Non-VR User
User Survey

Spring, 1993

Carrie Heeter, Ph.D.

Michigan State University


About

See Gender Differences and VR: A Non-User Survey of What Women Want.

 

Survey Results

203 respondents

Entertainment VR systems can be designed for one person to experience at a time, alone; or they can be designed to include computer-simulated beings which interact with the human participant; or they can be designed for more than one person to experience together.

Six possible genres of consumer VR are listed below. For each type of experience, think about whether you would prefer to experience it alone as an observer (not interacting), interacting with computer-simulated beings, interacting with other real people or interacting with both..

______________________________________________________________________________

Virtual Fitness

Imagine being able to jog, do aerobics or lift weights in a virtual world instead of in a gymnasium. If you were to use this type of virtual experience, would you prefer to:
6%-OBSERVE 17%-INTERACT WITH SIMULATED BEINGS 25%-INTERACT WITH REAL HUMANS 53%-BOTH

How interested are you in trying this type of virtual experience?
x=5.4 (7=VERY INTERESTED and 1=WOULD NOT TRY THIS)

 

Virtual Travel

Imagine being able to walk around and explore places like Paris or a tropical rainforest . If you were to use this type of virtual experience, would you prefer to be:
4%-OBSERVER 10%-INTERACT WITH SIMULATED BEINGS 37%-INTERACT WITH REAL HUMANS 49%-BOTH

How interested are you in trying this type of virtual experience?
x=6.2 (7=VERY INTERESTED and 1=WOULD NOT TRY THIS)

 

Virtual Learning

Imagine being able to travel through the human body or into the earth's core. If you were to use this type of virtual experience, would you prefer to:
20%-OBSERVE 15%-INTERACT WITH SIMULATED BEINGS 11%-INTERACT WITH REAL HUMANS 54%-BOTH

How interested are you in trying this type of virtual experience?
x=5.8 (7=VERY INTERESTED and 1=WOULD NOT TRY THIS)

 

Virtual Games

Imagine an experience a little like a videogame, but you are inside of it and it is more realistic. If you were to use this type of virtual experience, would you prefer to:
6%-OBSERVE 25%-INTERACT WITH SIMULATED BEINGS 13%-INTERACT WITH REAL HUMANS 56%-BOTH

How interested are you in trying this type of virtual experience?
x=5.9 (7=VERY INTERESTED and 1=WOULD NOT TRY THIS)

 

Virtual Sex

Imagine being able to observe or participate in virtual sexual fantasies. If you were to use this type of virtual experience, would you prefer to:
6%-OBSERVE 6%-INTERACT WITH SIMULATED BEINGS 42%-INTERACT WITH REAL HUMANS 46%-BOTH

How interested are you in trying this type of virtual experience?
x=5.4 (7=VERY INTERESTED and 1=WOULD NOT TRY THIS)

 

Virtual Combat

Imagine being able to engage in virtual battles with enemy warriors. If you were to use this type of virtual experience, would you prefer to:
22%-OBSERVE 22%-INTERACT WITH SIMULATED BEINGS 9%-INTERACT WITH REAL HUMANS 47%-BOTH

How interested are you in trying this type of virtual experience?
x=4.6 (7=VERY INTERESTED and 1=WOULD NOT TRY THIS)

 

Virtual Presence

Imagine being able to be virtually present at live world events (ceremonies, debates, disasters...). If you were to use this type of virtual experience, would you prefer to:
11%-OBSERVE 7%-INTERACT WITH SIMULATED BEINGS 33%-INTERACT WITH REAL HUMANS 49%-BOTH

How interested are you in trying this type of virtual experience?
x=5.6 (7=VERY INTERESTED and 1=WOULD NOT TRY THIS)

 

At virtual reality games today, players choose a name for themselves, which they are known by whenever they come to play. Some people pick their real name and others pick fantasy names.

Would you prefer to be known by your real name or would you pick a fantasy name?
31%-MY REAL NAME 69%-A FANTASY NAME

 

A major question facing VR designers is how closely the virtual world should be related to the real world. Even the most sophisticated VR technology today is very crude compared to what we experience in the real world. One issue is how complete the illusion needs to be to feel compelling. A second issue is whether the virtual world should be based on the real world or on an imaginary world.

Would you prefer a VR technology where you need to use your imagination, or one which is so realistic that little imagination is needed?
x=3.8 (7= USE IMAGINATION and 1= VERY REALISTIC)

Would you prefer that the virtual world be based on the real world, as far as actual places?
x=4.4 (7= BASED ON REAL PLACES and 1= FANTASY PLACES)

How important is it to you that the virtual world "looks and feels" like the real world?
x=4.5 (7= MUST BE REALISTIC and 1= OK TO BE ABSTRACT/DIFFERENT)

If the same experience were available in low and super-high resolution modes, but the high-res one cost more, how much more money would you be willing to pay for the super-high resolution experience?
x=4.5 (7= VERY MUCH MORE and 1= NO MORE) >>>

Would you like to appear to others looking like your real self, or a fantasy being you choose?
x=3.6 (7= A FANTASY SELF and 1= MY REAL SELF)

In some VR experiences, you see a computer-generated hand which represents the movements of your real hand. Would you prefer to see a computer-generated hand or your real hand?
x=2.9 (7= A COMPUTER HAND and 1= MY REAL HAND)

Would you prefer to know the gender of the other people in a virtual world with you?
x=5.8 (7= VERY MUCH and 1= NOT AT ALL)

 

How much would you like the outcome of a virtual game to depend on each of the following attributes (7=VERY MUCH and 1=VERY LITTLE):
MANUAL DEXTERITY x=5.0
PHYSICAL STRENGTH x=4.4
LEARNING WHILE IN THE GAME x=5.3
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE x=4.1
COMMUNICATION x=5.4
(VIRTUAL) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE x=4.5
LUCK x=3.7
RISK-TAKING x=5.5
COMPETITION x=5.5
TEAMWORK x=5.2
LEADERSHIP x=5.3
FIGHTING x=4.3
SOLVING A MYSTERY x=5.4
BEING A SCIENTIST x=3.6
CREATIVITY x=5.8
EXPLORING x=6.2

 

Would you prefer that a virtual game have meaningful parallels to real life experiences?
x=4.5 (7= VERY MUCH and 1= NOT AT ALL)

Would you like to be able to (virtually) meet and talk to people from around the world who appear in a virtual world with you?
x=6.0 (7= VERY MUCH and 1= NOT AT ALL)

 

How interested are you in the following kinds of experiences in VR?

Physical sensations (like flying or falling)
x=6.5 (7= VERY MUCH and 1= NOT AT ALL)

Visual and auditory sensations (like breathtaking landscapes or detailed alien faces)
x=6.1 (7= VERY MUCH and 1= NOT AT ALL)

Intellectual stimulation (content and experiences that make you think or learn)
x=5.7 (7= VERY MUCH and 1= NOT AT ALL)

Emotional experiences (experiences that evoke emotional responses)
x=5.6 (7= VERY MUCH and 1= NOT AT ALL)

 

How much do you like computers and technology?
x=5.4 (7=VERY MUCH and 1=NOT AT ALL)

How important is it to you to seek out new experiences?
x=6.1 (7=VERY IMPORTANT and 1=NOT AT ALL)

How appealing to you is the thought of participating in entertainment, rather than just watching it?
x=6.3 (7=VERY MUCH and 1=NOT AT ALL)

 

On a scale from 1 to 10, where 10 is VERY MUCH and 1 is NOT AT ALL, how much do you think you would enjoy the following genres of virtual entertainment experiences?

8.5 Adventures
7.8 Comedy
7.5 Sports
7.3 Live World Events
7.2 Music Video/Performance
7.0 Erotica
6.7 Science Fiction
6.5 Detective/Crime Fighting
6.1 Drama
5.8 International Cultures
5.7 Horror
5.0 Violence
4.8 Talk Show
4.7 News
4.6 Science/Educational Content
4.2 Documentary
4.2 Soap Opera
4.2 Political Events/Debates

 

How old are you?
x=20

Are you:
39%-FEMALE 61%-MALE

Compared to others of your gender, would you say you tend to be more masculine or feminine?
x=3.3 (7=MORE FEMININE and 1=MORE MASCULINE)