Did you know you can get motion sickness just sitting in the couch? I got to learn the hard way while trying to play Resident Evil Village, which is played in first person. Everything was great, until it wasn’t! And here all I thought I had to worry about was getting PlayStation Thumb again…

Simulator Sickness Really Sucks

Everything started out good. The beginning of the game is honestly a bit boring. There’s a lot of walking around and looking at things. Looking up and down, all around.

I had managed to wander my way through the snowy woods and found an abandoned cabin. I stated feeling a bit funny as I was exploring, but I didn’t think much of it at first. Then suddenly, it came on like a wave of nausea and I thought I was going to vomit.

As soon as it hit, I realized what it was because it felt just like the feeling I got when we went on our last cruise. And I couldn’t believe I was getting motion sickness just sitting there!

Getting motion sickness from games is actually quite common. So much that doctors have dubbed it “Simulator Sickness” because it was first noticed affecting people using driving or flying simulators. It’s also referred to as Cybersickness. But whatever you call it, it really ruined my day!

What Causes First Person Gaming Sickness

You can blame your gaming sickness on your brain and inner ear having a sensory conflict. Your eyes are seeing movement as you are immersed in the game. You are walking and the screen in bouncing, yet you are just sitting in the couch moving only your fingers.

Your brain is busy yelling, “Does not compute!” based on what your eyes see and your inner ear detects. The conflicting message results in the same dizziness and nausea as regular motion sickness, just without the actual motion.

Can You Cure Gaming Sickness?

If you really really want to play that game, you do have some options. First thing you can do is avoid it all together by checking to see if the game has a 3rd person option. I’ll actually be giving Resident Evil another try in 3rd person mode today as see if that works.

The other thing you can do is train your brain to get used to it by exposing yourself to the game little by little. Play a bit until you start to feel sick, and stop. Don’t go back to it until you feel 100% normal.

You should be able to work up to playing longer and longer each time. If this sounds like a lot of effort just to play a game, it is! I’m not even trying since once I get that sick feeling, it tends to stick with me the rest of the day.

So I’m off to try the 3rd person now. Wish me luck!

About the Author

Candy Keane is a digital content creator and long-time cosplayer, most well-known for being on the cover of the Star Wars documentary Jedi Junkies. After making costumes professionally for over a decade, she now writes about about geek culture and mom life, and continues to cosplay for fun, while sharing her love of costumes on Instagram @SewGeekMama. Her first children’s book, I’m Going to My First Comic Convention, was published in 2020 and won a Story Monsters Approved award for Excellence in Literature.

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