An insurer has issued a warning to householders with virtual reality (VR) devices after receiving a surge in claims linked to VR gaming.
Aviva states home contents claims involving VR headsets soared by 31 per cent last year when compared to 2020 with the majority of claims relating to 'accidental damage'.
In the majority of cases, customers claimed for TV sets that had been damaged by over-enthusiastic gamers - the average claim was valued at around £650, the Daily Record reports.
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In recent years, Aviva has seen VR-related home claims soar by 68 per cent since 2016 - as VR devices become more popular there are likely to be more incidents in the coming year.
Aviva has already received a handful of claims in 2022, mostly related to people falling into or hitting TV screens while wearing the headsets.
Kelly Whittington, UK Property Claims Director for Aviva said: “As new games and gadgets become popular, we often see this playing through in the claims made by our customers.
"In the past, we’ve seen similar trends involving consoles with handsets, fitness games and even the likes of rogue fidget spinners.
“These devices can be a great source of fun, but we’d encourage people to be mindful of their surroundings and take a look at their home insurance to make sure it suits their needs.
"Accidental damage cover can be a great addition to home contents insurance, just in case accidents happen.”
Aviva claims involving VR headsets
The main claims highlighted by Aviva included:
- A customer threw a controller into the TV set when a zombie jumped out during a game, surprising the unwitting participant
- One child who smashed two designer figurines when his game demanded a ‘swipe’ move - and he swept them off a mantlepiece
- Several customers who reported toppling over while wearing VR headsets - falling head-first into TVs and cracking the screens
Our top tip if you're using an Oculus device is not to disable the 'guardian' function which acts as a virtual barrier while you're immersed in the virtual world.
