Exploring the Emotional Effect of Immersive Virtual Reality Versus 2-D Screen-Based Game Characters

• In Event: Paper Session: Innovative Research on Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Simulations

Abstract

This study was conducted to compare the emotional impact of 2D game characters presented on a computer screen with that of 3D game characters presented in an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) environment. We used a think-aloud protocol, in which unprompted emotional utterances were counted, and an emotion self-report survey (PANAS-X) to compare player experiences in 2D versus VR gameplay. PANAS-X survey results indicated that emotion arousal was significantly higher for VR than 2D gameplay. Unprompted, verbal utterances were also significantly more frequent for VR gameplay than 2D, with a large effect size. The data suggests that immersive 3D gameplay elicits higher emotion arousal compared to 2D gameplay of the same game.

Authors

• Christopher Hovey, New York University

• Shashank K Pawar, New York University

• Jan L. Plass, New York University