The Dual Dimensions of Virtual Reality Gaming: An Empirical Study on Enjoyment and Cybersickness

This study addresses the lack of comprehensive research on the factors affecting user experience in virtual reality (VR) games, particularly in gaming contexts. Specifically, it investigates key metrics such as telepresence, delight, liking, human factor, hardware factor, and content factor. This study explores aspects of user experience including engagement, enjoyment, and presence by analyzing 79 diverse VR games across various platforms selected based on market popularity, user reviews, and sales volume. The findings indicate a strong positive correlation between telepresence and user enjoyment, while factors increasing cybersickness risk significantly degrade the user experience quality. Hardware and content quality were found to substantially impact user immersion, with a direct effect on the overall satisfaction. A visualization tool optimized for this study was employed to evaluate VR games based on user surveys and objective measurements, assessing cybersickness and interest levels. The study involved 32 participants with diverse demographics and VR gaming experience. Each of the 79 games was evaluated four times using the tool, with participants providing subjective feedback through surveys measuring telepresence, delight, liking, and cybersickness symptoms. The analysis has revealed that high telepresence and delight scores are associated with better user experiences, while higher human factor scores correlated with increased cybersickness. High-quality hardware and content are crucial to enhancing immersion and reducing discomfort. This research offers strategies for optimizing user experience in VR game development, emphasizing the importance of maximizing telepresence and enjoyment while minimizing cybersickness. The findings provide practical guidelines for user-centered game development and highlight the need for further research incorporating objective measures to validate the results and enhance an understanding of user experience in VR gaming. Overall, this study aims to contribute to the improvement of VR game quality and user satisfaction.