How can strict scientific control be combined with real-life situations in a virtual environment? Researchers at ELTE PPK presented the results of their VR game, QuestMarket, to an international audience of leading experts in the field.

In September 2026, Copenhagen hosted the ICDVRAT (International Conference on Disability, Virtual Reality and Associated Technologies), organised by Aalborg University to mark its 30th anniversary. Since its foundation in 1996, this unique forum for innovation at the intersection of healthcare, disability studies and immersive technologies has focused on exploring the latest developments in disability, rehabilitation, virtual reality and related technologies. The professional programme placed particular emphasis on, amongst other things, rehabilitation robotics, artificial intelligence in healthcare, game-based learning, the treatment of auditory hallucinations, and sexual health and therapy.

During the four-day event, Soma Zsebi, a PhD student at PPK, and Renáta Cserjési, a lecturer at PPK, also presented their research findings. Their presentation focused on the methodological development of virtual reality-based cognitive tests and the testing of a game they had developed themselves: in their presentation, they explored the possibilities for reconciling laboratory control with ecological validity – which reflects real-life situations – through the pilot results of the QuestMarket VR game. The presentation was based on the findings of research conducted in collaboration with the University of Pannonia.

The faculty’s academic presence at the conference has now become something of a tradition, as Renáta Cserjési has been a member of the ICDVRAT’s international steering committee for four years. Among the organisers was neuropsychologist Iveta Fajnerová, a senior researcher at the Czech National Institute of Mental Health (NUDZ), who later also took part in the ELTE Innofair event. The conference in Denmark provided an excellent opportunity not only to share research findings, but also to forge new international professional connections and lay the foundations for future collaboration. As a follow-up to these professional connections, the conference’s main organiser, Emil Rosenlund Høeg, visited Budapest on 1 October and gave a presentation at the ELTE Innofair workshop.