“Virtual Reality is 100% addictive, lol is that even a question?” Well, what he said is true. Playing chess in real life is not addictive but playing chess on an android or ios phone with lots of winnings, sounds, 3d design is more fun. Make it VR chess where you have to move the chess pieces yourself, then it becomes more fun and addictive.
I’ve overheard three separate conversations in the previous few weeks in which someone addressed the addictive nature of virtual reality. Given that businesses like Meta (previously Facebook) and Microsoft are attempting to promote the adoption of a VR-based metaverse. I believe it is only reasonable to examine whether or not the metaverse poses a risk of addiction.
[AR/VR addiction] Pokemon Go Craze
My thoughts quickly raced back to an instance that occurred during the Pokémon Go frenzy a few years ago when I first heard someone discuss VR addiction. For those unfamiliar with Pokémon Go, it was augmented reality (rather than virtual reality) game. Players used their smartphones to track down elusive Pokémon characters in real-world environments.
The incident that I mentioned occurred while I was dining with my partner in a restaurant. A man from the opposite table (who should have known better) climbed through the partition and into our booth. When I inquired about his issue, he informed me that I had a rare Pokémon character on my table.
When I remembered the Pokémon episode, there was little doubt in my mind that VR and AR could become addicting. After all, even if the Pokémon guy wasn’t actually addicted, he was clearly obsessed with the game. However, after giving it some serious thinking, I realized that it’s not the VR (or AR in the case of the Pokémon dude) that’s addicting, but the apps that are employed in such environments.
If you don’t agree with me, consider this: Microsoft appears to concentrate on corporate use cases for the metaverse, with conferencing and collaboration among the most important. Is there anyone you know who is addicted to Microsoft Teams or who enjoys sitting through long meetings? Neither do I! I can’t imagine virtual meetings becoming addicting simply because attendees are wearing virtual reality goggles. It’s simply not going to happen.
The platform isn’t addictive, but the apps are or both?
On the other hand, video game addiction appears to be a thing. I’m not much of a gamer, but I know plenty of folks who claim that playing their favorite games gives them a really pleasurable adrenaline surge. I’m not attempting to pass judgment on anyone. It is someone’s business if they want to play a game for hours on end. I merely wish to emphasize that it is the applications (in this case, a game) that might lead to addiction, not the technology.
While I would go so far as to label the metaverse or VR technology addictive in and of itself. Yes, VR is 100% addictive, from my view. If you ask anyone who has experienced Virtual Reality technology, they will tell you the same thing but in different ways.
Once I asked a good friend of mine about this topic. his answer was straight “Virtual Reality is 100% addictive, lol is that even a question?” Well, what he said is true. Playing chess in real life is not addictive…. but playing chess on an android or ios phone with lots of winnings, sounds, 3d design is more fun. Make it VR chess where you have to move the chess pieces yourself, then it becomes more fun and addictive.
However, the sort of game is also essential. Maybe 30% want to play chess, and 70% would like to play football or GTA in VR. It’s like a gaming industry. People don’t play all the games that come out. That’s why some games are famous, and some are under the shadow. So it’s a combination of what game and what platform.
Live example
He (my friend) put some light on this topic by giving a live metaverse example. He said, ” for example, Decentraland is becoming very big because of casino and gambling. Almost 30% of users are like gambling and addictive, and it’s only accessible by PC for now. Imagine gambling in VR. It will definitely be addictive.”
As everyone knows, gambling is addictive, and with the combination of Virtual Reality, One can only imagine how big it’s gonna be.
However, gambling in Decentraland is not regulated, and people are flocking there for these possible reasons
- easy crypto
- Metaverse
- nog age checking
- no country boundaries
- worldwide
- 24/7 availability
- VR in the future
So yeah! I believe it’s possible that VR can make an already addictive activity even more addicting just by making it more lifelike and immersive.
Physical issues that come with virtual reality addiction
Since it appears unlikely that the metaverse’s business-oriented use cases will lead to addiction, one must wonder if the metaverse’s use will have any other negative consequences. I haven’t seen any research on VR-related health issues, but I can envision long-term, sustained use (wearing a headset all day for an extended amount of time) causing eye strain, especially with low-end headsets. Neck strain could potentially be an issue, but it’s difficult and too early to say for sure.
From a business standpoint, I believe that dehydration will be the most severe side effect of wearing VR headsets for an extended period of time. When I use a headset for a couple of hours at a time, I notice that I get hot and thirsty when I’m done. After all, it’s difficult to grab a drink of water while wearing a headset, and taking it off destroys the metaverse fantasy.
I am confident that headsets will become lighter, cooler, and less cumbersome over time. For the time being, though, I can only envision how dehydration will affect individuals who choose to spend their entire workday wearing a VR headset. That’s right, I said workday. As I write this, it’s important to mention here that virtual reality is not necessarily suited for wearing all day long in real life, especially when you have a headset weighing down on your face.
