Beat Saber as Virtual Reality Exercising in 360 Degrees: A Moderated Mediation Model of VR Playable Angles on Physiological and Psychological Outcomes

ABSTRACT

Physical inactivity is a global problem, and active video games (AVGs) have been demonstrated as effective at motivating players to be more physically active. Virtual-reality AVGs (VRAVGs) further encourage engagement with exerting gameplay by challenging players to move in a full 360-degree range of motion. As a unique feature of VRAVGs, we examined the influence of using multiple playable angles in Beat Saber on players’ physical activity and psychological outcomes. A between-subjects experiment randomly assigned participants (N = 240) to one of the three playable angles (single fixed angle, 90-degree, and 360-degree modes). Informed by the interactivity-as-demand model, a moderated mediation model of playable angles on enjoyment was supported. Players perceive higher cognitive and exertional demands in both multi-angle modes than those in single-angle mode, which leads to greater perceived difficulty and further enhances the enjoyment for players with a higher need for cognition, but negatively affects the enjoyment for players with a lower need for cognition. Multi-angle modes also led to greater motivation for future play and subjective vitality through greater cognitive demands, and more physical activity via higher exertional demands. We conclude that, in VR exercise, multiple playable angles are a unique feature that positively influences physical activity outcomes.

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Taiwan Ministry of Science and

Technology under the grants #MOST 109-2423-H-004 −004 -SS4 and Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, TW-9113

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan [MOST 109-2423-H-004 −004 -SS4].