Video games have come a long way since the days of simple games like Atari, Frogger, Donkey Kong, and Pac-Man.
Advancements in technology have allowed gamers to directly participate in gameplay, giving them the opportunity to “feel” the experience.
Mirroring the actions you take in a virtual reality (VR) game can be thrilling and exhilarating. However, these phantom emotions can also be detrimental to your health if proper precautions are not taken.
What is Phantom Sense?
A hallucination is what happens when you have sensations based on what happened in virtual reality.
It’s the pain, fear, and anxiety you feel when you’re shot or stabbed in an imaginary world. Your body automatically generates those responses because it “knows” what it feels like.
This phenomenon is the same one amputees are known to experience. The limbs are gone, but the removed body parts still have feelings and pain because they are used to them.
This immersion is the result of a deep commitment to the gaming experience.
Hallucinations are also known to induce anxiety in VR.
The human brain is powerful, almost magical. Virtual reality worlds are action-packed, require immediate reactions, and limit the amount of time your brain has to process information.
As a workaround, the brain takes shortcuts based on data acquired throughout life. In VR, the mind eventually goes on autopilot, making its best guess rather than waiting to receive all the signals it needs.
You are now conditioned to react to audio and visual cues just like in real life. Reactions to these stimuli regularly cause intense feelings of anxiety.
A TikToker named Alpha explains the phenomenon of phantom touch, pain, taste and pleasure.
What Causes Hallucinations?
We perceive the world around us through our five senses. In addition, our brain takes in information about our world that relates to our body.
Raw information is sent from the ears, eyes, and other sense organs to the brain, where it is transformed into something that consciousness can understand.
Combining it with previous learnings and experiences from being in this world to fill in the blanks creates hallucinations.
In virtual reality, when a player takes “ownership” of something that isn’t actually part of him/herself, a phantom symptom is seen, also known as “body transference.”
For example, you can get the feeling that you are holding a gun or knife in the game and can actually “feel” it in your hand.
Your life is at stake in the virtual world, and you experience the same emotions such as fear, anxiety, and stress that you would experience in the real world.
This is no coincidence. VR is specifically designed to induce a feeling of being yourself. actually What are your experiences with the game?
By accepting ownership of your virtual body, you gain realistic emotions and sensations. This is very common among amputees, with 50-80% experiencing sensation in a limb they no longer have.
Simply put, neurons in the brain correspond to parts of the body and skin. These neurons make certain assumptions about the experience and send signals to the body.
Is it possible to develop hallucinations?
It is possible to develop hallucinations over time. As a matter of fact, many gamers take certain actions to hallucinate and enhance their gaming experience.
One way to develop hallucinations is with the help of friends. Sitting with them in reality and synchronizing both of your actions in virtual reality makes them appear real.
Another way to develop hallucinations is to get drunk. A lack of inhibition and a more relaxed mindset can open the door to hallucinations.
But in reality, it takes time and repetition to develop hallucinations.Some people get it and others don’t.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, author of seven books. She covers lifestyle, entertainment and news, self-centered content, and navigating workplace and social issues.
