Gaming while sick

[maxlords]

Well, it happened. I caught my yearly cold. I rarely if ever get sick and often go more than a year without a cold. Working in a factory for the last 8 years I've been getting an average of 1 cold a year though, just due to the sheer number of people I'm around. Not a big deal, and I load up on simple sugars, vitamin C and zinc and usually blow through a cold in about 3 days. While I'm sick I mostly just sleep and watch TV and game.

This time however, the cold hit me in an odd way. I went to settle down on the couch and play Skyrim. What I found is that somehow the cold has affected my perception so that I was getting vertigo while trying to play Skyrim! I'm assuming it will happen with all 1st person current gen games. I've never had an issue with Skyrim before either (or any other game for that matter). Literally a couple minutes was enough to make me shut the game off. I ended up playing some point and click stuff on the puter instead. Just very odd though.

Has this sort of thing ever happened to anyone else with they are sick? I can't really focus on anything fast-moving at all....shmups are out too.

[Drum]

Columns got me through a sick day pretty well recently, maybe give that a shot.

[CStarFlare]

The last time I had surgery, I spent a week playing Dawn of Sorrow while on Vicodin.

It's not really the same, but it was an awesome week. It might have been an awesome game too, I have no clue.

[mesh control]

I played loads of Metal Black and Gunbird 2 after I got my wisdom teeth pulled.

I was doing lines of percocet off of my textbooks and taking promethazine. Great times.

[rancor]

[BPzeBanshee]

Yep, I've had this. Just last week actually the flu put me off literally everything. I'm gradually getting my taste back.

[xbl0x180]

I do get some motion sickness from First-Person anything, but I've noticed that whenever I've been really sick with colds or the flu, my hearing becomes really sensitive. It's not like tinnitus, but more as a scratchy, almost burning sensation, in my inner ears from loud and high sounds that I normally wouldn't mind or would listen to for pleasure.

[Raytrace]

I do get some motion sickness from First-Person anything, but I've noticed that whenever I've been really sick with colds or the flu, my hearing becomes really sensitive. It's not like tinnitus, but more as a scratchy, almost burning sensation, in my inner ears from loud and high sounds that I normally wouldn't mind or would listen to for pleasure.

yep I get both these things you speak of - and in general I have to be really careful playing any FPS, sometimes I can literally feel like vomiting from them - I can't watch someone else in an FPS at all - that pretty much instantly makes me nauseuos :/

[BPzeBanshee]

I do get some motion sickness from First-Person anything, but I've noticed that whenever I've been really sick with colds or the flu, my hearing becomes really sensitive. It's not like tinnitus, but more as a scratchy, almost burning sensation, in my inner ears from loud and high sounds that I normally wouldn't mind or would listen to for pleasure.

yep I get both these things you speak of - and in general I have to be really careful playing any FPS, sometimes I can literally feel like vomiting from them - I can't watch someone else in an FPS at all - that pretty much instantly makes me nauseuos :/

I used to get this quite badly with the Quake games particularly, but ones with less angle modification on turning are okay for me. Might be a factor to consider next time you watch one.

[Zaarock]

I had an opposite experience last time I had a cold; it was when the Radiant Silvergun XBLA port came out and I almost 1cc:d the game with a decent score (10.5mil) in a week while having a fever. It felt like I memorized stuff and performed better, was pretty interesting. Slept better and had more time to play because of the cold though.

[linko9]

I often can't play games when I'm sick. Watching TV/movies is fine, but I can't do games especially when I've got a highish fever.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Do you guys who suffer from motion sickness know about FoV? (field of vision) Basically most of the latest console FPS games have narrow FoV so they can max out the graphics, this is fine if youre playing on a TV at some distance, but if youre playing close to the screen or on a PC monitor (or on a massive TV) you could get motion sickness with a narrow FoV. Its also worth noting that many console to PC ports dont have FoV settings on them, which is worse than DRM imo as it makes some ppl physically ill (although it doesnt affect me)

I know its pretty common knowledge in PC gaming circles, but im unsure if console gamers know about it

[louisg]

One good game to play while you're sick is Kirby's Epic Yarn. It's good to vegetate to, very peaceful and relaxing, and so overwhelmingly happy.

[Ex-Cyber]

Its also worth noting that many console to PC ports dont have FoV settings on them, which is worse than DRM

That is an absurd notion.

ABSURD!

DRM is Satan incarnate! What is a little physical discomfort in the face of the Prince of Darkness?

Seriously, though, the two trends sort of go hand-in-hand. The overarching concept of console gaming is to control the experience, for better or worse. That's one of the kernels of truth behind the "PC master race" meme (even if it's largely archaic in a realistic sense). I think there's a genuine conflict of expectations here. PC users generally expect "reasonable defaults, but for fuck's sake let me change them if I want" vs. console users who expect "reasonable defaults, and why the fuck would I tweak them, that's the developer's job"

[burgerkingdiamond]

just had a bone spur removed from my right ankle last Tuesday. So no driving for 2 weeks. Meaning no work for 2 weeks. Meaning Percoset and I'll actually get to finish New Vegas. It's pretty nice

[JBC]

Excessive dose of NyQuil + G-Darius = Fantastic journey through the æther of the universe.

Also works well with some of the stranger and more obscure titles out there like Saint Dragon or X-Multiply. And bullet hell shmups.

NyQuil... does something... for the ability to weave through a massive field of projectiles.

[Raytrace]

Excessive dose of NyQuil + G-Darius = Fantastic journey through the æther of the universe.

Also works well with some of the stranger and more obscure titles out there like Saint Dragon or X-Multiply. And bullet hell shmups.

NyQuil... does something... for the ability to weave through a massive field of projectiles.

if it's Nyquil D tis prob the pseudo-ephedrine...

[tinotormed]

Not so much during my childhood. But what consolidates me during sick day are some certain real-time strategy games (Dungeon Keeper ) and some handheld RPGs. (I had Lufia III so far, almost donw with the game though )

[TrevHead (TVR)]

DRM is Satan incarnate! What is a little physical discomfort in the face of the Prince of Darkness?

OK I was using hyperbole. But if DRM is Satan, FoV is his bastard child poking you in the arse with his fork

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The last time I had surgery, I spent a week playing Dawn of Sorrow while on Vicodin.

It's not really the same, but it was an awesome week. It might have been an awesome game too, I have no clue.

Downing some Vicodin is some powerful stuff indeed. For some folks, it's too calming & puts them to sleep.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Sorry for moving off topic

Seriously, though, the two trends sort of go hand-in-hand. The overarching concept of console gaming is to control the experience, for better or worse. That's one of the kernels of truth behind the "PC master race" meme (even if it's largely archaic in a realistic sense). I think there's a genuine conflict of expectations here. PC users generally expect "reasonable defaults, but for fuck's sake let me change them if I want" vs. console users who expect "reasonable defaults, and why the fuck would I tweak them, that's the developer's job"

My take on the options menu in PC games is that some options can be altered in the graphics card drivers menu, although tweaking for the best resolution to framerate would be a royal pain if I had to repeatly reload the game. Things like FoV, mouse sensitivity, keybinding or even in the case of Mass Effect 3 PC goddamn control pad support are necessary for PC gamers who all have different PCs and monitor / tv set ups so they can play the game properly. Console gamers dont really need these kind of options because they are all playing on the same machine, even though Fov could be argued as been necessary with gamers playing on different small and massive TV set ups nowadays, but that would open a can of worms with regards to framerate issues.

The only options a console gamer needs is std / widescreen TV options, something that even in PC games is hit and miss with 2D PC games not having the correct aspect ratio. Which uptil recently wasnt fully supported in all GFX card driver options menus. God knows how many PC gamers are playing 4:3 2D games stretched to 14:9 because they havnt set up their PCs