隨著虛擬實境(VR)在遊戲與娛樂領域應用的普及化,其在遊戲的設計、製造、行銷以及傳播等層面皆應針對年輕消費者的保護進行更多的研究與探討,以確認這種更真實、沉浸的體驗相較於平面或家用遊戲機是否對未成年者會有更大的影響,進而提供使用者更安全的遊戲體驗。本研究旨在透過隨機分派120名年齡介於15至20歲的青少年以VR或家用遊戲機進行恐怖遊戲,探討遊戲設備和年齡對於青少年遊玩恐怖遊戲之生理與心理效果。同時,本研究亦觀察不同遊戲設備是否對玩家定義的恐怖元素有影響。研究結果顯示,無論參與者使用何種遊戲設備或是哪個年齡層,其情緒反應、沉浸感(含控制感、真實感和投入感),以及知覺遊戲的恐怖程度皆無顯著差異,意即青少年玩家並沒有因為使用VR設備玩恐怖遊戲而更投入或更容易有其他負面情緒(如害怕)。另一方面,研究結果顯示VR玩家在遊玩恐怖遊戲時的膚電和呼吸量之上升幅度顯著大於家用遊戲機玩家,而在心率和呼吸率上無顯著差異。不同年齡層玩家在玩恐怖遊戲時的生理指標變化量亦無顯著差異。而在本研究中,絕大部分參與者認為遊戲的恐怖元素為聲音效果。除了研究限制與未來研究方向,本研究也延伸討論研究結果對於遊戲情節定義和年齡分級制度之意義。
Virtual reality (VR) has been broadly applied to gaming and entertainment domains, and with commercial VR now proliferating, it is imperative for researchers to determine if immersive VR gaming has stronger impact on minors compared to conventional flat-screen gaming, especially games that are emotion-evoking, in order to ensure that consumers are protected. The present study aimed to investigate the psychological and physiological effects of a VR horror game by comparing the responses of 120 participants aged between 15 and 20 years old, with half of them playing in VR and the other half playing with consoles. In addition, the study also explored fear-inducing elements identified by both VR and console gamers. Results showed that the horror game elicited similar emotional responses, sense of presence, and perceived level of horror in participants regardless of gaming equipment used and age group. VR gamers experienced a significantly higher increase in electrodermal activity and tidal volume when playing the horror game compared to console gamers, while no significant differences were observed between age groups. Interestingly, the sound effects were the most reported fear-inducing elements by the participants. These results suggest implications for the classification of content descriptors and age ratings. The limitations of the present study and future research directions are also discussed.