Video Game Motion Sickness

[NikkiLinkle]

I got Skyrim for my birthday! Oh yeah But it makes me dizzy and gives me a headache Oh I am so upset. I've been looking forward to it for ages now. I just finished playing Kingdom Hearts last night and that was giving a bit of dizziness as well. I'm pretty sure there is no way of fixing this! So I am pretty disappointed. It only happens to me when I play certain games, games like Saints Row and Grand Theft Auto give me no problems. It's mostly first person games that give me the most issues. Damn me and my stupid brain!

Does anyone else experience any motion sickness while gaming?

[Michael Swayne]

I am only going to quote some the important bits of your post.

Skyrim...But it makes me dizzy and gives me a headache...playing Kingdom Hearts...and that was giving a bit of dizziness as well. I'm pretty sure there is no way of fixing this!

Fortunately, the only thing I experience when gaming other than the feeling of having fun is sleepiness. And that's only after having played for a long while. I looked at the manual of Kingdom Hearts, and it has the same Health Warnings every other game features.

Having not played Skyrim, I wouldn't know; but Kingdom Hearts uses lots of colors and flashing lights. This may be what is causing it.

You should probably consult a doctor, just to rule out any health conditions that you may have. I don't want to sound like a downer, but it may be something serious (signs of epilepsy). If you don't want to see a doctor, the only recommendation I can give is taking a short break every hour or two. Some video game manuals say a fifteen-minute break every hour is best. Not only would it give your eyes time to readjust, but also gives your console time to cool down as well.

[che]

Yeah, what conditions make one dizzy when playing games? Also, could it be TV resolution/settings/etc as well that might cause it (not just the game)?

[Michael Swayne]

che brings up another great point. You have to remember that you are staring at a box for an extended period of time. Depending on those settings (resolution, etc.), it may strain your eyes faster than normal.

Also, how close are sitting to your television? The manual for my PS2 says to sit as far away as possible to the TV. My GBA's says at arm's length. And the general rule for most televisions is at least 3 feet or 1 meter (for all you metric people).

There are so many factors that may be causing it.

[NikkiLinkle]

I just switched to third person and I think that will help! Yay. Skyrim away!

I think for me it could be my eyesight and I've been getting headaches a lot lately so playing games is probably not a good idea. I can usually play all day with no issues. First person games have always given me issues though, that's why I don't play them. I'll just take more breaks. A trip to the doctor couldn't hurt too.

I agree so many different factors. I usually play in the dark, but lately I have a light on which helps.

[nix]

How big is the monitor you're using and how close are you sitting?

Frankly the only health issues i get from gaming is bloodshot eyes and thats generally from consoles only really. Depends on how fast the game pace is also, i dont get it really anymore, but thats cause ive mostly been playing PC the last few years.. And now i only have my 3DS

[che]

Go see a ****in eye doctor Nikki. Maybe you need teh glasses. Get bigass hipster ones.

[NikkiLinkle]

Hahaha. Yeah I'll make an appointment tomorrow. I've been meaning to get my eyes checked for awhile. Oh man I'd look terrible with glasses.

I'm playing Skyrim on ps3 and my tv is huge. I think it's 40 inch lcd. That's probably not helping my situation. I miss the old square analogue tv's. I sit about a metre away.


Removed accidental double post.

[nix]

40 inch lcd. I sit about a metre away.

Theres your problem right there, why get a 40inch tv to sit a meter away from it????

Srsly, i sat 2 meters away playing on a 15inch back in the day.

Sit further back and you will be fine im sure, your melting your eyeballs at that range.

[SuperSabin]

The only time I get any sort of motion sickness from a game is when I'm playing handheld games while moving in a car. Its even worse when I try to play a game while i'm heading up into the mountains riding in a spiral (ugh).

[Calvan]

Aside from everything feeling like it's scrolling down, After playing Rock band, I generally don't get much in the way of motion sickness.

I do however get motion sickness if I try to game after a night of heavy drinking.

[Rowan]

People who suffer motion sickness from video games such as skyrim and saints row usually have poor eyesight. not being able to focus on objects correctly causes your eyes to jitter. This effect is increased when sitting closer to the tv and in a poorly lit room. Theres nothing wrong with you, I know people who feel the same when seeing any game in 3d. Taking a 15 minute break every hour as sugguested would more than likely help you stop feeling sick. Playing in a dark room puts a strain on your eyes, so that definitely wont be helping you. A doctor isn't neccassary, just avoid playing in dark rooms and make sure you're sitting 2 - 3 meters away from the tv.