An encapsulation into the virtual world now unfolding promises great adventure and travel in interactions. For many, this escapade into virtual reality can easily be ruined with the common ailment called VR motion sickness. This malady indeed has really unpleasant symptoms; these are nausea, dizziness, and even disorientation that seriously impede enjoyment of such VR experiences. Knowing what causes VR motion sickness, its symptoms, and prevention strategies will ensure that you benefit a lot from this changing technology. In this in-depth post about VR motion sickness, you will be equipped with knowledge on how to mitigate its effects so that you can go on a smoother virtual journey.
Understanding VR Motion Sickness
It is yet another kind of motion sickness that results from a discrepancy between what the body senses and the brain perceives. Such a discrepancy may arise in many ways, which include:
Sensory Conflict: The Root of the Problem
The vestibular system in our inner ear usually tends the movement and orientation. In real motion, the eyes, muscles, and vestibular system harmoniously cooperate and create a unified impression of movement that, in most cases, gets disrupted in VR. The virtual world can move people in a way that is in conflict with the physical position of a user’s body. Such inconsistency in the form of visual input and vestibular feedback is prone to creating well-known nausea and disorientation associated with VR motion sickness.
Example:
You are stationary, but your VR headset takes you on a walk through the virtual forest. The eyes see that the world is moving, but the body senses the person is staying in place. Such incongruence of the two vestibular inputs can result in queasiness and discomfort.
Individual Susceptibility: Not Everybody Gets Equally Affected
While true that susceptibility to VR motion sickness is common, its magnitude can still vary over a wide range. While highly susceptible individuals exist, others may exhibit only minor symptoms or no symptoms at all. The following contribute to individual susceptibility:
Individual Susceptibility Factors:
History of prior motion sickness: individuals that are susceptible to motion sickness in real life could also be more susceptible to it from VR.
Age: Because of the difference in the vestibular, children and older adults are highly vulnerable to VR motion sickness. Besides this, it is found that women are more prone to motion sickness compared to men.
Health Conditions: It is believed that people with migraine or vestibular disorders are more sensitive to VR motion sickness.
Medication: There are observations that motion sickness worsens when one is on certain medication.
Symptoms of VR Motion Sickness
The symptoms of VR motion sickness can be mild or extreme and may also include the following:
Common Symptoms:
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Disorientation
- Blurred vision
- Sweating
- Fatigue
Severe Symptoms:
On certain occasions, VR motion sickness may further deteriorate into the following severe symptoms:
- Vomiting
- Loss of balance
- Increased anxiety
How to Avoid VR Motion Sickness
While VR motion sickness can be a big enough reason to prevent the usage of virtual reality, there are a few steps that can be taken for reducing the impact of this factor and creating an improved virtual environment.
How to Reduce VR Motion Sickness:
- Go slow: Try starting with short sessions in VR and then gradually increasing time as your body gets used to it.
- Take breaks: If one needs to be in VR for extended periods, breaks should be taken often. Give your body time to reset.
- Choose comfortable settings: If at all possible, opt for those VR experiences that involve smooth and natural motion. That can include avoiding any VR content featuring jerky or rapid movements.
- Game Settings Adjustment: Utilize in-game settings where available, that will reduce or eliminate factors easily causing motion sickness. Examples are field of view or speed of camera movement.
- Hydrate your body: drink plenty of water before, during, and after VR sessions in order to not let symptoms of motion sickness be aggravated with dehydration.
Other Helpful Techniques
- Fixed gaze: Try to stare at some stationary point in the virtual world. This works because it enables the brain to ‘ignore’ other visual information which might be in conflict with what the vestibular system is saying.
- Using a controller: Having a controller to actually navigate your avatar around can enhance the sense of control and reduce symptoms of motion sickness.
- Cut down on alcohol and caffeine: these things will dehydrate you and make your body more vulnerable to motion sickness.
- Give a try to other VR headsets: Other VR headsets may be different in some features and capabilities that affect the experiences of motion sickness.
Conclusion
While the challenge of motion sickness is common for VR users, it does not stand between us and this transformational technology. This will enable us to learn more about the causes, symptoms, and strategies of prevention by which we may travel in the virtual world with much comfort. Gradual acclimatization, taking frequent breaks, comfortable settings, and a mindful approach are of great importance to minimize the probability of motion sickness while enriching the immersive virtual reality experience.
