Intriguing, Concerning, and Questioning the Impact on Immersion: An Exploration of VR Users' Advertising Experiences and Attitudes

Many companies are experimenting with, and developing, advertisements for virtual reality (VR) consumer applications. So far, the development of VR advertising has not accounted for the voices of VR users. Since VR users will be the ones impacted by VR advertising, it is both a requirement and a moral imperative to center their voices in the discussion. We interviewed 22 VR users (14 of which had experienced VR ads, 8 of which had not) to understand their experiences with, and attitudes towards, VR advertising. Many participants had already encountered VR advertisements, ranging from static billboards in virtual worlds to virtual markets. While some participants acknowledged that VR advertising could provide benefits (including monetizing the VR ecosystem and more informative advertising), many were concerned about in-app VR advertisements ruining the immersion of VR experiences, unavoidable ads that were forced on users, privacy risks, physical harms, and manipulation. We conclude by discussing avenues for designing VR advertisements that align with users’ needs and wants.