"Can You Move It?": The Design and Evaluation of Moving VR Shots in Sport Broadcast

TL;DR

This study investigates the impact of dynamic moving VR shots versus still shots in sports broadcasts, finding that moving shots enhance immersion during entire events without increasing discomfort.

Contribution

It provides a quantitative analysis of moving VR shots in sports broadcasting, offering design insights and demonstrating their benefits for viewer immersion.

Findings

Moving shots improve immersion during entire sports events.

No significant increase in sickness from moving shots.

Still shots are comparable to moving shots in single clips.

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) broadcasting has seen widespread adoption in major sports events, attributed to its ability to generate a sense of presence, curiosity, and excitement among viewers. However, we have noticed that still shots reveal a limitation in the movement of VR cameras and hinder the VR viewing experience in current VR sports broadcasts. This paper aims to bridge this gap by engaging in a quantitative user analysis to explore the design and impact of dynamic VR shots on viewing experiences. We conducted two user studies in a digital hockey game twin environment and asked participants to evaluate their viewing experience through two questionnaires. Our findings suggested that the viewing experiences demonstrated no notable disparity between still and moving shots for single clips. However, when considering entire events, moving shots improved the viewer's immersive experience, with no notable increase in sickness compared to still shots. We further discuss the benefits of integrating moving shots into VR sports broadcasts and present a set of design considerations and potential improvements for future VR sports broadcasting.