Open water's scary dude

[Johnny Boy]

I dunno if there's a scientific word for it but I have a tremendous fear of the open ocean, not being able to see the bottom or what else is in the water with you, etc. Was actually getting nauseous trying to swim some tires back from a shipwreck to my island a little while ago. It's even worse when it's storming or night (or god forbid night storming), cause then the underwater visibility goes from like 10 feet to 3 feet and it's just darker in general.

Any of you guys have similar fears? If so how do you cope with it? I know it's just a video game but the sheer idea of swimming alone in that sorta environment legit has me feeling like I'm gonna puke lol

[deez]

It happens to some people. I wouldnt even begin to tell you why. I have a fear of heights. when i get on something in a game that is real high i get chills. How to deal with it? i just keep climbing and close my eyes if i fall:)

[Espindola]

The name is Thalassophobia, and is much more common than you might think. There are several methods of treatment, and if it really bothers you, I strongly recommend that you seek professional help.
This game may even help you with that, but it's always good to look for guidance as it may well have a negative effect as well.

[Gamerfss86]

i do not have a phobia of open ocean like sailing but diving deep in the ocean then looking down and seeing nothing but blackness... that is a phobia to me lol

its why subnautica deep areas give me the creeps. when i see the ocean floor its ok i just dont like seeing that blackness. hell i dont mind walking into a dark room with screams coming out of it (lol) would rather do that then see blackness in a small sub or diving suit.

[Mavrah]

It's an absolutely legitimate (and healthy) fear. Salt water and exposure to the elements can kill you. The open ocean is full of sharks and other unfamiliar things. It's legitimately dangerous and worthy of your fear.
Lots of folks have some form or degree of phobia (unhealthy, irrational fear) with it as well. It should not be making you anxious when you can't even see the ocean. Ask your doctor or pastor for a reference to someone for counseling regarding your phobia. Therapists do sometimes prescribe video games and VR simulations to help people cope with their phobias.
Also try tuning the motion setting in the game. Those may be contributing to your nausea.

[Jaunitta 🌸]

Play in window mode. That gives your eyes an outer peripheral.
Not quite so immersive.
Have a good light near your PC.
Turn on V-sync in game settings.
In-game Nausea or Motion Sickness
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=8124-ISFL-6747
Video Games and Motion Sickness
https://www.lifewire.com/video-games-and-motion-sickness-3562484

https://www.howtogeek.com/241285/why-video-games-make-you-feel-sick-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/
Many factors can cause it, such as unsteady framerate, motion blur, field of view, view bob etc.

You can enjoy this fantasy reality knowing that your character is your robot you control.
Some feelings we get can be interpreted as fear when in fact its heightened sensitivity or excitement.
This is the aim of the game developers otherwise players would get bored.
Turn the game sound off and play some music you relate to if you helps.
Play in short times grow slowly,

[Warner Vachanges]

I always thought a "phobia" was irrational fear. If you've seen some of the creatures living down there, no way you can tell me it's irrational to fear it! haha.

Well in the context of a video game at least, that gnawing fear is one of the main reasons I love subnautica. It is what keeps me immersed in the environment. But it does get intense, so I recommend you just dive down and punch a shark on the nose, or keep diving down until you run out of oxygen and drown. Get killed by the deep a few times, say "la la la" while you dive headlong into oblivion.

Of course we don't want our dudes to die because of the inconvenience or the immersive attachment to the role, but if you succumb a few times, you'll have some thresholds.

Don't do any of that in real life, stay faaaar away from the deep ocean in real life. :)

[Gamerfss86]

i honestly didnt know i had a phobia of underwater part deep ocean until i played subnautica lol

loved the game beat it on normal and permadeath. its just something about being on a island is so peaceful i love stranded deep even more than subnautica.

[{O|G} Erik the Red]

Strange isn't it? I feel like the game could use more Stranded "depth" to it, as in, yours the only island to see on the horizon, and being stranded at sea on your raft too... It would make the "miracle" of finding an island that much more significantly prominent. I would love to be forced to play out on the open sea more, with an infinite sea and an infinite sky; the infinite horizon wouldn't be too scary at all. But to suddenly consider the depth below, that is a point of bother for me too. In real life I can't do anything deeper than footsie the sand, but even in game swimming around the reef is only reassuring because you can see the bottom, the mental barrier being the steep drop off around the edge of each reef. The deep is a mental barrier and the island reef and mental tether, and its a chain not easily broken. Even with airtanks, I don't see any point in using them, as its seems evidently clear that there is nothing beyond deeper below. Even with hearsay understanding that there is no seafloor anyhow, that it somehow just ends, and that likely you aren't supposed to be able to dive that deep anyhow. The drowning mechanic does make a suitable natural limit to how far you can go.

I am tempted to try and find the boundary, to see what if anything is down there, but that's likely just a waste of time and airtanks with death at the end. Or it'd break the game perhaps in godmode, who knows.

Same sort of reasoning for exploring the high open seas; we know there is a gridwork of islands to island hop around, but its a mental tether that keeps us stranded there. Is there any reason to venture farther away from the gridwork of islands? What happens or is it even possible to go too far, become more stranded? I have not yet been courageous or prepared enough to fulfill my curiosity.

Either the game won't let you go too far (game boundaries), or natural survival mechanics will limit how far you can travel (infinite space but limited time).

Its a bit discouraging since I heard in the past this game used to have a sea floor and its secrets and seaforts out in the beyond.

[Nicpus]

I dont fear the ocean. I actualy wanna be a diver irl doing spearfishing (Diving without a tank)

[MyProfile]

I stay away from anything I can't splash all of the water out of.

[cut]

I get that from heights. There was a game called "Mirror's Edge" that was all about heights and I had to quit playing it because I was so nauseous. The same thing happened watching "Solo" the documentary of Alex Honnold soloing El Capitan. Lakes actually freak me out more than the ocean for some reason. You start going down and it gets colder and darker... freaks me out!

[Dobbyyy]

Thalassophobia, I have it myself, best advice, keep looking straight ahead, I also don't go in my raft during the night/storms as it triggers it even more

[Chaophim]

"Until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore, you will never know the terror of being lost at sea." - Unknown

[bb 80]

I have a story for you that might help.
Happened 20 years ago near Gibraltar. We were a few hundred meters away from the beach in a motorboat and one guy with skiers in the water.
Not a care in the world.
At some point the gas was used up and we had to stop to put new fuel into the boat. The guy on skiers was floating behind us.
That was when we noticed that the people on the beach were waving and jumping. We did what any reasonable person would do: wave back.
When we returned they told us that they had given shark alarm and they saw sharks circling the boat and the big meat ball floating behind us.
We didn't see anything.

See!! Nothing happened. I must admit though that the floating guy never again water skied.

I personally get freaked out every time I use that yellow death trap to get to another island. It is normal to dislike the open sea. It is like running through the jungle and panthers could attack from every direction and there you would at least not be extremely disadvantaged like in the water.

[Skarmo]

Originally posted by cut:

I get that from heights. There was a game called "Mirror's Edge" that was all about heights and I had to quit playing it because I was so nauseous. The same thing happened watching "Solo" the documentary of Alex Honnold soloing El Capitan.

I used to be afraid of heights, too, and I cured it by becoming a climber. It's possible, but I must add that in my case wasn't a real phobia, since I had been able to climb on chairs, ladders etc. which you cannot do if you suffer from "clinical" vertigo.

However, watching "Free Solo" made me wish I had no idea about climbing at all. Knowing what Alex does on that climb, understanding the difficulty of his moves and feeling them in my own mind/body while watching him nearly gave me several heart attacks. Even if you know that it will all end well, it's an excellent horror movie that builds up tension slowly and culminates in a strong climax (I love that film).

Originally posted by Johnny Boy:

Any of you guys have similar fears? If so how do you cope with it? I know it's just a video game but the sheer idea of swimming alone in that sorta environment legit has me feeling like I'm gonna puke lol

I think that if you want to get rid of a fear, desensitization is the only way that will work. Of course it means that you will have to face your fear in a way - and walk up to it. Many desensitization therapies work with virtual environments, so in your case I would consider SD the right place for a virtual self-therapy.

Disclaimer: In case of a real phobia consulting a professional is always advisable, since traumatic events - even small ones - can make things worse. Just trust your own judgement.