What Can Game Transfer Phenomena Tell Us about the Impact of Highly Immersive Gaming Technologies?

The imminent introduction of highly immersive technologies for entertainment that bring exciting possibilities for the users also raises important questions regarding the impact on their well-being. Game Transfer Phenomena (GTP), a research approach focusing on understanding the psychosocial effects of video game playing by examining non-volitional phenomena (e.g., Altered sensorial perceptions, automatic mental processes, involuntary motoric activations and behaviours related to playing video games), suggests similarities between gamers´ experiences reported after playing on conventional devices and side effects of highly immersive technologies (e.g., Head-up displays, highly realistic virtual environments). The aim of this paper is to discuss the challenges highly immersive technologies posit to the malleable human mind, taking into account not only the side-effects of the virtual immersion manifesting as physical symptoms, but also the psychosocial implications.