Effects of task difficulty and musical training in Virtual Reality: Observations of cognitive load and task accuracy in a VR rhythm exergame

This study explores the relationship between musical training, cognitive load (CL), and task accuracy within the virtual reality (VR) rhythm exergame Beat Saber across increasing task difficulty levels. Participants (N = 32) had their physiological metric data measured while playing the VR rhythm exergame under three task difficulty levels, completing a series of questionnaires after each task. Using regression analyses, we found that task difficulty and gaming experience significantly predicted perceived mental demand, whereas musical training did not. Musical training, along with lower perceived mental demand, increased gaming experience, and greater physiological arousal, significantly predicted higher task accuracy. These results suggest that musical training enhances task-specific performance but does not directly reduce perceived mental demand. Future research should consider alternative methods of grouping musical training and the additional predictability of flow and self-efficacy.