Motion Sickness and Video Games

Have you ever had motion sickness? If you've been sick through your stomach while riding in an airplane, boat, car or a train, you know exactly what motion sickness feels like.


What is Motion Sickness?


According to Britannica online motion sickness is the result of conflict between various senses in regard to motion. The symptoms include dizziness, pallor, cold sweating, salivation, and (most important from a practical standpoint) nausea and vomiting.


What is the Connection between Motion Sickness and Video Games? 


People also get motion sickness while playing video games. Simulation sickness, is a condition where a person exhibits symptoms similar to motion sickness caused by playing, or sometimes even by just watching, computer/simulation/video games. Depending on the cause motion sickness can also be referred to as air sickness or space sickness, car sickness, sea sickness and simulation sickness.


What Causes Motion Sickness in Video Games?


I cannot be particular on what games or game mechanics produces or cause motion sickness to most people but I can tell you what particular game/s or game mechanics made me feel ill. In addition, I can share some thoughts on how to prevent motion sickness.


I showed signs of motion sickness for the first time when I first played Counter Strike. At first I thought it was just normal because people, hooked in that game that time, also shared the same experience when they were just starting to play the game. I did my best trying to play Counter Strike even though it made me nauseous. After sometime I managed to play without having signs of motion sickness at all but in order to achieve that I have to be very stiff when playing. Less head and eye movement and focusing on a single spot on the screen made me very stiff and the game less enjoyable. Silent Hill, Special Force and World of Warcraft are just some of the games that made me ill or caused motion sickness. In general, most 3d games that I have tried caused motion sickness. I'm almost certain that erratic camera movements in most 3d games today causes motion sickness. I played Resident Evil games(1, 2 and 3) without being troubled by motion sickness. Such games have fix camera angles and no erratic camera movements.


Treatments


I am not a doctor nor I have basic knowledge in medicine, I therefore cannot provide accurate treatment for motion sickness. When you feel you are experiencing motion sickness while playing a certain game I highly suggest that you stop playing but if you feel you can endure feeling ill then by all means continue playing and hopefully enjoy the game.


Experiments on how to cure motion sickness were done in one of the MythBusters episodes on Discovery Channel. They have found out that taking up ginger pills can cure motion sickness.