A Russian man was found dead after he got into an accident while reportedly playing a virtual reality game.
Reports state that a 44-year-old man was discovered dead in his apartment last Thursday, Tech Times reports. The man, who remains unnamed, was said to be wearing virtual reality goggles and was playing a game at home when he slipped, fell onto a glass table, and cut himself.
A probe by Russia’s Investigative Committee said that the death appears to have been caused by severe blood loss.
Another report stated that it is possible the man had not properly mapped the game he was playing to his apartment, resulting in his fall and eventual death. The body was found by the man’s mother when she went to visit his apartment in Moscow. The death has been ruled an accident, but authorities are still conducting further investigations to confirm.
VR goggles have been on the market for some years now, but accidents such as walking into walls or furniture is still pretty common among users. While smaller incidences are nothing to worry about, this death is a disturbing, albeit extreme, example of the potential hazards of using virtual reality equipment.
While this is a rare case, and may be ruled as an isolated and unfortunate accident, there are some unpleasant side effects that come from using VR technology.
Virtual reality sickness, also known as cybersickness, is one side effect. Symptoms include nausea, disorientation, motion sickness, vomiting and headaches. It is said to be caused by conflict in a user’s brain where the visual and auditory senses see and hear movement, but the inner ear does not feel the action, hence the disconnect.
The brain then assumes the person has ingested a toxin and is hallucinating, signaling the body to expel the substance. This is more common in children below 13 years old, which is why most VR equipment carry a warning that they should be used among those older than 13 only. VR makers have also been trying to address this problem by developing the technology.
