Exploring the realm of painting: has the promised reality of virtual art been realized?
Virtual Reality: A Promised Revolution Yet to Fully Materialize
For over three decades, virtual reality (VR) technology has been in existence. Initially, optimists envisioned it to transform our lives as significantly as the internet or smartphones. In 2015, VR headsets hit the commercial market, but are we living in a virtual reality era today? Market predictions suggest that by 2029, there will be 28 million headsets sold—a meager figure compared to the number of laptops or smartphones. So, what went wrong with virtual reality, and where does it truly shine? Researchers aimed to shed light on these questions in an overview published in Nature Human Behaviour.
To reach their conclusions, the authors analyzed numerous studies conducted over the past 30 years, including multiple meta-analyses. They identified five key takeaways for users and practitioners alike, some relating to the industry as a whole, while others focus on specific psychological effects.
Niches Filled, But Not Everywhere
The first conclusion: VR has not filled all the expected niches. It does indeed prove useful in psychotherapy, helping treat motion sickness, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, hopes of it becoming a new form of communication have not materialized. In a virtual world, people opt for video conferences or messaging for remote communication, finding the deep sense of presence provided by VR less appealing.
In the entertainment industry, VR has also carved out a limited niche. While there are undoubtedly impressive individual results, the market for traditional computer games continues to thrive. Apparently, users don't always enjoy being fully immersed in virtual worlds, particularly when required to engage in physically demanding or frightening activities.
A Fly in the Ointment: Movement Profiles
An intriguing phenomenon has been discovered: a virtual body influences human behavior. For example, individuals displaying themselves as tall avatars conduct negotiations more confidently than their short avatar counterparts. This important factor should be considered in both the entertainment industry and psychological research. To maintain credibility, experimenters should either avoid using the influence of avatars or limit participants' virtual appearance choices.
No Revolution, Only Evolution
Another finding concerns the use of VR for training. While the technology has proven useful for practicing skills difficult to train in reality, such as piloting and surgery, it is not recommended for delivering lectures. Unusual sensations distract learners from absorbing information, and VR sessions must be kept short to avoid tiring students.
Virtual Footsteps
VR headsets track a user's movements to replicate them in virtual space. This is the essence of the technology: ducking in reality causes the user to dodge a hit in a game. However, there is an unexpected side effect: a person's movement style is quite easy to recognize, even among 50,000 users. This means there is no anonymity in the VR world. Participants may not reveal their identities or choose avatars of any age, gender, or appearance, but their movements will give them away.
Deceptive Distances
Lastly, the fifth finding: in virtual reality, people incorrectly judge distances. Far objects appear closer than they are, and this error increases with distance. Possible causes include limited field of view, imperfect depth perception, and the absence of shadows. While this fact may seem unimportant, it could have implications for future pilots undergoing VR training.
Despite VR technologies being around for many years, the intricacies of the technology are still not well-understood. Researchers caution psychologists that results obtained in virtual reality should not be blindly applied to reality. What we perceive in VR is influenced by technical details, such as how the 3D effect is created, and these subtleties should be considered in studies where posture, gaze, gestures, and other behavioral nuances are crucial.
Ten years after VR became accessible, it's fair to say that expectations were overblown. Yet, the toolkit for learning, entertainment, and research has expanded, which is certainly cause for optimism.
Related Material
High Costs and Technical Challenges Curbing VR Adoption- The high upfront costs of VR hardware and custom software development pose significant barriers for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).- The creation and maintenance of VR content can be technically challenging, requiring significant expertise and resources.- Limited device availability, particularly in educational settings, also contributes to the slow adoption of VR.- Integrating VR into existing workflows, such as healthcare, is often difficult due to financial constraints and staff limitations.- Regulatory and classification issues in healthcare can further hinder VR adoption.
Real Niches for VR in 2023- Gaming and entertainment: VR gaming offers immersive experiences, serving as a gateway for users to explore other VR applications.- Healthcare and medical training: VR is used for medical training, patient education, physical therapy, pain management, and mental health treatments like anxiety and PTSD.- Education and training: Although faced with challenges, VR offers immersive learning experiences that can enhance educational outcomes.- Fitness and mental health: Beyond gaming, VR is evolving into fitness platforms and brain-training tools, offering engaging ways to stay active and mentally healthy.
- Science has shown that virtual reality (VR) has not filled all the expected niches, particularly in communication, as people prefer video conferences or messaging for remote interactions.
- The entertainment industry has found a limited niche for VR, with traditional computer games continuing to thrive and users expressing reluctance to engage in physically demanding or frightening activities in virtual worlds.
