Why am I so bothered by first person games?

[Hylas]

Guys, I need a conversion! I mean, I need you to convince me I can play first person games, because I really can't! The problem is I am bothered by these games, being them action, RPGs or whatever. I can't play them, because after some time they give me nausea and they give me headaches. I wonder why... It's pretty stupid, probably it's just because I don't play them very often, but everytime I try I get annoyed by the first person view after few hours. Is it just my problem or is anybody else experiencing this too? Maybe it's just mental, but there are some games I'm sure I could enjoy if they weren't first person :P

[Vic Viper]

yes, you're not alone, i also cant stand fps cause it gives me motion sickness. :shame:

[kupoartist]

Hmm... never heard of this before... ever ^_^. Perhaps you're simply having a negative effect to the flicker of the TV / Monitor screen. That problem can be enhanced by particuarly demanding games, and FPS games tend to be the most demanding on the market.

I think its a potential problem of what you play these games on. I find that console FPSs are slightly nauseating, because they flicker quite a bit (TV screens - particuarly European TV screens - have cruddy refresh rates of 50 or 60 hz.). They also tend to rendered at lower frames per second than PC FPSs (ack! too many things sharing the same acronym!). Comparatively, a good "non-flickery" PC screen refresh rate is seen at about 75hz and above. For this reason, I'd also avoid playing PC FPSs on Flatscreen monitors, unless you've paid some astronomical figure for the latest and greatest tech. (Those things are pretty much always slower at updating than good old "Fry you where you sit and take up all your desk-space" CRT monitors).

If you want the effect of Refresh Rates illustrated, you can change your PC monitor's refresh in
Control Panel > Display Settings > Settings > Advanced > Monitor
where, in the drop down menu, you can select your monitor refresh rate. Compare the flickery "butterfly's flutter" of 60hz versus 75hz. If those options don't appear, you monitor is either crap or you're using a too high Desktop Resolution. This goes onto another point: in PC games, don't put in the highest settings that are possible! Like it or not, theres a good chance that you can't actually run them. Plenty of people tell me that they can run the latest FPS game on the market in full resolution with full graphics options, but when I see it, they're playing an FPS slideshow! Try for a FPS of about 60, hopefully higher (and a constant FPS - not when you're staring at a wall!). If you want to see that FPS value, you usually have to type in something to the game's console:

In Unreal / UT99, type "Timedemo 1"
In UT2K3 / 2K4 type "stat fps 1"
(for instance, because I don't know any other commands for other games)

All in all, the flickering of the monitor and the slowness of your computer to render the image could be potential nausiating. A First Person Game is more reliant on full player concentration than any other (especially competative games like Quake or UT) Hell, these things will even make you a better player (I guarantee it, or your money back!).

[Uchiha Sasuke]

Artist what are you on that has nothing to do with it. A lot of people have this, infact Hideo Kojima the maker of MGS has the same thing. I don't know what correct term is but it pretty much has to do with the person and how there eyes cannot get used to the game or some stupid shit. I would do a search for it, because I know I read of cases like this before.

[MakgSnake]

See, the thing is...many FPS have low mapping/scale/effects. I might not be using the right words here, but some games out there doesn't have the right texture added to the lighting of the game which makes it hard for our eyes to accept what we are looking at.

I would like to know what FPS games have you tried that you couldn't play after couple of minutes.

Some people have 3D motion sickness after playing any time of 3D game, doesn't matter if its FPS or a 3rd person. As SSSnake AkA Sasuke mentioned that Hideo Kojima has the same problem with games not using the scaling of the game properly which gives him headache, and thats why he works really hard on all Metal Gear games, giving the best lighting and mapping to the engine to create a non 3D Sickness envoirnment.

I am glad I dont go through the same problem as you do, but I still am a Human being, If I play a bad game with poor effort put into the game, I will also feel sick and would feel like vomiting. (Seriously).

Try playing "HALO", I really doubt you would feel sick or anything, because its very well done........as for "Soldier Of Fortune II: Double Helix" on the Xbox is totally opposite, I cannot play that game for more then 20 minutes straight. Gives me motion sickness.

I guess for you to play FPS, you have to try the best in the market that wouldn't give you 3d Motion Sickness...........I could be wrong. I am just trying to help here....because First Person Shooters are simply amazing, once you get into them...You wouldn't wanna get out. And they are the best when it comes to LAN parties.

[kupoartist]

I suppose if a person has a problem with First Person Games, they should probably avoid really fast ones... The speed of Unreal Tournament 2004 can be absolutely insane for instance (you know, "double dodge jumping and firing off 5 rockets whilst airborne and above someone's head" fast)... Something like Thief III (loads of sneaking, though I hear the XBox version defaults to 3rd person anyway), Halo (Slow movement speed on foot) or Half-Life (sort of a compromise between the more realistic games and the twitch shooters like Quake or Unreal) could perhaps be good starting points if you want to train your perception up ^_^

[RobHardo]

The only FPSs I can't stand are the ones who done show the gun poking out. I can't play if its just a pair of cross hairs. That is why I spend my time in socom 2 in third person.

[GuRu]

Guys, I need a conversion! I mean, I need you to convince me I can play first person games, because I really can't! The problem is I am bothered by these games, being them action, RPGs or whatever. I can't play them, because after some time they give me nausea and they give me headaches. I wonder why... It's pretty stupid, probably it's just because I don't play them very often, but everytime I try I get annoyed by the first person view after few hours. Is it just my problem or is anybody else experiencing this too? Maybe it's just mental, but there are some games I'm sure I could enjoy if they weren't first person :P




GuRu has played lots of first person shooters,and seen the light.There in no way in cinvincing you because the genere doesnt intrest you.Just find a liking to a different genere....

[merylsilverburg]

Try playing "HALO", I really doubt you would feel sick or anything, because its very well done........

Ah, late post. But, it's funny because no one seems to have a problem with HALO, but when I played it, it gave me motion-sickness a lot. :P I don't play much FPS because I just don't like them, but they do give me motion-sickness sometimes.

[Rix Terranus]

Halo employs a motion blur graphics technique to smooth over glaring graphical faults and short-comings. The same methods was used in Golden Eye. This method is well known to aggravate this condition in a similar way to motion sickness.

FPS games such as Timesplitters 2, which do not employ this method, are easier for those susceptible to this condition to use.

In this case, try TS2. It's an excellent game, and it probably won't make you sick either.

[Ipex442]

I pretty much agree, i love shooters but I'm just pretty much bored of FPS especially on consoles, I think games like socom 3 control alot better than most fps games on consoles especially with commanding a team and such.

[Frozen]

[color=yello]

Try playing "HALO", I really doubt you would feel sick or anything, because its very well done........as for "Soldier Of Fortune II: Double Helix" on the Xbox is totally opposite, I cannot play that game for more then 20 minutes straight. Gives me motion sickness.



I know a lot of people that have this problem. As Makg mentioned, I also know of people that get motion sickness with 3D games in general (like this roomate I had that coudln't stand Dead or Alive 3 for that reason)

Now, with HALO, you'll probably puke your guts out, specially when you are at the alien bases where they have all these werid bright colors and stuff.

I would highly recommend that you start with this game, nonetheless, precisely because of that, if you get used to it you'll get used to any other FPS.

On my personal experience, I used to have a little bit of motion sickness when I didn't play FPS's often, but I don't suffer from that anymore since I have played so many by now.

I do clearly remember having headaches after playing HALO 2 hours or more, but I think that ANY video game does that :D