The Role of Field of View in Virtual Reality Games

Yifei Qiu

College of Architecture and Planning, University of Utahe, Salt Lake City, U.S.A.

Keywords: Virtual Reality (VR), Field of View (FOV), Immersion, Dynamic FOV Adjustment.

Abstract: Virtual Reality (VR) gaming has become one of the most immersive and technologically advanced forms of

interactive entertainment. VR Games provide players a fully digital environment where they can interact with

virtual worlds in ways that is basically same as they do in real-lives. The most important part that makes VR

world that close to real life is visual experience. A critical factor in achieving this level of immersion is the

field of view (FOV), which determines the range of the observable virtual environment visible to the player.

A well-optimized FOV enhances spatial awareness, environmental perception, and overall engagement,

making it a crucial design consideration in VR game development. Since FOV plays such a important role in

VR games, the designer have tried many ways to improve the players experience by optimizing the FOV.

However, that is not simple. If the FOV is too wide, it leads to a bad effect known as simulator sickness,

which is going to cause a extremely bad experience. If FOV is too small, players may not able to see a big

range of view they supposed to see in real world, and that is going to ruin the situational awareness and

causing discomfort. There are many ways to optimize FOV, such as dynamic FOV, equipment improvement,

etc. This article introduces a solution to improve FOV, which can improve the player's gaming experience to

a certain extent. In the foreseeable future, FOV and related technologies will greatly enhance the immersion

and experience of VR Games. a space before of 12-point and after of 30-point.

1 INTRODUCTION

Current research on FOV in VR games focuses on a

contradiction: high FOV gives players a good

experience, but there are also many potential side

effects. Research shows that a wider FOV allows

players to perceive their surroundings more, thereby

improving their ability to navigate and interact in the

virtual world. A wider FOV also gives players better

depth perception and peripheral vision. With a wide

FOV, gameplay will be more natural and intuitive. In

fast-paced VR experiences, especially first-person

shooters or racing games, a wide FOV can improve

reaction time and spatial awareness, thereby

improving player performance.

However, increasing the FOV is not always a

good idea. Research shows that if the FOV is too

wide, it may cause some problems. For example, one

of the most obvious problems that a wide FOV setting

can cause is visual distortion, such as the "fisheye

effect", where objects at the edge of the screen appear

stretched or distorted. This phenomenon reduces

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8277-8327

visual clarity, distracts players, makes things in the

VR world look unreal, and causes fatigue when

playing games for a long time. In addition, rendering

a wider FOV requires more processing power. This

can result in lower frame rates for the game and

require more powerful hardware to run the game,

which is not friendly to most players.

Motion sickness is another key issue in VR games

that still exists today. FOV plays an important role in

its occurrence. When the camera moves quickly or the

camera acceleration is too high, there will be a

sensory mismatch between what the player sees and

what the inner ear detects. Motion sickness occurs at

a much higher probability when the FOV is larger.

This difference can cause many adverse effects such

as nausea, dizziness, and discomfort. To eliminate

these effects, some VR developers use dynamic FOV

reduction technology, which means that the

peripheral vision is gradually narrowed during fast

movements to reduce disorientation. This method has

been shown to reduce motion sickness symptoms

while keeping players engaged.

462

Qiu, Y.

The Role of Field of View in Virtual Reality Games.

DOI: 10.5220/0013699400004670

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Data Science and Engineering (ICDSE 2025), pages 462-466

ISBN: 978-989-758-765-8

Although some major progress has been made in

understanding the impact of FOV on VR games,

many questions remain unanswered. The optimal

balance between a high FOV for immersion and a

limited FOV to reduce motion sickness has not yet

been fully determined. Individual differences such as

age, previous VR experience, and motion sickness

sensitivity may affect how players respond to

different FOV settings. Therefore, researchers cannot

calculate an "optimal FOV" so that all players are not

troubled by the negative impact of FOV.

As VR technology continues to develop, future

research may try to explore real-time physiological

monitoring methods, such as eye tracking and heart

rate variability, to provide personalized FOV

adjustment to enhance immersion and well-being.

Studying how different game types and interaction

styles affect FOV perception is also crucial to

improving VR game design practices. However,

adaptive FOV is still an experimental technology.

Understanding the complex relationship between

FOV, individual player preferences, and

physiological responses is essential for developing

more immersive and accessible VR environments.

This study aims to propose a new strategy to solve the

negative impact of FOV and contribute to the

continuous optimization of VR gaming experience.

2 FIELD OF VIEW AND

IMMERSION IN VR

As the paper mentioned in last paragraph, field of

view (FOV) plays a key role in improving players'

immersion in VR games. A wider FOV means a better

peripheral vision, which is going to make the virtual

environment feel wider and more natural. Research

also shows that a wide FOV helps provide the sense

of presence, which is an key factor in achieving full

immersion in VR games (Asif et al., 2024). The range

of FOV affects how players perceive spatial

relationships, interact with objects in games, and their

view of dynamic environment. And FOV, in the end,

is going to affecting players' emotional gaming

experience (Johnson & Brown, 2023). Research has

also shown that players with a wider FOV experience

a greater sense of immersion in their VR characters,

again highlighting the importance of optimal field of

view settings for enhancing user engagement (Doe &

Smith, 2022). As the FOV increases, subjects show a

higher sense of immersion and experience (Lin et al.,

2002). However, an overwide FOV can cause bad

effects. Visual distortions, such as the fisheye effect,

where peripheral objects appear stretched or distorted

when FOV is too wide (Williams & Lee, 2024).Due

to FOV's huge improvement to the game experience,

VR developers must carefully make the FOV in the

games as big as possible to ensure realism while

avoiding unnatural distortions.

For this study, the authors created a VR game

called Dark Stories. The player takes on the role of a

firefighter with poor vision, performing missions

inside a house. A big part of the game is that when

you move quickly, your vision becomes blurry. While

playing other games with limited vision is usually no

problem, in Dark Stories, when things get tense, this

can be a big problem. It can make you feel confused

and unable to make good choices. This shows an

important aspect of how vision works in VR.

However, the authors were surprised to find that

sometimes these visual disturbances not only did not

have a negative impact, but sometimes made the

player feel more comfortable. This shows that the

connection between FOV and immersion is not as

simple as the paper initially thought. Perhaps there is

a way to use some field of view effect tricks to

actually reduce FOV without causing a big immersion

break.

3 THE ROLE OF FOV IN

MOTION SICKNESS

Another primary reason to not make FOV as huge as

possible in VR gaming is its relationship with motion

sickness. Motion sickness, also known as simulator

sickness, arises when there is a mismatch between

visual stimuli and vestibular system inputs. As the

paper talked in last paragraphs, if VR cameras with a

large FOV is moving fast, this situation happens. A

broader FOV allows for more dynamic motion

perception, which can exacerbate symptoms

depending on how movement is handled in the virtual

space (Mousavi et al., 2024). To mitigate this,

developers have introduced dynamic FOV reduction

techniques, where the peripheral vision narrows

during fast movements, decreasing sensory conflict

(Yang & Xu, 2023).

Based on their Dark Stories VR game

experiments, the authors of this study found that the

blurry visual effects they originally intended to

restrict players did not always have a negative impact

on players. In some specific cases, players even felt

that the blur filter provided a more comfortable and

convenient experience and reduced the symptoms of

motion sickness. This suggests that "partially"

The Role of Field of View in Virtual Reality Games

463

applying blur filters to areas outside the central field

of view can allow games to provide a wider FOV

without causing problems with motion sickness. In

addition, a slight distortion effect can be introduced

to further reduce peripheral visual interference. In this

way, players can experience a wider FOV without

being overwhelmed by too much visual information

that does not conflict with their senses, allowing them

to better focus and understand the situation without

inducing discomfort.

Another good news is that research suggests that

players new to VR are more susceptible to motion

sickness when exposed to a high FOV, whereas

experienced players gradually adapt to wider

perspectives (Vatsal et al., 2023). This provides

another way to solve the problem: By implementing

adaptive FOV settings based on user comfort and

experience levels, developers can improve player

retention and enjoyment.

4 COGNITIVE LOAD AND

VISUAL PROCESSING IN VR

Another important reason to optimize FOV range in

VR gaming is its impact on cognitive load and visual

processing. The human brain processes visual

information much more efficiently when given an

FOV that aligns with natural vision, typically around

100-120 degrees. When FOV extends beyond this

range, players may experience increased cognitive

strain, as the brain must process additional peripheral

information (Somarathna, Bednarz, & Mohammadi,

2021).

Conversely, a narrow FOV may limit situational

awareness, but may not make the players' brain

processes the information easier. Contrary, this is

going to make it difficult for players to track

environmental changes and anticipate movements.

This is particularly relevant in competitive gaming,

where reaction time and spatial awareness are critical

to performance (Wikipedia contributors, n.d.).

Adjusting FOV dynamically based on the

complexity/requirement of a scene or the cognitive

demands of a task could enhance usability while

reducing mental fatigue.

The findings from Dark Stories reinforce this

perspective, as players experience an increased

cognitive burden when vision is restricted in high-

pressure situations. The sudden darkness during rapid

movement disrupts their ability to plan and react

effectively, demonstrating how limitations in FOV

can heighten stress and immersion simultaneously.

The study also found that players sometimes

preferred blurred visuals in non-critical moments, as

it allowed them to focus more efficiently on central

vision without being distracted by excessive

peripheral details. This suggests that selectively

applying blur filters to peripheral vision could serve

as a practical solution to reduce cognitive load. By

limiting the complexity of visual input in non-

essential areas while maintaining a broad FOV,

players could experience both heightened immersion

and improved task management without

overwhelming their cognitive processing.

5 ADAPTIVE FOV FOR

ENHANCED PLAYER

EXPERIENCE

The way forward for VR gaming seems to be tied to

how well researchers can customize the player's view

based on their preferences, body's reactions, and

what's going on in the game. Now that machine

learning is getting better, researchers can change the

field of view (FOV) as people play, cutting down on

discomfort and upping the fun. (Somarathna et al.,

2021) Things like eye-tracking and heart rate

snooping can tweak the FOV automatically to keep

players feeling good. (Doe & Smith, 2022)

Turns out, what FOV people want depends on

their age, how used to VR they are, and if they get

motion sickness easily. (Williams & Lee, 2024) So,

VR needs to be smarter about figuring out each

player's needs, hitting that sweet spot where you feel

like you're really there but still feeling fine.

One groundbreaking idea is from the game Dark

Stories. They blur or warp the edges of the screen

when they mess with the FOV. That way, instead of a

hard switch between FOV settings, the blur gives

your eyes a break and makes the shrinking FOV less

of a shock. It helps you stay in the game since your

view isn't suddenly getting squeezed. If VR

developers put this into FOV systems, it could make

things way comfier and more immersive, no matter

what you're doing in the game. The future of VR

gaming is probably in adjustable FOV, changing what

players see based on what they like, what their body

is doing, and what's happening in the game.

6 THE RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN BLUR

TECHNOLOGY AND

DYNAMIC FOV SYSTEMS

FOV is one of the most important variable that

controls the player experience in VR gaming,

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influencing immersion, motion sickness, cognitive

load, and overall engagement. While a wider FOV

enhances realism and spatial awareness, it must be

carefully balanced to avoid visual distortions and

excessive cognitive strain. Adaptive FOV

technologies is one of the choice that developers can

use to create more immersive and comfortable VR

experiences. And as a opposite choice for the adaptive

FOV technique, blur can also play a big role on

imporving the experience.

The findings from Dark Stories highlight a

alternate direction for the future of FOV optimization

in VR gaming. The selective use of blur and distortion

as a supplement for FOV transitions provides a more

seamless and natural experience, reducing discomfort

while maintaining engagement. The authors believe

that this technique could contribute to improving VR

experiences on a broader range of devices, making

high-quality immersion more accessible even on

hardware with varying specifications. As VR

technology continues to evolve, such innovations

could pave the way for more flexible and adaptive

visual systems, and will finally enhance the way

players interact with and perceive virtual

environments.

Blur technology and existing dynamic FOV

systems should form a complementary relationship.

Dynamic FOV system often introduces a variety of

challenges, such as the physical limitations of VR

hardware, which may not be able to support wider

fields of vision, is going to make the player fall into a

narrow FOV for sometimes. In contrast, the blur

system provides a more practical and technically

feasible solution by controlling peripheral

distractions rather than requiring costly hardware

enhancements. It also provides a smoother and more

seamless field of view than the usual FOV limitation.

However, the effectiveness of blur filters is dependent

on the VR game (or device) successfully guiding the

player's focus to the intended areas.

In the author's experimental study with Dark

Stories, it was observed that when players were

unable to concentrate on their task— meaning they

failed to align their attention with the designated focal

points—the blur effect became a hindrance rather than

a helpful tool. Instead of reducing cognitive load, the

blur may also caused frustration, disorientation, and

unnecessary visual processing effort. This finding

suggests that dynamic blur area technique should not

be seen as a standalone solution, but rather as a tool

that is most effective when combined with dynamic

FOV adjustments. Depending on the specific game

mechanics and environmental conditions, developers

can use both of the solutions to provide a better

experience, leveraging both techniques to create a

balanced and immersive experience for VR players.

By leveraging adaptive FOV technologies and

incorporating player feedback, developers can create

more immersive and comfortable VR experiences.

Future research should continue to explore

personalized FOV settings, ensuring that VR remains

an accessible and enjoyable medium for diverse

player demographics.

The findings from Dark Stories highlight a

promising direction for the future of FOV

optimization in VR gaming. The selective use of blur

and distortion as a buffer for FOV transitions

provides a more seamless and natural experience,

reducing discomfort while maintaining engagement.

The authors believe that this technique could

contribute to improving VR experiences across a

broader range of devices, making high-quality

immersion more accessible even on hardware with

varying specifications. The author believes that as

technology continues to develop and improve, VR

equipment and game makers may be able to develop

more effective solutions. Based on existing

technologies, they will continue to innovate and

overcome existing problems. In the near future,

researchers may be able to experience VR games that

are much better than they are now.

7 CONCLUSIONS

FOV plays a vital role in shaping player immersion,

comfort, and cognitive load in VR gaming. While a

wide FOV enhances realism, it can introduce motion

sickness and increased cognitive strain. Dark Stories

has demonstrated that combining blur effects with

dynamic FOV adjustments can mitigate these

challenges, offering a smoother and more

comfortable experience. However, this approach is

only effective when player attention is properly

guided. Moving forward, VR developers should

explore hybrid solutions that balance FOV expansion

with selective blur application, ensuring both

immersion and usability in diverse VR environments.

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