Getting sick while playing a game

[KethSelhan1986]

Hi.

I am a newbie, so this is my first experience playing PC games - keyboard and mouse, system Windows.

I have noticed when I play a game (ok, horror), for example, Slender: Arrival, when I must run with shift command and my mouse navigating left to right, I get sick while playing. I almost throw up and get a headache thus I can not play a game marathon for more 2+ hours.

I am 30 years old female. I have never had a problem; just I remember when I was a child and played silly DOS games, Aladdin, Dangerous Dave or Turok Dinosaur Hunter, I would get exhausted.

My friend, who is an experienced PC game player, said to me that I have maybe a problem with perception sight, that a lot of people suffer because of it.

What do you think or what should I do to get better? Thank you for any response and ideas.

[Spawn of Totoro]

Motion sickness. My wife gets that is some games too.

Increase the field of view if you can. Turn off motion blur and depth of field if they are option.

Decrease setting to get a higher framerate as that has been know to help as well.

Take a break of 15 minutes after every hour (should do this anyways for other health reasons as well).

If you are planning a long marathon, you can try over the counter motion sickness medication, but I would only suggest that if it is someting you can't stop and take a break from.

[Al Capwned]

Publicado originalmente por Spawn Of Totoro:

Motion sickness. My wife gets that is some games too.

Increase the field of view if you can. Turn off motion blur and depth of field if they are option.

Decrease setting to get a higher framerate as that has been know to help as well.

Take a break of 15 minutes after every hour (should do this anyways for other health reasons as well).

If you are planning a long marathon, you can try over the counter motion sickness medication, but I would only suggest that if it is someting you can't stop and take a break from.

I was thinking that was it too.

[Start_Running]

Hmmm. Check the game settings. See if there's a setting for bobbing or head bobbing.. YOu're not alon with that particular ailment. MOst FPS games allow you to turn off such things as tilt, sway, and bobbing. Most. not all. When in doubt.. ask on the game's forum.

If the game has no such settings. you could kindly suggest the addition of such to the publisher/developer.

Your problem may not be a problem as such but rather just a slight difference in how your brain is wired. JUst as some people get sick in cars, and on boats and even in elevators, some people also get nauseated by fast colourshifts and motion in video games.

ANother trick can be to disable the HUD in the game, or conversely , play the game in windowed mode and makesure you have at least 2 inches of descktop space visible on all sides of the game window. THose tricks I know work in some cases.

[Commander Makara]

Most games come with a warning and advisde not to contunie playing if you experience ill effects.
Consult a medical professional and cease playing videogames.

[MollyMo]

Publicado originalmente por Commander Makara:

Consult a medical professional and cease playing videogames.

Really, this. Don't take chances with your health.

[obamafish]

Publicado originalmente por KethSelhan1986:

What do you think or what should I do to get better?

To not play games that are causing it, quite obviously. Consulting a doctor should also be useful, as obvious as it might sound, perhaps there is something actually wrong with your health.

Are you using a good monitor? Is it large? Can you do other activities like reading or watching movies from it without experiencing sickness?

As for particular causes, one particular thing I can think of causing this feelign of nausea is the low field of view in the game. If your game supports it, try increasing it to 90..100 degress and seeing if it helps. Some games have an FOV slider in the menu, some games can be forced to work in large FOV by editing their configuration files, and some games would just plain and simple refuse.

Also, what's your frames per second (FPS) number during those "puke scenes"? You can enable it in Steam's settings. If it's below 30, it will cause very noticeable delays and hitchiness between moving the mouse around and the screen actually following your mouse movement, which may confuse and disorientate your brain.

[Tito Shivan]

Another thing that causes sickness is head bobbing (the one on Stalker gets me really sick) and motion blur (making the screen blurry when running or turning around)... If they can be disabled do it.

You might want to ask on the forum of the game. It's likely you're not the only one who has had issues.

[Commander Makara]

This is typically for Playstation, but is fairly typical of the warnings associated with many products, the advice is generally similar:

http://legaldoc.dl.playstation.net/ps3-eula/psn/e/e_health_en.html

[mellow]

i thought i was bad getting sick from the boat fair ride O:
i think only one game evr made me sick tho, it was based off som animated movie, forget the name. but ya it made me feel like throwing up

[CheddarExuberant]

First, I recommend you see an audiologist. It's obviously an issue you've had for a very long time (Fatigue is a major symptom of motion sickness, so you most likely had it when you were younger as well), and you should seek treatment before it becomes even more serious. You might require medication. For now you could try OTC anti-nausea meds like Dramamine if you experience any symptoms.

As for gaming, try playing in windowed mode, depending on how big your screen is. Turn off motion blur (if that is an option). Take breaks (LONG breaks, not 5 minute breaks or something short like that).

[OneMuskyOx]

If the game has a "view bob" option turn it the hell off. It's not like we bounce around in real life. Framerates flying up and down can cause that, though I heard people eventually get used to FPS changes.

EDIT: Some people don't like motion blur? I feel it helps me out... Don't use it in "noscope lol" online shooters though. Bastard 12 year olds outsmarting me really deals a blow to my ego.

[Start_Running]

Publicado originalmente por Blue Space Communist:

If the game has a "view bob" option turn it the hell off. It's not like we bounce around in real life.

We actually do. but because our eyes, body, brain and SCC's agree on what's going on, we don't notice it.

Motion sickness occurse when one or more of those 4 is sending data that doesn't match up with the others. Car sickness for example happens where your body and SCC's are saying you're stationary, but your eyes are saying you're moving.

Sea sickness has your eyes saying you're moving one way, and your SCC's are saying you're moving in another..

ROller coaster and ammusement ride sickness is more all four being overwhelmed by sudden rapid changes, in speed, rotation, direction and orientation. IT's why one of the easiest fixes to this is to close your eyes.

[[M5TAL] Panda.Μonium]

um just don't play and see a doctor, i played once for 5 days and night NON STOP i never got any problems except some trembling on my legs and that it was when i got up of the chair.

And i went straight home and slept for 1 whole freaking day, do you even need to ask something that serious?

I mean i saw a guy once in a cyber net falling off his chair shaking and puking all over the place, but to be honest hearing that games cause problems was like a myth to me until i saw that ♥♥♥♥ going on.

Like infront of my eyes and i then thought to myself...are those ppl nuts? like why are they even play games on pc or not since they observe that they have so serious problems.

Solution is simple, is it night? let's say it is, get off the chair stop playing, go watch a movie with your boyfriend or gf if your a boy and do some hu chu hu chu hu chu hugs, sleep.

And then first thing in the morning arrange an apointment with a doctor and visit him, then talk with him her about it and do some examinations and fix this.

Until then...please for your own sake, stay away from games especially those that have a bunch of warnings about eyes n ♥♥♥♥♥.

Altho if i was you in your shoes, i wouldn't play single game before visiting a doctor, those stuff are serious and you can get a lot hurt, the guy i was telling you about fell in coma believe it or not.

How i know it? we were going in the same school and news from his close enviroment-friends reached our ears back in the cyber-coffe net.

PS. He was ok after a month.

[OneMuskyOx]

Publicado originalmente por Start_Running:

Publicado originalmente por Blue Space Communist:

If the game has a "view bob" option turn it the hell off. It's not like we bounce around in real life.

We actually do. but because our eyes, body, brain and SCC's agree on what's going on, we don't notice it.

Very True, though I was thinking to the ridiculous levels that Vidya Game characters do. Seriously they must have springs attached to their feet.

[Start_Running]

Publicado originalmente por Blue Space Communist:

Publicado originalmente por Start_Running:

We actually do. but because our eyes, body, brain and SCC's agree on what's going on, we don't notice it.

Very True, though I was thinking to the ridiculous levels that Vidya Game characters do. Seriously they must have springs attached to their feet.

put a camera on somone's head and have them run for a bit, see what the footage looks like to you.