Understanding Factors Affecting Player Experience and Enjoyment in Virtual Reality Games

Virtual Reality (VR) games offer immersive experiences with the potential for significantly higher levels of Enjoyment to players; however, the factors influencing Player Experience (PX) in commercial VR games remain underexplored. Our study employs an empirically validated PX measuring tool, the Player Experience Inventory (PXI), to gather self-reported data from VR players (n=109) and investigate the effects of game genre, play style, VR devices, and input methods on PX in VR games. Results indicate that genres have different effects on PX; for example, horror and adventure were found to positively affect Curiosity, simulation was found to contribute to Autonomy, while RPGs were found to negatively affect Ease of Control. Differences in reported experience across VR headsets and play-styles were also found, with higher levels of Immersion reported in newer or more advanced headset models, and sitting play-style associated with more Meaning than other play-styles. Our study also identified the PXI constructs and factors that contribute to Enjoyment in VR games. Overall, this study advances the existing knowledge on PX in VR games and offers actionable insights for both VR game designers and researchers for improving and assessing PX.