I consider VR Table Tennis to be my secret weapon!: An Analysis of the VR Table Tennis Players' Experiences Outside the Lab

Abstract

Thanks to stand-alone Virtual Reality (VR) advances, users can play realistic simulations of real-life sports at their homes. In these game simulations, players control their avatars by doing the same movements as in real life (RL) while playing against a person or AI opponent, making VR sports attractive for the players. In this paper, we surveyed a popular VR table tennis game community, focusing on understanding their demographics, challenges, and experiences with skill transfers between VR and RL. Our results show that, on average, VR table tennis players are primarily men, live in Europe/Asia, and are 38 years old. We also found that the current state of VR technology affects the player's experience and that players see VR as a convenient way to play matches but that RL is better for socialization. Finally, we identified skills like backhand and forehand strikes that players perceived to be transferred from VR to RL and vice versa. Our research findings have the potential to serve as a valuable resource for VR table tennis game developers seeking to integrate mid-air controllers into their future projects.