This was in the 90s or early 2000 when VR was non existent to consumers.
During holidays visiting the US we ended up in this arcade center, probably in LA, where they had circled booths with an old FPS VR game that you play standing up. The headset looked like a helmet and was plugged from the top.
During my game, I turned on myself (360 no scope style) so much and always in the same direction that the cables got tangled and finally broke, probably with a little spark and some electrical sound. Game over.
As a French preteen, my English was bad and all I remember is the "shiiiiiiit" the worker said when he looked at the headset and cables.