Effects of first- and third-person perspectives created using a head-mounted display on dart-throwing accuracy

The first-person perspective (1PP) and third-person perspective (3PP) have both been adopted in video games. The 1PP can induce a strong sense of immersion, and the 3PP allows players to perceive distances easily. Virtual reality technologies have also adopted both perspectives to facilitate skill acquisition. However, how 1PP and 3PP views affect motor skills in the real world, as opposed to in games and virtual environments, remains unclear. This study examined the effects of the 1PP and 3PP on real-world dart-throwing accuracy after head-mounted display (HMD)-based practice tasks involving either the 1PP or 3PP. The 1PP group showed poorer dart-throwing performance, whereas the 3PP task had no effect on performance. Furthermore, while the effect of the 1PP task persisted for some time, that of task 3PP disappeared immediately. Therefore, the effects of 1PP HMD-based practice tasks on motor control transfer more readily to the real world than do those of 3PP tasks.