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VR gaming can really be an immersive experience and several people have asked me the question; is VR scarier than regular screen gaming?
Virtual gaming is scarier than traditional screen gaming. Due to the fact that virtual reality has the ability to deceive the brain into believing the body is in a completely different environment the events that happen around you feel more real and can increase the adrenaline in your body more than regular screen gaming.
This article will explain how scary virtual reality can get, the effects of horror VR games, and why people opt to go for them even though they are scary.
How Scary is VR Gaming?
Virtual reality can completely immerse viewers in terrifying events that push the boundaries of scream-out-loud feelings. The entertainment business has great hopes for virtual reality headset technology, but I’ve discovered that making entertaining VR in the horror genre is difficult.
Unlike 2D horror movies, which focus on producing over-the-top frights to cause utter panic, developing an experience that viewers can sit through without leaving the headgear in terror after only a few minutes is a key measure of success in VR.
“When it comes to virtual reality, when items rush at them or when they sense motion that makes them feel out of control, users experience panic!”
Consequently, individuals have an extreme reaction or seek to avoid the situation, resulting in them colliding with furniture, walls, or other people. In the majority of cases, this has resulted in accidents.
Virtual reality is being employed in a variety of contexts that were not envisioned during its inception as the technology has gotten cheaper and more widely available.
VR is increasingly being utilized in people’s homes, which are typically congested and filled with moving people and pets.
READ MORE! Can Virtual Reality Ever Become Too Real? (Explained!)
Why Do People Play Scary VR Games?
VR horror games genuinely stimulate your brain, which keeps your brain active and ensures that you are on the right track to greater health and general well-being.
The only stipulation is that you must be afraid while watching the film, and how scared do you feel during the whole film.
This is because the more you scream in panic, the quicker your pulse rate becomes, and your body requires more oxygen.
So, the following are some of the health benefits that people who still play scary horror games can get:
The VR Horror Games Are a Great Way of Relieving Stress
Because you’re so immersed in VR horror games, you’re more likely to be immersed in virtual reality than in reality itself.
So whatever you feel during the game, good or bad, you experience it through every obstacle you encounter or whenever something unexpected appears in your path.
When this occurs, or when you are terrified or frightened, your body produces a variety of chemicals in your brain, including glutamate, dopamine, and serotonin that help you feel better and boost your mood and the way you feel.
These hormones will assist you in releasing the stress you are experiencing and redirect your attention away from the stress and tension you are experiencing.
VR horror games also aid in the release of these chemicals, which function as adrenaline, which is normally connected with flight or fight (commonly known as the flight or fight hormone) and has a significant part in reducing anxiety and depression symptoms.
Furthermore, while VR horror games induce tension in your body when it comes to circumstances in real-life, they may help you reduce and manage stress in a much better style and manner without having you behave like a headless turkey.
They Help to Improve Your Immunity
According to many studies, when individuals watch or play VR horror games, their bodies generate more white blood cells, which helps improve the immune system of the person who is playing the game.
White blood cells are blood cells that aid in the protection of the body against infections and other illnesses and the healing of wounds.
As a result, as your white blood cell production rises, your immunity rises as well. The more frightening the game is, the quicker your heart rate rises and the healthier you become.
It may sound far-fetched, yet there are legitimate studies conducted by researchers that have proven their claims.
They Help Overcome Your Fear and Get Used to Freaky Situations
The whole narrative of the tale is built on ideas and is incredibly realistic in order for the viewer to feel and be terrified of what is going to happen next or by your next action.
It improves the whole experience of playing a horror game by making it more entertaining and realistic.
This also aids you in conquering your genuine phobias in real life since it desensitizes you and educates your mind to respond in a much more rational and planned way.
Horror games assist you in overcoming them and a warning or preventing you from doing things that you would not ordinarily do in situations when you could think sensibly, and providing insight into risky and possibly destructive behavioral inclinations.
This also indicates that horror games assist you in building bravery, since facing your anxieties or any other unpleasant situation and fighting or even overcoming it takes guts.
It prevents you from escaping every time and encourages you to battle and overcome your worries.
VR Horror Games Help to Lose Weight
It may seem unbelievable, but it is true. Because of the way our bodies respond when we play a horror game, we tend to waste energy due to the emotions we experience, which burns calories quickly.
We need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, which is precisely what a horror game gives.
You will burn over 200 calories when playing the finest horror VR video game, and the theory behind this is that since your blood is pumped at a higher rate, you experience and feel a rise in your adrenaline levels.
This decreases your appetite while simultaneously increasing your metabolic rate.
Final Thoughts
VR is scarier than regular screen gaming. This is because of the real world that VR games introduce you to. It can have some negative impacts like causing accidents, but they also have their plus side.
I hope this article helps you understand the scary side of VR games so that you can know what you are in for as you make a decision to participate in them.
Espen
Espen is the Director of PursuitMeta and has written extensively about Virtual Reality and VR Headsets for years. He is a consumer product expert and has personally tested VR Headsets for the last decade.
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