Many players have felt dizzy and even nauseous while playing FPS games like Free Fire, PUBG, or Call of Duty Warzone. With fast-paced battles and a first-person perspective, some gamers have likened it to motion sickness. Approximately 20-50% of people worldwide are sensitive to movements in virtual environments, simulated environments, and gaming environments. In this article, Mytour will provide you with all you need to know about the sensation of 'gaming-induced dizziness,' including its causes and measures to combat dizziness and nausea while gaming.
- Explore more: List of game modes in Free Fire
1. What is 'gaming-induced dizziness'?
Experiencing dizziness from gaming is often referred to as Simulator Sickness. It occurs due to the inconsistency between what your eyes see and what your body perceives. A similar experience can happen anytime you think you're moving when you're not. For example, sitting in a parked car while the adjacent car starts reversing might make you feel like you're moving, causing a queasy sensation in your stomach.
2. Why does gaming cause dizziness and nausea?
Humans possess a keen spatial awareness, adept at recognizing whether we're standing, lying down, facing up, or rolling, falling, or startling. Thanks to continuous feedback loops between the eyes, ears, and overall sensory system, we precisely know our position in physical space.
However, when there's a disruption between parts of that feedback loop, it often results in symptoms of dizziness and nausea. The technical term for this phenomenon is signal conflict. It's not entirely clear why signal conflict makes us feel unwell, but the most prominent hypothesis is that the sensation of 'gaming-induced dizziness' mimics the effects of poison, and our bodies want to purge the toxins. This leads us to feel the need to vomit.
So, why do many people experience 'gaming-induced dizziness'? To understand why many electronic games can make you nauseous, we need to examine both sides: the games themselves and us. How these two interact is the key to explaining why. Some games involve two types of motion happening simultaneously, causing players to feel dizzy. This often occurs in first-person and third-person shooter games like Free Fire, COD, PUBG...
In addition, your fingers and the screen move, but your body remains still. Yes, your body stays fixed in the seat, but your eyes perceive the game's movement, thanks to the fast-paced 3D action on the screen. Similar to being on a moving vehicle, the conflict between environmental signals induces a sense of nausea in a significant portion of the population.
As games become increasingly complex, they strive to realistically mimic the movements of 3D characters, especially evident in the first-person shooter (FPS) genre, where you see through the eyes of the character.
What can you do to minimize the sensation of nausea while playing FPS games? There are several effective measures, most of which involve minimizing or eliminating signal conflicts in the environment.
3. Solutions to know when dealing with 'gaming-induced dizziness'
Adjust frame rate
FPS stands for frames per second, determining the number of images a graphics card can generate in one second. Essentially, the more images your graphics card renders, the better the graphic quality. Therefore, you may find that movements appear smoother.
When FPS fluctuates, players may experience dizziness and nausea, especially when playing FPS games like Free Fire or Call of Duty: Warzone. Keep the frame rate between 40 to 60 FPS to avoid feeling dizzy.
Move slowly, avoid constant direction changes
Constantly changing direction is a major factor causing 'gaming-induced dizziness.' For instance, when playing games on a computer, many players move the mouse around to observe the surrounding area, either to spot enemies or simply... admire the scenery.
Additionally, some players want to start matches quickly and constantly scan for combat targets. However, rapid and continuous head movements can make you dizzy. So, play slowly. Give your eyes time to adapt to the gaming environment and the pace of the battle.
Avoid keeping your eyes too close to the screen
Your sitting posture and the distance between your eyes and the screen also affect your sensation while playing FPS games. If you position your eyes too close to the screen, you may feel dizzy as your eyes and body experience different things. Your eyes are focused on the battlefield on the screen while your body is in the real world. This imbalance can make you feel unsteady and nauseous.
Practice and experiment to overcome 'gaming-induced dizziness'
One of the most effective ways to overcome 'gaming-induced dizziness' when playing Free Fire or Call of Duty is to practice to enhance resistance, similar to how frequent car rides make you accustomed to sitting in a vehicle and gradually overcome motion sickness. However, beginners should play games for a short period each day, gradually increasing the time to get accustomed to the movements and pace in the game.
If you occasionally experience headaches, nausea, or even suffer from them frequently while gaming, you're not alone. Many other players have faced symptoms caused by electronic games over the years. This article has highlighted the reasons behind 'gaming-induced dizziness' and suggested measures you can apply to overcome that sensation and continue enjoying your favorite FPS games.
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