fear (P=.01) and sadness (P<.001) reported by the users. Regarding the ability to improve anxiety in the players, the results showed a significant decrease in perceived state anxiety after game play, assessed with both the STAI-Y1 (P=.003) and the VAS-anxiety (P=.002). Finally, the results of the GLM MANOVA showed a greater efficacy of the high body-involvement game (ie, Audioshield) compared to the low body-involvement game (ie, Fruit Ninja VR), both for eliciting positive emotions (happiness, P<.001; and surprise, P=.01) and in reducing negative emotions (fear, P=.05; and sadness, P=.05) and state anxiety, as measured by the STAI-Y1 (P=.05).
A total of 36 young adults played a low body-involvement (ie, Fruit Ninja VR) and a high body-involvement (ie, Audioshield) video game in virtual reality. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Form-Y1 (STAI-Y1) were used to assess positive and negative emotions and state anxiety.
This within-subjects study aimed to explore the ability of commercial virtual reality games to induce positive emotions and diminish negative emotions and state anxiety of the players, investigating the effects of the level of body involvement requested by the game (ie, high vs low).
In the last few years, the introduction of immersive technologies, especially virtual reality, into the gaming market has dramatically altered the traditional concept of video games. Given the unique features of virtual reality in terms of interaction and its ability to completely immerse the individual into the game, this technology should increase the propensity for video games to effectively elicit positive emotions and decrease negative emotions and anxiety in the players. However, to date, few studies have investigated the ability of virtual reality games to induce positive emotions, and the possible effect of this new type of video game in diminishing negative emotions and anxiety has not yet been tested. Furthermore, given the critical role of body movement in individuals’ well-being and in emotional responses to video games, it seems critical to investigate how body involvement can be exploited to modulate the psychological benefits of virtual reality games in terms of enhancing players’ positive emotions and decreasing negative emotions and anxiety.
As stated by Bowman and Tamborini [1], “Video games can’t be understood divorced from their role as technology that persistently pushed the limits of communication.” While in the 1970s, video games first emerged as simple activities that involved using a keyboard or dial to control tiny black and white objects on the screen, today’s computer games are increasingly and dramatically advanced in terms of both graphics and interaction.
One of the most important points in time in the evolution of contemporary gaming is represented by the entry into the mass market of virtual reality video games in the last few years, following the mass diffusion of commercial head-mounted display (HMD) devices, such as Oculus Rift (Facebook Technologies), Vive (HTC Corporation), and PlayStation VR (Sony Interactive Entertainment) [2]. The popularity of virtual reality video games is continuously growing among users: in 2019, Oculus Quest, the first stand-alone headset (ie, it does not require any external device to work) sold out across multiple stores a week after launching [3]; as well, for the first time, the number of connected virtual reality users on the online gaming platform Steam had surpassed 1 million, as determined by data captured over the course of a month [4].
Compared to more traditional (ie, desktop display device) video games, virtual reality games have profoundly different characteristics [2,5,6]. In particular, one of the main relevant differences is the level of immersion, defined as a “quantifiable description of a technology, which includes the extent to which the computer displays are extensive, surrounding, inclusive, vivid and matching” [7]. Technologies can immerse their users in a virtual environment to different degrees, from a simple nonimmersive presentation on a computer screen (ie, desktop displays) to immersive systems, such as HMDs like Oculus Rift (Facebook Technologies) or Vive (HTC Corporation) [2]. The sense of immersion into mediated computerized environments, in general, and computer games, in particular, has previously been explained through spatial presence and flow [8,9]. Even if these concepts share conceptual similarities, such as immersive components and intense feelings, they refer to different theoretical constructs [8]. In particular, while presence relates to a sense of spatial immersion in a mediated environment [10], flow is generally defined as the optimal experience when nothing else matters [11,12]. With respect to computer games, flow has been defined as the sensation of influencing the activity in the virtual world (ie, gaming in action) [13], and it is recognized as a central element of exciting gaming experiences [14,15].
Interestingly, scientific studies have recently started to recognize the potential positive impact of virtual reality video games on people’s health (eg, [16,17]) and cognitive abilities (eg, [18,19]). For example, a previous study [18] has reported the efficacy of a virtual reality exercise-based dance game, DANCE, that was created ad hoc by researchers for the training of executive functions in older people. In addition, another recent study [19] showed the feasibility of using a commercial virtual reality game to assess executive functions and cognitive abilities, as measured by a traditional neuropsychological test, the Trial Making Test (TMT) [20]. The results showed that user performance in the dance game Audioshield (Dylan Fitterer) predicted the TMT scores (ie, time to complete TMT-A and TMT-B) [19].
Not only are virtual reality video games potentially useful tools for the assessment and training of cognitive abilities, recent studies have also reported that they can be effective tools for people’s emotional well-being. In fact, previous studies have suggested that virtual reality video games induce more emotion than do games with less-immersive technologies, such as those on a desktop display device (eg, [2,6,21-23]). With few exceptions [24,25], a higher intensity of emotional response has been observed in virtual reality games compared to desktop games, at both a psychological and a physiological level [2,6,21-23]. For example, players reported a more intense emotional experience while playing the first-person shooter (FPS) game Half-Life 2 (Valve Corporation) in an immersive modality through an HMD compared to playing the same game on a monitor [22].
However, less is known about the ability of a virtual reality game to elicit positive emotions and decrease negative emotions and anxiety in the players, because specific studies on that subject have not yet been conducted.
One of the most commonly reported motives for playing modern video games is the pleasure offered by digital games: people look for and are more willing to buy games that elicit positive emotions [26-28]. Positive emotions are considered to form the basis for the growing and flourishing self [29] and are especially important in increasing the level of subjective well-being [29-31]. As stated by broaden-and-build theory [32-34], “...certain discrete positive emotions—including joy, interest, contentment, pride, and love—although phenomenologically distinct, all share the ability to broaden people’s momentary thought-action repertoires and build their enduring personal resources, ranging from physical and intellectual resources to social and psychological resources” [34].
Several studies have shown that computer games played on desktop display devices can generate positive emotions, such as joy or happiness (eg, [35-37]). For example, in a study investigating event-specific emotional responses while playing Super Monkey Ball 2 (SEGA)—a platform game (ie, a subgenre of an action game) where the player controls a character who has to jump and climb between suspended platforms while avoiding obstacles—players who experienced not only positive events (eg, acquiring in-game goods) but also some negative events (eg, falling over the edge of the game board) were reported to elicit positively valenced arousal [26]. In another study, predominantly positive emotions were reported while playing the action game Counter-Strike (Valve Corporation), as assessed by an electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha index; in addition, subjective ratings of emotional responses indicated happiness, both during and after the game [37]. Furthermore, dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to sensations of pleasure and reward, has been detected using positron emission tomography (PET) during video game playing [38]. In addition, regular players have advocated video game play as a means of relaxation [39-41], and the search for distraction and escapism is among the most often reported motives for playing video games [42-44].
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Different types of desktop video games have been reported to be effective in decreasing anxiety in individuals, inducing a state of relaxation (eg, [45-49]) and positive emotions [50]. For example, video games characterized by low cognitive load and generally short time demands, such as Tetris (Nintendo) or Angry Birds (Rovio Entertainment Corporation), have proven to be able to diminish state anxiety [51,52] as well stress in players [41], even more effectively than traditional techniques, such as medical treatment [51,52] or guided meditation [53,54].
Interestingly, some recent studies have reported a greater increase in positive emotions after playing a virtual reality game compared to a game on a desktop display [2,23,55]. For instance, players showed a higher level of happiness and surprise, as assessed by self-report questionnaires, after playing an FPS game (ie, Smash Hit [Mediocre AB]) in virtual reality versus after playing the same game on a desktop display [2]. In addition, while the perceived feeling of happiness increased after playing the bestselling survival horror game Resident Evil: BioHazard (Capcom) in virtual reality, the opposite result was obtained after desktop gameplay, specifically, a decrease in the sense of happiness in comparison to the baseline [55].
Thanks to virtual reality’s unique features of immersion and body involvement [56,57], virtual reality games seem to be appealing new tools to elicit positive emotions and to decrease anxiety in individuals. However, until now, no study has been conducted specifically to test the ability of this new type of interactive video game to enhance positive emotions and to decrease negative emotions and anxiety in individuals.
In addition to differences in terms of immersion, what strongly distinguishes virtual reality video games from traditional ones is that in virtual reality, the movement of the player’s body itself becomes the main interface for interacting with the virtual world [2,58,59]. In a virtual reality video game, in fact, the player can interact with virtual content not only through a joypad or a keyboard but also by using head rotation, eye movements, or specially designed controllers that respond to the position and movements of the player in a defined space [2]. Depending on the specific video game and virtual reality system adopted, the player's level of body involvement can vary significantly. For example, in Smash Hit VR (Mediocre AB), which is compatible with the HMD Gear VR (Samsung), it is possible to interact in the game using only head movements. In contrast, in other titles, such as Beat Saber (Beat Games) or Superhot VR (SUPERHOT Team), the movement of the whole body is required to play the game.
Studies from various disciplines have investigated the relationship between body movement and well-being, showing that body movement affects emotional processes, with an almost immediate antianxiety and antidepressive effect [60-64] and with long-term positive outcomes on physical health [65-68].
Interestingly, previous studies have reported that an increased involvement of the body while playing video games on desktop displays leads to more intense emotional and affective responses by the player [69,70]. Furthermore, recent preliminary studies have reported that exergames—ones that are considered a combination of video gaming and physical exercise requiring physical effort from the player in order to play the game [71-73]—are able to elicit positive emotions among older adults [71], inducing higher positive emotions than traditional exercise [74], and are able to reduce state anxiety in a nonclinical sample of healthy women [75].
These considerations about the critical role of body movement in individuals’ well-being and in emotional responses to video games make it critical to understand how body involvement can be exploited to modulate the psychological benefits of virtual reality games in terms of enhancing players’ positive emotions and decreasing their negative emotions and anxiety.
Within the context described above, this within-subjects study aimed to explore the ability of commercial virtual reality games to induce positive emotions and diminish state anxiety of the players, investigating the effects of the level of body involvement requested by the game (ie, high vs low).
The main hypotheses of this study were as follows:
Hypothesis 1: Video games played in virtual reality will increase self-reported positive emotions (ie, joy and happiness) and will reduce negative emotions (ie, fear and sadness) and perceived state anxiety.
Hypothesis 2: A game with high body involvement (ie, Audioshield [Dylan Fitterer]) will elicit stronger positive emotions and a more intense decrease in negative emotions and state anxiety compared to a game with low body involvement (ie, Fruit Ninja VR [Halfbrick Studios]).
Welcome to CNET's updated rundown of the very best VR games right now. VR keeps changing, but many of its best classic games are still around. New titles are emerging to push new boundaries, too.
This isn't a list of apps: These are all games, and we list the availability for each. To make it easy, we broke everything down into the most popular categories: Quest 2, Steam VR, PlayStation VR 2, and also the original PlayStation VR (which still has a lot of classic games that aren't playable on PSVR 2 yet).
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