Nausea playing FPS games

Is it just me?

I love FPS games just as much as I like starcraft and super smash, guitar hero, etc.. but I've never gotten around to playing much of it because I always get nauseous after playing it for a while..
I don't ever get motion sick on a boat or on a roller coaster. I've only gotten sick once on the airplane(but thats once out of.. like 20)..

Counter Strike for instance(i know its an old game)... have to sit down and rest after 30 minutes of play...
I tried playing it again yesterday... played for 2 hours, and only felt slightly nauseous.. hardly at all actually.
I think it comes a lot worse when I'm using a pistol or knife, as opposed to when I'm wielding a heavy machine gun.
I've hard people get really sick after playing HL2..

I'm only a casual gamer, now and then with my friends... but I hate having to sit out for the FPS games...

Has anybody found a way to subside the motion sickness? Or any way to alleviate the sickness after playing? I know 7-up helped me that one time I got sick on the airplane.
Can anyone recommend games that may not cause this kind of motion sickness?
Would a smaller/larger lcd, higher frame rates, or faster lcd response times help?


Any suggestions would be really appreciated

 

Same here, I get really sick if I play FPS for more then 30 minutes, anything less is fine but I slowly get wheezy.

I don't know of a solution, I usually just avoid playing those games. I'd be interested in seeing a solution(temporary even) though.

 

I remember the day I got Half Life: GOTY. I installed it and started playing half life, by the time I got to office complex, I had to go and lay down because I was so sick. I can play HL2, Gears of War, Halo, Quake Wars etc. No other game has ever given me motion sickness.

The ones that caused it for me are HL1, Blue Shift and Opposing Forces. I have fixed my problem though. There's something wrong with the older version of the game. So, instead I downladed steam, put in my Cd-keys and registered them. I then download an updated version of HL, I don't know if it's HL:S or not I just know the graphics are better. I was able to beat the game without getting sick and several times I was playing the game 3+ hours which is more than i ever play a game.

So, I suggest downloading the steam versions of the game, (Make sure the refresh rate is set correctly, and make sure you use the same resolution in the game that you use on your desktop). You could also try the source versions of the games and see if that helps.

Goodluck,
-Taylor

 

There are a number of things known to cause nausea, dizziness, and disorientation. They are usually associated with sight and/or sound.

From a sight standpoint flashing lights (gun fire and explosions), quick pivot and turning, motion blurring, refresh rates, and environmental lighting can all be associated with the vision induced sickness.

Human ears are associated with balance and equilibrium. If you've been sick or had sinus congestion that can throw off your equilibrium. Loud and sudden noises, and background noises (like electric humming) can also cause disorientation.

To cut down on your chances of getting nauseous try one or more of the following:
visually
Look away from the screen every once in a while.
Set your background lighting to the amount of lighting in the game.
adjust your refresh rate, screen brightness, and/or contrast settings.

sound:
yawn (to re-equalize your ear pressure)
eat, drink, or chew something
turn down the volume
put on background music with a consistent beat and tempo

both:
take small breaks

Give a few of those suggestions a try, and see if it reduces or solves your nausea problems.

 

Wow, I have all of that - background humming, flashing lights, quick turning, etc but no nausia...
Vsync helps with the cutting of frames which can cause problems for some

 

My dad had this problem with (and only with) Return to Castle Wolfenstein. He ended up just having to take really frequent breaks like others have suggested.

Try looking away from the computer every 10-15 minutes for 30-60 seconds. This helps avoid eyestrain too.

 

I've heard that the majority of game motion sickness has to do with how the field of view is set up. Apparently, HL2 (for instance) has such a strange FOV angle that it causes many people to get very ill while playing. You could attempt to modify the FOV using config settings.

Also, and this is only relevant if you have a CRT monitor, the refresh rate on the screen (measured in Hz) can cause serious health issues if it is set too high or too low. Making sure it is at about 60Hz would be ideal. Also, sitting too close to a monitor is never a good thing. Try sitting far enough back that no more than 50% of your vision is taken up by the screen.

Avid Gamer had some great points. Try setting brightness at something comfortable to your eyes and tweak it so it is always the case. What you need to do is make yourself as comfortable as possible while also mentally and physically alert. Often being able to look around and pull your frame of vision out of a game will make you feel better. Sometimes your brain will get confused due to all of the movement in the game that isn't being translated to physical forces exerted on your body.

Also, it isn't likely to work, but you could get really wild and crazy while playing games. Move around a bunch, shout out loud, shiver... etc. This will help match your physical to your percieved mental response. It's a little bit crazy and it tires you out faster, but it's sort of fun.

 

or if you're me and have a short attention span, turn the TV on while you play and look up at the TV every once in a while. It helps

 

When I was using a projector for games, I would never have much eyestrain or nausea. Playing on a monitor now, it has come back. Had to tear down the projector since I have a baby on the way, and need to get rid of some of my toys.

 

Sounds like I'd be getting rid of a baby instead. Lol, jk. Congratulations!

 

erm..............lol you guys are weird. i can play any type of game, including fps, for hours on end...until i just get bored of it

 

Would motion sickness medicine help for players suffering severe nausea? Sounds silly but it's unfortunate if you can't play a game from start to finish because of a biological reaction.

 

You could try something like dimenhydrinate (Dramamine), but if you're like me, it'll make you so sleepy that you won't end up playing anyways.

 

That's not very fair, either you're ready to vomit over your precious keyboard or you're so tired your head is in danger of crashing onto the keyboard.

Just as well it's only several games that give rise to the problem. I still remember the old epilepsy warnings listed on some of my game manuals.