Exploring the Time Dilation Gameplay in VR, and Its Effect on Presence, VR Sickness, and Performance

Abstract

This study explores the effect of Time Dilation Gameplay mechanic in a VR game and its impact on players' sub-jective feeling of Presence, symptoms of VR sickness, and to their gaming performance. A comparative study was conducted using a VR First Person Shooter game prototype under two conditions: Normal Gameplay and with Time Dilation, manipulating the in-game time to almost complete standstill when the player stops moving. The results indicated that players in the Time Dilation Gameplay group experienced high degree of Presence comparable to those playing in Normal Gameplay condition, and yielded relatively lower levels of VR sickness, highlighting the need for further investigation on its potential impact on the domain. The players' in-game performance between the two conditions was similar, but the Time Dilation mechanic impacted the way they were navigating and spatially exploring the environment, hence, considerations need to be made in the way tasks, levels, and interactions are designed. The main contributions of this paper are: i) insights on how Time Dilation affects players' feeling of Presence in a VR game; ii) the impact of the mechanic on VR Sickness; and iii) its effect on player performance, providing valuable information for game developers and designers.