Video Game Motion Sickness

[EagleFan]

I have seen a few things online about it but figured we have a good group here that can probably help.

I have a friend who is getting extremely motion sick playing Modern Warfare. I have played first person shooters with him all the way back to Doom and Duke. We even play Team Fortress 2 on XBL weekly with our poker buddies. This was the first time that he tried that game and he got motion sickness within a half hour of starting and it got bad quickly.

Is there anything that he can do to help, or cure, this? Other than the usual over the counter stuff I have read that Ginger Root Capsules work well. Has anyone tried that? If so, how did that work? Anything else that could work?

He is beyond bummed about it as we just got him hooked up on XBL a month or so ago and he is absolutely loving it. We all play Team Fortress and this was our first attempt to try a different game (finally another that we all had).

[Marc Vaughan]

Did this game have a 'running' motion where the screen moves up and down as the character moves? - I've only played a couple where thats done heavily but have had a similar issue with them.

(if so steering to games where its not so prevalent might help?)

Disclaimer - I haven't played a modern FPS in ages ... my reaction times suck ;)

[moriarty]

As I get older, I find myself more susceptible to this. I've experienced it in Modern Warfare and Grand Theft Auto. The only thing I've found that helps is to sit farther from the screen.

Having the static background of the room in my line of sight seems to help keep me from getting motion sick. When I get close to the TV, the TV screen takes up most of my line of sight and I get sick after about 45 min.

[EagleFan]

It's more of a gliding type of motion (unless holding sprint).

[Mustang]

It is 50/50 for me on games. I haven't found anything that really helps.

[Radii]

Is there anything that he can do to help, or cure, this? Other than the usual over the counter stuff I have read that Ginger Root Capsules work well. Has anyone tried that?

Ginger Root helps me *immensely* I have really bad motion sickness issues with console games that seem to get worse as I get older(or maybe as I get bigger TVs and have my couch pushed back as far as I can already :P). I can't play first person shooters no matter what but I even had issues with the most recent grand theft auto game and red dead redemption and the like. If I forget to take ginger capsules before I start playing I am *done* after 10-15 minutes. If I take a couple of them a few minutes before I fire up the console I can play for hours.

[Solecismic]

I can't even watch The Office.

There are over-the-counter medicines for kinetosis, and ginger supposedly makes a difference. I have it pretty bad, though, and can't even look at one of those games for a couple of seconds.

Supposedly American McGee, who is one of the more notable designers of games that create motion sickness, has it pretty bad himself and handles it by reducing the screen size to about two inches while working on a game.

[EagleFan]

Thanks all. I will relay these suggestions to him.

[Mustang]

Any success with ginger tea helping at all? (we have some of that). I do know that if I'm drinking something, it helps a little.

[Fidatelo]

I have a friend that has had issues with games and motion sickness in the past, he got some kind of little wrist straps that put pressure on the under-side of his wrists and they supposedly helped him. It sounds totally hokey, and I have no idea what these things were called or where he got them, but he stands by them.

I get motion sickness playing or watching the Battlefield games so I avoid those, but they seem to be the only ones that consistently bother me.

[MJ4H]

Yes those little bracelets are supposed to be hitting a pressure point that helps with motion sickness. I know people that wear them so they can read in the car. They do work. Worth a try.

[EagleFan]

I have a friend that has had issues with games and motion sickness in the past, he got some kind of little wrist straps that put pressure on the under-side of his wrists and they supposedly helped him. It sounds totally hokey, and I have no idea what these things were called or where he got them, but he stands by them.

I get motion sickness playing or watching the Battlefield games so I avoid those, but they seem to be the only ones that consistently bother me.

Yes those little bracelets are supposed to be hitting a pressure point that helps with motion sickness. I know people that wear them so they can read in the car. They do work. Worth a try.

Thank you, I'll pass that word to him as well.

I am probably being a little selfish here as well, just played the game for a while online and this would be fun as hell for the poker guys to play.

[SackAttack]

Only time I ever had that was with the old Wolfenstein style games where the entire world would just go blurry with any kind of movement. Gave me a headache, made me want to puke.

Had a little bit of that with 3D games in the N64/PSX era, too, but as the resolutions and artwork have gotten better that hasn't been an issue for me.

On that tangent, I wonder if upping his video card might improve things for him.

[stevew]

possibly turn off the 120hz function if he has an LCD TV?

[Icy]

I have it also from time to time if i spend too much time playing FPS, sitting further from the screen for sure helps a lot.

[tyketime]

I have a friend that has had issues with games and motion sickness in the past, he got some kind of little wrist straps that put pressure on the under-side of his wrists and they supposedly helped him. It sounds totally hokey, and I have no idea what these things were called or where he got them, but he stands by them.

I get motion sickness playing or watching the Battlefield games so I avoid those, but they seem to be the only ones that consistently bother me.
I get motion sickness if I play one of the racing games at an arcade. But speaking of the "motion sickness wrist strap"... I have been unable to ride roller coasters and motion simulators at theme parks. I did some research, and bought this watch-like device. It actually sends a small electric charge which I can control the strength of. The last time we were at Universal/Disney, I was able to do all the rides I had never done before with no sickness (Rock-n-Rollercoaster, The Mummy, etc.). I can absolutely vouch for its effectiveness!

[markprior22]

I have seen a few things online about it but figured we have a good group here that can probably help.

I have a friend who is getting extremely motion sick playing Modern Warfare. I have played first person shooters with him all the way back to Doom and Duke. We even play Team Fortress 2 on XBL weekly with our poker buddies. This was the first time that he tried that game and he got motion sickness within a half hour of starting and it got bad quickly.

Is there anything that he can do to help, or cure, this? Other than the usual over the counter stuff I have read that Ginger Root Capsules work well. Has anyone tried that? If so, how did that work? Anything else that could work?

He is beyond bummed about it as we just got him hooked up on XBL a month or so ago and he is absolutely loving it. We all play Team Fortress and this was our first attempt to try a different game (finally another that we all had).

What a pussy...the animals must just look at us humans and shake their heads....

[chesapeake]

As I get older, I find myself more susceptible to this. I've experienced it in Modern Warfare and Grand Theft Auto. The only thing I've found that helps is to sit farther from the screen.

Having the static background of the room in my line of sight seems to help keep me from getting motion sick.

This generally works for me as well. I can sit far enough back from the TV to play an FPS on the Xbox and have never had a problem there. Nothing I have done has made me able to play an FPS that nauseates me on a PC. I bought Overlord on Steam last year and regret not being able to play it.

[Jughead Spock]

I know in some FPS there are (were) settings to turn off the bobbing motions. Dunno if Modern Warfare has that, but worth a look before you're ingesting/buying stuff.

[EagleFan]

What a pussy...the animals must just look at us humans and shake their heads....

Nope, he's not sad because it's winter...

[EagleFan]

He said that he was sitting fairly close to the TV. Interesting that TF2 doesn't do it to him. I guess the brain interprets the cartoonish style differently.

[markprior22]

Nope, he's not sad because it's winter...

Well, I thought I would comment strongly on something I know nothing about....just like you did....I mean, I don't have that problem so it must not exist. I can watch TV, play video games, go to 3D movies...really anything and don't have any sickness...yeah, he's a pussy.

[saldana]

i used to get this back in the day of wolfenstein and doom...my solution was to move back further...i just got done with an hour of black ops and because i am all the way across the room and the screen isnt the only thing i see, it doesnt phase me in the least.

[PilotMan]

Yes those little bracelets are supposed to be hitting a pressure point that helps with motion sickness. I know people that wear them so they can read in the car. They do work. Worth a try.


They are called Sea Bands, and you can get them at any drug store. My wife uses them all the time in the car and the plane. Best bang for your buck IMO.

[EagleFan]

Well, I thought I would comment strongly on something I know nothing about....just like you did....I mean, I don't have that problem so it must not exist. I can watch TV, play video games, go to 3D movies...really anything and don't have any sickness...yeah, he's a pussy.

Cowboy up...

[sterlingice]

Only time I ever had that was with the old Wolfenstein style games where the entire world would just go blurry with any kind of movement. Gave me a headache, made me want to puke.

The first few times I played Wolfenstein 3D- that's the only time I really had motion sickness from a video game. I rarely get headaches and I got them after 15 minutes of playing Wolf3D. As a side note, my raw spatial orientation skills are awful so I'm surprised I don't get it more.

SI