Gamified Virtual Reality Balance Training in College Students: A Six-Week Comparative Study with Traditional Exercise

Balance and postural control are important for safe movement in college students. This six-week randomized trial compared an HTC Vive Cosmos-based gamified virtual reality (VR) balance program with traditional balance and coordination exercises in 62 college students (VR: n = 32; control: n = 30). Both groups trained three times per week for 30 min per session. Outcomes included single-leg stance with eyes closed (SLST-EC; primary), Y-Balance Test composite score (YBT; secondary), and rotary stability (secondary), assessed before and after the intervention. Both programs were associated with improvements over time. The VR group showed greater improvement than the control group in SLST-EC, with a large between-group effect (Cohen’s d = 1.245), and this between-group difference remained significant after adjustment for baseline values. For YBT, both groups improved, but no clear overall between-group advantage was observed after accounting for baseline differences. Rotary stability also improved in both groups, without a significant between-group difference. Overall, gamified VR showed the clearest between-group advantage for static balance and may serve as a feasible supplement to balance training in college settings.