Effects of Walking Together in a Co-Located Virtual Reality Game

Abstract

This paper details a within-subjects study exploring how two lo-comotion techniques affect players' experiences while playing a co-located virtual reality (VR) game. The participants played a two-versus-two game, reminiscent of laser tag, in a $14\mathrm{m}\times 14\mathrm{m}$ arena, and they moved around in the arena either by physically walking or by using VR controller while standing. When walking, participants reported significantly higher social presence directed at their team-mates and significantly lower simulator sickness. Moreover, they found walking significantly more natural, they were significantly more likely to forget that they were using controllers, and they were significantly more concerned with keeping distance to other players.