Virtual Reality Best Practices
Being a good human matters with VR, too!
General safety practices, such as only playing inside, removing obstacles, visually designating a play space, and limiting play time are good rules of thumb, consider also some other best practices that make the experience better for everyone.
The Play Space
When you're the player:
- Let others know your designated play space boundaries. It may help to visually designate them in the real world.
When you're not the player:
- Keep out of the designated play space. If you need to enter it for any reason, ask the player before doing so.
- Let the player know (the best you can) when you enter or leave the room.
When Playing
- Let others in your play space know that you are playing and you may not be able to hear them when if they talk to you.
- Set a timer or alarm so you know how long you've been playing. Time can fly when you're in a virtual world!
- Always use the wrist straps! VR can get intense. It's worth the extra precaution, even if you think you're being careful.
Ask Before You Help
If you need to touch the player for any reason (usually to help them figure something out in-game, ask them first and be specific. Ask things like:
- Can I touch your left hand?
- Can I turn you around?
Being touched can be jarring or even frightening while in the headset. Players can't see what you are doing and may not know who is touching them.
Player's Choice
Putting on the headset should be the player's choice. Some reasons may be:
- Not liking things on their face/head
- Not wanting to get overheated
- Uncertainty of happenings in the physical surroundings
- Motion sickness, claustrophobia, or cleanliness
- Not wanting to play a certain game
- Not feeling like playing that day
- And any other reason they may have
Diversity
Virtual Reality is not yet appropriately accessible for those with larger hair styles, such as large head wraps, buns, afros, and more. We are always looking for better solutions that don't require the player to change something about themselves. For now, we can suggest:
- Using a bandana or head wrap to fit hair under the straps
- Pushing the head strap to the top of the headset and attaching strong tie straps to fit over and under hair at two points, instead of one.
Accessibility
Although we and the VR community are trying to change this, the tech and requirements of VR can make it restrictive for some who have differences such as:
- Low or no vision or hearing
- Large glasses
- Social and developmental disorders and anxiety
- Dexterity ability differences
- Sensitivity to lights, loud noises, and sudden movement
- And many other physical and mental differences and preferences
Help Us Help You!
Is there something we've left out that would be good for people to know? Do you know of an accessory or something we could make that would make VR more accessible or easier to use? Let us know at atkinsarea49@charlotte.edu.
