How can the control and interaction principles be improved for games in virtual reality : A qualitative study to create interaction design guidelines that limits the effect of cybersickness

Abstract: With new VR devices entering the consumer space, the interest in the industry is growing immensely. There is currently limited information regarding controls and cybersickness in VR and the available recommendations are narrow in their nature. The goal of the thesis was to find new control and interaction guidelines that limit the onset of cybersickness, to be used by those who wish to create games in Virtual Reality. A literature review in the area of cybersickness was followed by a qualitative study. 22 participants played 4 selected VR games of different nature and were interviewed after each gaming session. The data was used in a qualitative framework designed to create policies. The resulting guidelines covered areas of cybersickness, presence and ergonomics. They validated several existing guidelines, extended some and created new ones. The new guidelines state that it is preferred to strive for controls that mirror real life, that presence has implications on interaction design and that new inputs should be implemented in a pedagogical manner. In addition some ergonomic aspects of head mounted displays were uncovered.