In response to this possible VR apocalypse, the top manufacturers have taken big steps to improve their popular devices. Oculus improved the display on its famous Rift device, Valve introduced a motion-tracking system that helps us orient ourselves and not get nauseous when wearing the Vive, and PlayStation VR incorporated a wider field of view designed to make players feel more comfortable. Even with these efforts, players are still reporting motion sickness symptoms, and the creators of the VR systems have responded by pointing the finger of blame at game developers. So, if the developers of VR games have to solve the problem, then how can the music and sound folks help? Can game music and sound combat VR sickness?
Let’s start with some good news
First, before we explore the potential of music and sound to address the symptoms of VR sickness, let’s celebrate one morsel of good news for the game audio community: VR sickness is not our fault (generally speaking)! According to research, the presence or absence of sound does not make the nausea more likely to occur, nor does the presence or absence of sound worsen the nausea once it has started.
While there is one example of a very specific sonic element exacerbating VR sickness (more on this subject later), the general presence of sound in a VR experience isn’t an issue when it comes to the comfort and happiness of players. So, if (generally speaking) sound isn’t a part of the problem, how can it be a part of the solution?
Whistle a happy tune…
The idea of using music to combat nausea isn’t particularly new. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend listening to music as a way to prevent or treat motion sickness without using medications. Going a step further, a study conducted by Ohio State University in 1998 showed that playing music for patients during high-dose protracted chemotherapy administration resulted in a significant reduction in nausea. Music is thought to provide a compelling distraction from those queasy physical sensations that might otherwise be felt in full force.
Should we be composing pleasant music for VR? That’s a tough question to answer. We know that pleasant music can make players feel less queasy. But pleasant music isn’t going to always meld well with a game’s environment and activities.
On the other hand, first person shooters are among the biggest culprits when it comes to VR sickness. Owen O’Brien, executive producer of the EVE Valkyrie VR game from CCP games, does a good job of explaining the problem with first person shooters in VR. “The problem with first-person shooters is that you’re running or crouching or jumping in the game but not in the real world, and because it’s so realistic it can make some people (not everybody) feel nauseated if they start doing it for extended periods of time.”
So, if we can’t compose the music to be outright pleasant, perhaps we should think about lightening it up a bit? At the very least, we can try to adjust our grim, dirge-like musical atmospheres to feel a bit more neutral. And when we have the choice between an agreeable musical score and a dour one, we might want to let our music occupy the sunnier side of the street.
Now on to the bad news
We previously looked at a research study showing that sound, in a general sense, does not contribute to visually induced motion sickness. However, there is one very specific aspect of the aural environment that can exacerbate VR sickness: low frequency sound.
- Communities situated near power stations with gas turbines that emitted low vibrations,
- Occupants in buildings with large ventilation fans that produced a low hum,
- Factory workers in close proximity to the deep throb of reciprocating air compressors,
- Homeowners plagued with low frequency vibrations from their hot-water heaters.
So, do we completely avoid any low frequency sound below this threshold? Well, that would certainly make for a depressingly treble-dominant mix. Sound effects would have no whoomph, music would have no bass, and most gamers and game audio pros would be very sad. However, when composing music or designing sound for VR, we can try to avoid consistent, ever-present, throbbing sounds in this frequency range. For instance, in a VR game set inside a space station, perhaps it might not be absolutely essential to hear the low thrum of the engines and ventilation systems all the time. Likewise, a musical score for a VR game may want to avoid using a consistently low and sustained bass note over an extended period.
Some interesting theories to consider
We’ve taken a look at some well-documented effects that music and sound can have on players, and how those relate to the issue of VR sickness. Now, just for fun, let’s take a look at a few miracle devices that were designed to be motion sickness cures:
The VR Sickness Device
In 1999, inventor Bruce Kania filed for a patent described as an “Apparatus and method for relieving motion sickness.” The device was described in the patent as an invention “to relieve motion sickness which may occur during video games including virtual reality games.” In theory, the device would have included a sensor that could detect motion and then deliver “sensory signals” to the user that corresponded with that movement. Theoretically these signals could have served to resolve the conflict between visually perceived movement and the corresponding motion detected physically by the user, thus preventing motion sickness. If this patent had been realized as an actual device, then our imaginations can conjure up some sort of built-in component in all VR headsets, delivering these sensory signals and solving the VR sickness problem once and for all.
You’re never sick when you use Nevasic
The study found that the Travelwell music helped the musically-accompanied spinners to not feel motion sick for a longer period of time than those who had been concentrating on their breathing, or who had just been doing nothing while helplessly whirling around. So, is this Travelwell music the answer? And what exactly is it doing that’s alleviating the queasiness?
This solution, as described on the web site, seems to have elements in common with Bruce Kania’s proposed device for relieving motion sickness. Both approaches refer to audio signals that affect the inner ear and alleviate the conflict between actual and perceived motion. So what are the audio signals that Nevasic uses? We don’t know. No information about this is offered on the company web site or within the application itself.
In the interest of science, I purchased the Nevasic app and listened to the 27 minutes and 10 seconds of audio content that is designed to relieve and prevent motion sickness. Here’s a brief description of what I heard:
The recording begins with a series of bell-like tones. Then waves crash against a shoreline. After a while, a walking synthetic bass takes over, accompanied by some synth chords, high-pitched mallet accents and a snare/kick drum combo. This goes on for some time, and then the ocean waves return. The waves recede in favor of another synth-driven musical groove with a bell-like melody. By the time the Nevasic program reaches 12 and a half minutes, the music has introduced some kind of synthetic drum sound in a high pitch with a randomized rhythm that is alternatively hard panned to stereo right or stereo left. This continues for quite a while. Finally, when we’ve listened to around 27 minutes of the Nevasic program, the rhythmic elements disappear and we again hear the bell-like warbling tones from the beginning of the recording, which fade to silence once we reach the full 27 minutes and 10 seconds of the Nevasic audio program.
From my listening experience, I couldn’t identify the “specifically identified and constructed tones, frequencies and pulses” that were being used, though it seemed clear that pink noise was being delivered via the ocean waves (and perhaps the snare drums as well). The hard panning and stereo effects seemed deliberate, and I imagine that the randomized quality of these sonic events was designed according to a plan… but I couldn’t discern it, and Nevasic isn’t offering any information through their site. If the Nevasic folks have the answer to the motion sickness problem, they aren’t sharing their secrets. That’s a shame, because if the solution to VR sickness is a special cocktail of audio signals, then we game audio pros would definitely want to know about it.
Conclusion
In this article I’ve tried to gather together some useful thoughts about the relationship between VR sickness and game music/sound. Some of the concepts in this article are practical and can be applied to our projects, while others are strictly theoretical. However, all of these ideas outline the significance of audio in attaining an honest-to-goodness VR sickness solution. Game audio has a role to play, and I hope we’ll continue experimenting and thinking about how game audio can improve the experience of our VR gamers, and keep their stomachs feeling happy and strong. Thanks for reading! If you’ve heard any ideas that relate to this blog, please feel free to share them below in the comments!
