Exploring the effects of VR gameplay videos on performance and experience

Abstract

Sharing gameplay videos online has become a common practice. In case of virtual reality (VR) games, these videos are typically in the traditional rectangular format, consisting of a real-world view showing the player’s actions and a virtual-world view showing what the player sees in the VR game. Watching such videos can be considered a process of observational learning—when the viewers of these videos become players, they may perform better and have a better experience in the game. This study explores this potential chain of indirect effects of watching VR gameplay videos. The result of a laboratory experiment shows that watching VR gameplay videos indirectly enhances various aspects of players’ experience including immersion, flow, competency, and positive affect, via its effect on observational learning and, thereafter, game performance. The theoretical and practical implications of these effects have also been discussed.