A recent study published in the journal Virtual Reality provides evidence that adding story elements to virtual reality (VR) exercise games can make physical activity more engaging, potentially offering a new avenue to encourage exercise among young adults. While the study found that these narrative elements didn’t increase the overall time spent playing, they did lead to a higher quality of physical activity, with participants moving more vigorously during gameplay.
The motivation behind this innovative study stemmed from a pressing public health concern: the high prevalence of sedentary lifestyles among U.S. adults and the associated risk of diseases. With the advent of VR technology, researchers saw an opportunity to make exercise more appealing by incorporating it into VR gaming—a form of entertainment already popular among young adults.
This interest was particularly piqued during the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw a decrease in physical activity levels due to restrictions on access to traditional exercise facilities. By investigating the potential of narrative-driven VR games to promote physical activity, the researchers aimed to find alternative ways to combat sedentary lifestyles, especially during times when access to physical activity might be limited.
“I have always been fascinated by the power of stories. The advent of emerging media technologies offers an excellent opportunity to explore the narrative impact,” said study author Amy S. Lu, an associate professor and director of the Health Technology Lab at Northeastern University.
The study recruited participants through web advertisements and posters on a university campus, focusing on individuals aged 18-29 with low levels of physical activity. Out of 252 students who expressed interest, 36 met the criteria and completed the study, which involved playing both active and sedentary VR games using a HTC Vive Pro headset under conditions with and without added narrative elements.
Participants were randomly assigned to either a narrative or a non-narrative condition and played both an active VR game, which required physical movement, and a sedentary VR game, which did not. The active VR game selected was Beat Saber, a rhythm-based game requiring players to move in sync with music, while Thumper, another rhythm-based game but with minimal physical activity, served as the sedentary counterpart.
Prior to playing the active VR games, participants in the narrative condition watched a five-minute video introducing a storyline related to the game they were about to play. Researchers measured the physical activity levels of participants using wrist-worn accelerometers and gathered data on their game experience through questionnaires.
Adding a story element did not significantly extend the duration of gameplay. The researchers noted that the narrative’s theme, based on the Star Wars universe, might not have resonated with all participants, suggesting that future studies should consider a wider range of narrative themes and formats.
“Star Wars Franchise Fatigue could be real! Perhaps we should have considered a different plot design,” Lu told PsyPost. “But who does not think of Star Wars while playing Beat Saber?”
Participants in the narrative condition engaged in a higher percentage of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity compared to those in the non-narrative condition, suggesting that narratives might motivate players to put more effort into their movements. Additionally, active VR games were found to promote significantly more physical activity than sedentary VR games, highlighting their potential as an effective tool for increasing physical activity levels.
Furthermore, active VR games, particularly those with narrative elements, provided a more positive game experience, as indicated by higher scores in flow, positive affect, and physical activity enjoyment compared to sedentary VR games. This suggests that integrating stories into VR games could not only help in promoting physical activity but also enhance the overall enjoyment of the exercise.
“Integrating narrative elements into active virtual reality games can motivate people to exercise more,” Lu said. “This approach could serve as an effective strategy to counteract the sedentary lifestyle exacerbated by the pandemic.”
Despite these promising findings, the study faced several limitations. Conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the research had to navigate challenges such as physical distancing, which might have influenced participants’ willingness to engage fully in physical activity.
“Conducting in-person VR research during the pandemic was not fun, especially regarding research assistant and participant scheduling,” Lu explained. “However, we were impressed by the enthusiastic response from our participants.”
Additionally, the narrative videos were not professionally produced and might not have been as immersive as possible, potentially limiting their impact on engagement.
“Due to budget constraints, we could not create narrative clips to be played directly into the VR headset,” Lu said. “Instead, we displayed the story on a TV screen before participants switched to VR play mode. Future studies should aim to eliminate such significant modality shifts to preserve the immersive experience.”
The study underscores the need for further research to explore more immersive and interactive narrative designs and assess their impact immediately after viewing. There’s also a call for investigating different narrative themes and delivery methods to maximize player engagement and physical activity. By continuing to explore the intersection of VR technology, storytelling, and exercise, researchers hope to unlock new strategies for combating sedentary lifestyles and promoting physical health.
“It would be fun to further investigate effective methods for adding narratives into active VR games,” Lu said. “It would be intriguing to see if we can truly merge storytelling with VR.”
The study, “The effect of narrative element incorporation on physical activity and game experience in active and sedentary virtual reality games,” was authored by Amy Shirong Lu, Victoria Pelarski, Dar Alon, Aleksandra Baran, Emma McGarrity, Neha Swaminathan, and Caio Victor Sousa.