How to Interact with VR: Understanding the 4 Main Types of Engagement

The biggest feature of Virtual Reality is its capacity for immersion. This characteristic allows users to feel present in a virtual environment and unaware of the real world around them. But when it comes to creating a Virtual Reality application, are there other things to consider? Of course! One of them is the type of interaction with the application.

We need to consider what type of application we want to develop and how much freedom we will give the user. This can depend on many factors, such as the purpose (educational, recreational, etc.), the budget we have, the type of headset we have, the narrative of the application, and more.

• The goal of the application: Is it meant for education, entertainment, or simulation?
• Budget constraints: How much time and money do you want to invest in the development of your VR application?
• Technology and hardware: What kind of VR headset and technology will you use? Some devices don’t allow interaction such as Cardboards.
• Narrative: Evaluate how important interaction is within the app’s narrative.
• Audience preferences: Who is your target audience? Are they familiar with new technologies, or do you think they might find it difficult to learn how to interact with the environment?

David Checa, in his review “A Review of Immersive Virtual Reality Serious Games to enhance Learning and Training”, identified that there are four types of experiences depending on the interaction:

• Passive Experiences: The user cannot interact with objects or the virtual environment. This is the cheapest and easiest type of experience to develop, but it can compromise the user’s sense of immersion. It is generally associated with low-cost devices like Cardboard-type headsets.
• Interactive Experiences: Users can interact with the environment but have restricted movement capabilities (for example, within a room). This type of experience is often chosen due to the balance between development costs and its benefits. If well-designed, these experiences do not compromise the user’s immersion.
• Explorative Experiences: Users can freely explore the environment without directly interacting with it. This type of experience allows users to explore large virtual environments, but the lack of interaction can feel unrealistic to them.
• Explorative Interaction: Users can freely explore the environment and interact with it and with virtual objects. This type of experience is very expensive to develop, but it also closely resembles the real world, providing a greater sense of immersion.

Each type of VR experience offers different levels of interaction and immersion, and the right choice depends on your project’s goals and constraints. Whether you aim for a simple passive tour or a rich, interactive adventure, understanding these types of interactions will help you create a compelling Virtual Reality application.

Now that you know all the types of interactions in Virtual Reality, can you come up with an idea for each one?

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