The Impact of Virtual Reality on Social Processes in Escape Rooms

Abstract

Educational escape rooms have been used for a while, but almost all require the players to be in the same room. This is still true when looking at most digital escape rooms. A way to have people experience the same escape room while being physically distant, is through Virtual Reality. One of the most important aspects of an escape room is the social processes that take place, especially the ability of the players to collaborate. A VR escape room has been created and tested by three groups of participants. Data was gathered through observation, a questionnaire and a guided interview. Results indicate that VR has both a positive and negative impact on collaboration, and especially on communication. Whether the impact is positive or negative is largely dependent on the amount of experience a player has. Negative effects can therefore be reduced when interactions within the escape room are more natural.