Motion Sickness

Siji · Post by **Siji** » June 28, 2004, 2:19 pm

Does anyone else get motion sickness type symptoms when playing some games? I used to play Quake 2 for hours and hours on end, and even some Unreal when it came out. These days when trying to play Far Cry or Painkiller (PK = awesome game), I get really really bad headaches and if I keep pushing it, nausea. I'm not sure what's changed that I can't seem to play FPS games anymore. Don't get anything like this when playing console games or games like EQ.

Just curious if anyone else has encountered that.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 28, 2004, 2:42 pm

Might want to see a doctor and mention it. Especially if it's something that didn't used to happen.

Although these days doctor visits seem like an assembly line and if you're not near death they tell you there's nothing wrong with you. Much hate for the healthcare system these days!

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » June 28, 2004, 3:27 pm

YES! I was fine with Doom and Doom2 but Quake and Unreal make my brain spin. I can usually play the game for a while if I don't give in to the dizzy spells but when I am done I don't want to be any where near my computer and want to sleep.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 28, 2004, 6:59 pm

DukeNuKem 3d used to make me sick although I kept playing until I was close to throwing up because it was so fun vs another player via the net.

Either I've adapted or it was something about those original FPS games as I haven't been sick since.

Kguku · Post by **Kguku** » June 28, 2004, 8:12 pm

Not all engines will induce motion sickness for you. You might try adjusting your refresh rate on your monitor, and if you can play around with framerate limiting on the fps itself and see if that helps at all.

masteen · Post by **masteen** » June 29, 2004, 12:49 pm

The refresh on the monitor would be the first thing I would check.

Karae · Post by **Karae** » June 29, 2004, 5:48 pm

Siji wrote:Does anyone else get motion sickness type symptoms when playing some games? I used to play Quake 2 for hours and hours on end, and even some Unreal when it came out. These days when trying to play Far Cry or Painkiller (PK = awesome game), I get really really bad headaches and if I keep pushing it, nausea. I'm not sure what's changed that I can't seem to play FPS games anymore. Don't get anything like this when playing console games or games like EQ.

Just curious if anyone else has encountered that.

My Mom does.

No, I'm not making fun of you, she seriously does...or did the one time I tried to get her to play.

It's a condition called simulator sickness (also here)

It's caused by your eyes telling your brain that you're moving while the rest of your senses tell it you aren't. The conflicting messages confuse and disorient you - leading to the symptoms you're experiencing.

There's not a lot of research done on the condition, but it seems to be effectively treated by the same methods used to treat motion sickness. I'd suspect it's also something you can acclimate yourself too. Personally, I wouldn't want to medicate just to play a game...

I'd also suggest that you might try looking around your room or getting up and moving around periodically. This might help your brain rationalize your senses (much the way looking outside a moving car helps with motion sickness as, when your eyes see moving scenery instead of the unmoving interior of the car your brain no longer gets mixed signals).

Homercles · Post by **Homercles** » June 29, 2004, 6:30 pm

Ive had a couple games have this effect on me. I think its a result of the games becoming too realistic. Like Karae said, your eyes see something and our brain interprets it, but your body isnt having the reaction it should be. Its just like those Theatre 180's. If I watch one of those 1st person rollercoaster things I get sick as hell. But actually riding a rollercoaster has no effect on me whatsoever.

Sartori · Post by **Sartori** » June 29, 2004, 10:24 pm

The only game that ever gave me problems was the original Descent. I do get sick if I read in a car though

Check refresh rate first. If you are using an LCD monitor games it could be that. LCD monitors give me a headache when I play most games on them so I stick with CRT's.

Siji · Post by **Siji** » June 30, 2004, 5:44 pm

Homercles wrote:Its just like those Theatre 180's. If I watch one of those 1st person rollercoaster things I get sick as hell. But actually riding a rollercoaster has no effect on me whatsoever.

Much h8 for those things! There are some 'realistic' rides that can give me a headache as well (ie: Spiderman or Back to the Future at Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure). The kind where you sit in the car and the car moves at angles while the screens make you think you're flying..

I could believe the refresh rate being the cause, if the games were forcing different refresh rates - because as I said, some games do it (Pain Killer, Unreal) and some games don't (Far Cry, Quake).

Avryce · Post by **Avryce** » July 2, 2004, 4:18 pm

As others have stated I would suggest checking your refresh rate and setting it as high as your monitor supports (low refresh can cause headaches). Also if the game has an option such as "head bob" turn it off.

Games like Doom/Doom2 didn't have head bob but later on it became more common to simulate the motion as you move around this jarring of the screen could be the cause.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » July 2, 2004, 4:41 pm

Avryce wrote:As others have stated I would suggest checking your refresh rate and setting it as high as your monitor supports (low refresh can cause headaches). Also if the game has an option such as "head bob" turn it off.

yes, adjust the head bob knob!

VeeshanVault

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