Cybersickness, or sickness caused by virtual reality (VR), represents a significant threat to the usability of VR applications. Repeated exposure to the same VR stimulus causes a reduction in cybersickness, referred to as Cybersickness Abatement from Repeated Exposure (CARE). This study examined whether the benefits of CARE generalize across distinct VR contexts, which was operationalized as three distinct games (a climbing game, a puzzle game, and a stealth survival game). Participants played a VR game for up to 20 minutes. Those in the Repeated Exposure condition played one VR game (either a puzzle game or a climbing game) on three separate days followed by a different VR game (a survival game) on the fourth day. Those in the Single Exposure condition played the survival game once. The three games all differed in several ways, including environment and task, whereas the puzzle and survival games shared a similar joystick locomotion interface that differed from the locomotion interface in the climbing game. Results indicate that cybersickness on Day 4 of the Repeated Exposure condition was significantly lower than that in the Single Exposure condition, regardless of which game was experienced on Days 1-3. The practical implication of this finding is that CARE that occurs in one VR context can generalize to a novel context with a distinct environment, task, and locomotion interface. Results are considered in the context of multiple theoretical explanations for CARE, including sensory rearrangement and habituation. These results support systematic exposure as an approach to reducing cybersickness.
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Cybersickness Abatement from Repeated Exposure to VR with Reduced Discomfort
Cybersickness, or sickness induced by virtual reality (VR), negatively impacts the enjoyment and adoption of the technology. One method that has been used to reduce sickness is repeated exposure to VR, herein Cybersickness Abatement from Repeated Exposure (CARE). However, high sickness levels during repeated exposure may discourage some users from returning. Field of view (FOV) restriction reduces cybersickness by minimizing visual motion in the periphery, but also negatively affects the user's visual experience. This study explored whether CARE that occurs with FOV restriction generalizes to a full FOV experience. Participants played a VR game for up to 20 minutes. Those in the Repeated Exposure Condition played the same VR game on four separate days, experiencing FOV restriction during the first three days and no FOV restriction on the fourth day. Results indicated significant CARE with FOV restriction (Days 1-3). Further, cybersickness on Day 4, without FOV restriction, was significantly lower than that of participants in the Single Exposure Condition, who experienced the game without FOV restriction only on one day. The current findings show that significant CARE can occur while experiencing minimal cybersickness. Results are considered in the context of multiple theoretical explanations for CARE, including sensory rearrangement, adaptation, habituation, and postural control.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2309990
- PAR ID:
- 10591600
- Publisher / Repository:
- IEEE
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics
- ISSN:
- 1077-2626
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1 to 12
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Virtual Reality Cybersickness Repeated Exposure Field of View Restriction Adaptation Habituation
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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