From Virtual to Reality: Scientists Find a Way to Sharpen Attention
Researchers at Novgorod State University (NovSU) have demonstrated that a short virtual reality workout can improve students’ attention and potentially boost their performance in phygital sports competitions.
According to a survey by the Higher School of Economics (HSE), phygital sports are gaining popularity in Russia. Most respondents who had competed in these events (62.3 percent), along with a quarter of those who had not (27.8 percent), said they would like phygital sports to be accessible to everyone and included in university programs.
Success in phygital sports depends on several factors, including the ability to concentrate and sustain attention. Researchers at NovSU set out to investigate this connection by testing how a short VR workout affects athletes’ mental performance. The results showed that even a brief session can significantly improve players’ attentional abilities.
Brevity Is the Soul of Wit
Fourteen university students took part in the experiment. First, researchers assessed their ability to concentrate using the Bourdon proofreading test, a psychological assessment designed to measure different aspects of attention.
The students then spent five minutes playing the VR game Beat Saber. Moving to the beat of the music, they had to slice virtual cubes coming toward them while dodging obstacles. After the session, they took the test again. The results showed a statistically significant improvement in sustained attention. To assess the changes, the researchers used the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and obtained a p-value below 0.05.
The study was conducted by three senior NovSU faculty members: Olga Alekseyeva, associate professor in the Department of Primary and Preschool Education and Social Management; Elena Chistyakova, head of the Department of Physical Education; and Roman Petrov, professor in the Department of Radio Equipment Design and Technology. They believe the experiment could help students develop their abilities and improve their athletic performance. But there is a caveat: experts and previous studies suggest that spending too much time in virtual reality can have the opposite effect, potentially harming a person's well-being. Keeping gameplay sessions short, therefore, is essential to achieving the benefits.
Universities Explore Virtual Worlds
In recent years, virtual reality has found increasingly wide applications in Russian sports, education, and research into cognitive function.
Researchers at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, for example, use VR to help restore motor and cognitive functions in people recovering from neurological conditions. In 2025, they unveiled an interactive application built on the Unity platform and designed to work with the Quest 3 VR headset. The software lets users perform exercises in a virtual environment, using game mechanics and adaptive scenarios.
In 2026, NovSU developed an AI system to assess attention and concentration in phygital athletes. It processes electroencephalogram (EEG) data using machine learning, achieving an analysis accuracy of 97.6 percent. The system could serve as the foundation for intelligent VR training tools that adapt to a person's functional state.
In March 2026, Sergey Leonov defended his doctoral dissertation at Lomonosov Moscow State University. Titled “Virtual Reality Technologies in the Psychological Training of Athletes,” the research examined the scientific basis for using VR in elite, recreational, and adaptive sports.
Against this backdrop, the NovSU experiment is part of a broader effort to understand how virtual activities affect human attention and fatigue.
The Battle for Attention
The idea of using VR for physical activity and athletic training has also gained support in Russia. The Ministry of Sport is developing the field of phygital sports, while regions across the country are building the infrastructure to support it. The NovSU study provides evidence that VR workouts can positively affect cognitive abilities, reinforcing the case for further investment in this emerging field.
VR-based training could find uses well beyond competitive sports, including in education. The study also provides a scientific foundation for developing digital tools designed to train people to manage their attention. That opens up new opportunities for virtual reality outside the gaming industry, including for developers of VR applications.
According to Russia's Ministry of Sport, the country plans to open at least 300 phygital sports centers nationwide by 2030. These modern facilities will host hybrid competitions that combine traditional sports with computer-based events.
