Should children play with virtual reality goggles?
Virtual reality feels real, sometimes too real. The testers of the climbing game The Climb experienced this. Time and again, players tore the VR goggles off their heads after a virtual fall on the steep wall and ran to the toilet to vomit.
It was only after several versions that the game developers were able to solve the problem. Now players only experience the free fall for a few moments before the screen goes black. But this example shows that VR goggles are not free of side effects. And nausea is not the only one.
What are VR glasses?
Let's start from the beginning: What are VR glasses actually? The abbreviation VR stands for virtual reality. VR glasses project images onto a screen close to the eye. They are usually closed at the sides so that the wearer is completely cut off visually from the real world. The aim is to present artificially generated 3D worlds as realistically and believably as possible.
Sensors on the glasses register the user's head movements.
The user is fully immersed in another reality. Sensors on the glasses register the user's head movements. If you look to the left in reality, you also turn to the left in the virtual world. Some VR glasses work with gesture control, others require additional hardware, for example in the form of a controller.
Dry eyes and short-sightedness
As the current VR glasses have not been on the market for long, there are only a few studies on their effects. However, previous studies suggest that VR glasses could lead to short-sightedness in children.
Studies suggest that VR glasses can lead to short-sightedness in children.
London eye surgeon David Allamby says: «Parents and younger people should be aware of the risks. With VR, there may be more and more people suffering from a lack of daylight- something that affects the natural growth of our eyes and can lead to short-sightedness or myopia.»
In addition, says David Allamby, virtual reality prevents the eyes from focussing on objects at long distances. This can also lead to short-sightedness. Another unpleasant side effect is that players do not blink enough in virtual reality. This leads to dry eyes and can become painful in the long term.
What happens when people regularly spend time in virtual reality?
In addition, the long-term neurological consequences are not yet foreseeable. What happens when people spend time in virtual reality on a regular basis? The first users are therefore either pioneers or guinea pigs, depending on their point of view.
The manufacturers of VR goggles are also unable to assess the consequences and only recommend use for players aged 13 and over. They also warn against the motion sickness or kinetosis described above, which can cause nausea as well as other symptoms such as dizziness and headaches .
More than 50 per cent of VR gamers complain of nausea, dizziness or headaches.
Motion sickness occurs when the sensory organs receive contradictory information. In the game The Climb, the eyes tell the player that they are falling. However, the body does not perceive any movement. For the same reason, many people feel sick when they read while travelling in a car.
Among VR gamers, more than 50 per cent complain of nausea, dizziness or headaches after a trip into virtual reality. Some of them also report a rapid onset of mental exhaustion. Incidentally, studies have found that children are the most susceptible to motion sickness.
Will the development studios get to grips with the problem of kinetosis? Steve Baker, who has more than 25 years of experience in the field of military flight simulations and virtual reality, is not hopeful: «I don't believe that there is a system for virtual reality that offers the experience on the one hand and doesn't cause nausea for most people on the other.»
Increased sense of being at the centre of things
The feeling of being right in the middle of the game is much more intense with advanced technology than in a normal game. Nobody can yet estimate what psychological consequences this increased immersion in games can have. Games already have an addictive and escape potential that should not be underestimated. Instead of everyday worries and routine, the player experiences adventure and variety in the game - he is the hero and main character. It is easier to achieve success and rewards here than at school or in sport.
Manufacturers of VR goggles only recommend use for players aged 13 and over.
The connection between violence and games has been a controversial and intensively researched topic for many years. «In light of the impressive data available, the finding that violent games can contribute to increased aggressive behaviour in children and young people can be regarded as empirically well established,» says Martina Zemp, psychologist at the University of Zurich.
Open questions
What effects does it have when the feeling of being right in the middle of the action is even more intense thanks to VR glasses? What happens in a person's head when, in an action game like GTA, they not only blow out the computer characters' virtual lights using controllers, but also have the feeling of being right in the middle of the action in the virtual world and virtually kill the characters using gesture control, i.e. their own hands?
There will always be a need for discussion.
Those responsible at PEGI, the Europe-wide age rating system, are considering a new content rating for VR games due to the strong feeling of being in the middle of things. The German Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK) has already reacted. VR games are usually rated higher there. For example, there is a game in which you sit in a cage under water as a deep-sea diver and are attacked by a shark - the «normal» version is rated USK 12, the VR version USK 16.
Will that be enough? As the technology is so new and there are still no long-term studies, there will certainly always be a need for discussion - both in the industry and among families.
Picture: zVg
Decision arguments at a glance
- VR glasses are the new trend in gaming and allow an unprecedented feeling of being right in the middle of things.
- There are no long-term studies on possible physical and psychological consequences.
- Known side effects include nausea, headaches and dry eyes; doctors expect an increased risk of short-sightedness.
- The manufacturer's age recommendation for the use of VR glasses is 13 years.
- VR games are often given a higher age rating than the «normal» versions.
