Microsoft Research, together with a group of researchers from Coburg and Cambridge, conducted an experiment with virtual reality. As it turns out, working in the metaverse reduces productivity.
The results of the study show that at the moment the conditions that would have a positive effect on labor productivity have not been created in the metauniverse. This means that being in the metaverse as a full-fledged worker is not recommended.
For the experiment, 16 people were selected who worked in virtual reality for a 40-hour week. All this time they used Meta Quest 2 and Logitech K830 keyboard with built-in trackpad. In the second part of the experiment, they worked as usual with a PC.
Workers said workload increased by 35%, anxiety by 11%, and eye strain by 48%. Frustration in the work done increased by 42%, while productivity fell by 16%.
Some participants in the experiment had to stop testing the next day due to headaches and nausea. 11% of participants left the metaverse after two days.
The researchers summed it up by stating that at the moment people cannot complete their assigned tasks in the metaverse, the productivity of workers is declining, as is their mental health.
However, researchers still see many benefits to the metaverse… for gaming, but that may change for work in 10 years when better immersive VR headsets become available.
