How can I prevent Gaming Sickness?

health

Some gamers call me a wimp, but games like Spyro send me reeling and running for the bathroom in a matter of minutes. I get a massive headache, nausea, and sick to my stomach. I can play Portal, Ape Escape, Ico, Shadow of the Collosseus for longer. I think the problem has to do with the free-floating (or controllable) camera.

Is there a way to still play these games and not get sick?

Solution 1:

Among other things, you may be sensitive to:

frame rate
strobing or shifting colors
sensation of movement
disparity between visual and other sensory input

Depending on your platform and environment you probably don't have much control over these. You can try the following, but as David said you should probably consult with your doctor also.

Don't play in a dark room - leave a lamp or other soft light on
Position your chair and screen so that you're sitting comfortably and looking directly ahead at the screen
Play with whatever visual settings are available to maximize frame rate and minimize visual strobing
Back up a bit so that the screen doesn't dominate your vision. This has two effects - it minimizes the sensory conflict, and also minimizes your awareness of screen refresh/frame rate

Solution 2:

I would talk to your doctor.

Anybody that tells you to try anything could risk your health and I would NOT advise.

Solution 3:

Mythbusters looked at the various anecdotal and pharmaceutical cures for seasickness (which as I understand has the same triggers as stationary motion sickness), and they got positive results from Ginger extract.

Results here: http://mythbustersresults.com/episode43

Your Mileage May vary, but I tried them, to play Halo reach. Normally just looking at the Halo reach Demo makes me feel dizzy and nauseous after a few seconds. I took two ginger pills, waited an hour and then happily played Halo reach for the next four hours with no discernible side effects.

Like I said YMMV, but Ginger pills definitely worked for me.

Solution 4:

The first thing I'd say is ask yourself the following:

What is my gaming environment like?

How much light is in the room?
How far are you from the Monitor/TV/etc.
What are you sitting on?
What is your posture?
Are there windows in the room you can look out of?

Massive headaches and nausea may not just be caused by the game you're playing (though that can be a factor), but also by the exposure to flashing lights. The human brain actually has a hard time with flashing lights, especially at certain frequencies. Since a game often doesn't control this, it's not uncommon to experience these types of symptoms.

My advice is the following:

Make sure you're in a well lit room with good ventilation.
Don't play continuously for hours at a time, take 5 minute breaks
Don't get too close to the screen
Remember to Eat properly (you'd be surprised how big a difference a little Vitamin C can make).