Drunk Virtual Reality Gaming: Exploring the Influence of Alcohol on Cybersickness

Recently released consumer head-mounted displays (HMD), such as the Oculus Rift, the HTC Vive, or the Sony PlayStation VR, hyped up the market of virtual reality, particularly affecting the gaming industry. Although the technology is now publicly accessible, it is not yet mature enough to guarantee its users an absolutely pleasant experience. Side effects of virtual environments, i.e. cybersickness, pose a threat to the safe use of the devices. Symptoms of cybersickness may worsen if safety instructions are neglected. It is not unlikely that home use of the headsets will entice consumers to combine virtual reality experiences with alcohol consumption. This paper attempts to discover how alcohol intoxication affects the symptoms of cybersickness caused by immersion in virtual environment. Thirty-one participants were asked to play a video game using the Oculus Rift DK2 headset two times, before and after consuming either alcohol or a placebo. The study revealed unexpected results: alcohol intoxication at a blood alcohol level of approximately 0.07% significantly reduced symptoms of cybersickness among individuals in the experimental treatment group and did not worsen symptoms among all participants.