VR gaming may be the new age and advanced genre of gaming but it defies all the rules of a 2D game in terms of design and code. Games in virtual reality at some point may cause nausea and sickness to the slightly faint hearted as the graphics are set in 3D along with surround sound depicting motion while the body of the user remains stationary. With this major difference set in tone for VR it brings us to notify that there is a bunch of things that must be considered before designing and coding through a VR game for our folks with motion sickness. There are a few Do’s and Don’ts which contribute to the essentials of VR gaming.
Do use Exploration as the Theme
VR is a concept that revolves around exploration as it lets the user experience a whole new world giving the opportunity to revel and immerse oneself in an illusionary atmosphere. And when a user is in VR let him/her move around and for that the point of reference should be taken as the nose which brings a greater sense of familiarity in the Virtual world. Let the player explore the playable space checking the details and picking up objects ad clues.
Don’t include Swift and Unrealistic Actions
VR is something which closely relates and connects to reality and to allow the player to be fully immersed in VR one must keep it as realistic as possible. Therefore including swift and unrealistic actions is a no-no. For instance in 2D PC games like Call of Duty, the players run at a humanly impossible speed without running out of breath and turning around at three times the realistic rate which can very disorienting for the person wearing a headset.
Do make a Game with Easy Controls
A person in VR cannot be expected to handle controls on the keyboard and so one must never ever resort to keyboard controls. Pop ups and tricky controls can disrupt the immersive experience which is a major issue to work on. Probably so, Oculus has come up with a design of controller with a joystick and controls.
Don’t have to give the player a Body
The player’s avatar in a VR game creates more opportunities to feel a disconnection in the virtual world. Imagine the avatar’s finger performing a casual gesture in animation while your hands are still it could immediately break the cord of illusion. However on the other hand a player is too immersed and involved in taking in the set up in VR to notice that the characters is missing its body.
Do try for better resolution
Bumping up the resolution of the game will not only make it more interesting and believable but it will also solve the infamous VR nausea. Sickness in VR is caused due to a disconnection between what the eyes see and inner ear- the part responsible for creating balance in human body known as cochlea
