Desktop virtual reality for emergency preparedness: user evaluation of an aircraft ditching experience under different fear arousal conditions

Virtual Reality (VR), in the form of 3D interactive simulations of emergency scenarios, is increasingly used for emergency preparedness training. This paper advances knowledge about different aspects of such virtual emergency experiences, showing that: (i) the designs we propose in the paper are effective in improving emergency preparedness of common citizens, considering aviation safety as a relevant case study, (ii) changing specific visual and auditory features is effective to create emotionally different versions of the same experience, increasing the level of fear aroused in users, and (iii) the protection motivation role of fear highlighted by psychological studies of traditional media applies to desktop VR too.