Poll: Simulation sickness

[Doug]

Lately, I seem to be getting more bouts of simulation sickness. For those of you who don't know, its like car sickness in reverse. You're ears and other senses say you're sitting still, your eyes say your moving - the brain gets confused and ends up thinking it is being poisoned, hence makes you queasy.

Anyway, I seem to be getting it more and more lately, for no apparent reason.

Firstly, how many other people here get it? Games like Mirrors Edge where the camera bobs, or Spore (space stage) where the position of the camera move alot seem to trigger the queasiness in me. Fortunately, not alot of games do trigger it for me.

Secondly, any advice on how to avoid it? Aside from not playing games that trigger it?

EDIT:
Ok, advice from Yog Sothoth:

Try sitting further away from the screen, or using a smaller TV/monitor... you could also try anti-motion sickness drugs, such as Dramamine....

 

[Dudemeister]

Hmm, never had anything like that.

 

[Yog Sothoth]

Try sitting further away from the screen, or using a smaller TV/monitor... you could also try anti-motion sickness drugs, such as Dramamine....

 

[Undeadpope]

Yep,Mirrors edge gave me that too and a few other games which I don't really remember,I think it happens mostly to me when the environments are too dark or too bright(that would explain the ME problem)

as for advice I have a lack of,luckly this overly dark or light games don't tend be games I like and if I did like them that much I would just go with the sicky feeling and try my best to ignore it.

 

[Shadow Tyrant]

It only happens to me on Fallout 3, and to an extent, Half Life 2. (Which is odd, because I don't get it from TF2 or gmod.)

 

[Fionnabard]

I get simulation sick on first person shooters. Thankfully dramamine works on it as well as regular motion sickness.

 

[_Janny_]

The first time I saw a Mirror's Edge trailer full screen I felt nauseous. But I kept watching the trailers often and I soon stopped feeling sick, so when I played the game I felt perfectly alright. I guess my advice is to get used to it... And stare at the reticule in the middle of the screen when you're too dizzy, that's what it's for.

I thought it was pretty amazing that a trailer game me simulation sickness, kinda reminds me just how awesome technology is nowadays.

 

[Doug]

Try sitting further away from the screen, or using a smaller TV/monitor... you could also try anti-motion sickness drugs, such as Dramamine....

Thanks for the advice. I might add that to the OP. Personally, I'd prefer to avoid pills for it, but if they are the only thing that works, so be it.

 

[Yog Sothoth]

Try sitting further away from the screen, or using a smaller TV/monitor... you could also try anti-motion sickness drugs, such as Dramamine....

Thanks for the advice. I might add that to the OP. Personally, I'd prefer to avoid pills for it, but if they are the only thing that works, so be it.

Yeah, using drugs to deal with this problem should be your absolute last resort, but thought I should at least make you aware of it as an option.

 

[Flour]

I don't get motion sickness from playing games.

For most people it is caused by weird FOV settings(usually in combination with head bob), it shouldn't happen when playing console games because you're a lot further away from the screen.
Things that help with motion sickness should work for this problem.

 

[Brokkr]

This happens to me on some first person shooter games. I can only play them for an hour or so before I fell really queasy. It's only on some games though. It sometimes gets to me on games with a crappy 3rd person camera that moves around too much.

 

[stankerbell]

Well, I seem to be one of the few that this is a chronic problem for me. It doesn't matter what type of game I'm playing (FPS, RPG's, everything else), but at some point I'm going to have to stop because I get really nauseous. I deal with it by making sure I take breaks, 10 to 15 minutes every 1.5 hrs or so if I'm in marathon gaming mode. I also make sure that I have a very large water bottle near me at all times so that I'm hydrated, I've noticed that when I'm not hydrated I get nauseous much quicker. I don't like taking Dramamine, makes me drowsy and the non drowsy version still makes me feel funny.

But yeah, it sucks.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

Sit far enough back that you can see the frame of the TV; that will make it easier for your brain to figure out that it's the image moving instead of you. Don't play when tired or dehydrated, or when very hungry or right after a big meal. Some players find that ginger (like in ginger ale, or in curry) helps with nausea too.

I wouldn't go to dramamine myself, too drastic for games and too much in the way of side effects.

-- Steve

 

[Inverse Skies]

Well, I seem to be one of the few that this is a chronic problem for me. It doesn't matter what type of game I'm playing (FPS, RPG's, everything else), but at some point I'm going to have to stop because I get really nauseous. I deal with it by making sure I take breaks, 10 to 15 minutes every 1.5 hrs or so if I'm in marathon gaming mode. I also make sure that I have a very large water bottle near me at all times so that I'm hydrated, I've noticed that when I'm not hydrated I get nauseous much quicker. I don't like taking Dramamine, makes me drowsy and the non drowsy version still makes me feel funny.

But yeah, it sucks.

That does suck. I get motion sickness on planes and it is awful. I couldn't imagine getting it while playing games at home on the couch though...

 

[Jamash]

Apparently Peter Molyneux does.

Peter Molyneux actually got motion sickness from the isometric view. At the time, he decided the isometric was necessary, but he could not play his own game. Bullfrog created a special cartridge for him to play top down only.

I've never suffered from it myself. Perhaps it's because I used to go sailing a lot on family holidays, so I've developed my 'sea-legs'.

 

[ElephantGuts]

I've never heard of simulation sickness, and I can't think of anytime I've had it except once fairly recently. I was playing GTA4 (and had been doing so for several hours straight, and it was late and I was fairly tired by then) and I couldn't figure out if my car was moving or not. I knew it wasn't but it kept looking like it was. Does it count if it was only in the game and not actually me thinking I was moving? Anyway, I didn't get nauseous or anything and I think it went away when I started driving again, so I don't even know if it counts as simulation sickness.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

F.E.A.R. 2 was the first game I got it from, because you can't turn off the stupid head bob.

 

[Falconknight06]

I seem to get it in first person games where you have to turn around quickly and in skating games when I'm spinning around.

 

[Laughing Man]

F.E.A.R. 2 was the first game I got it from, because you can't turn off the stupid head bob.

Me too, only game that has ever caused it. It wasn't out right sickness it was more a balance issue I thought I was moving but wasn't it passed in a few seconds and it only occurred because I was in one of the sections were I kept getting attacked by a ghost and because it was so dark on screen I was utterly transfixed to the screen.

 

[Ballistic Bum]

Only sometimes. It's rare for me.
It mostly happens when I'm too focused lol