Motion sickness and postural sway in console video games.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
We tested the hypotheses that (a) participants might develop motion sickness while playing "off-the-shelf" console video games and (b) postural motion would differ between sick and well participants, prior to the onset of motion sickness.

BACKGROUND:
There have been many anecdotal reports of motion sickness among people who play console video games (e.g., Xbox, PlayStation).

METHOD:
Participants (40 undergraduate students) played a game continuously for up to 50 min while standing or sitting. We varied the distance to the display screen (and, consequently, the visual angle of the display).

RESULTS:
Across conditions, the incidence of motion sickness ranged from 42% to 56%; incidence did not differ across conditions. During game play, head and torso motion differed between sick and well participants prior to the onset of subjective symptoms of motion sickness.

CONCLUSION:
The results indicate that console video games carry a significant risk of motion sickness.

APPLICATION:
Potential applications of this research include changes in the design of console video games and recommendations for how such systems should be used.

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Author information

Author/s: Stoffregen, Thomas A (TA); Faugloire, Elise (E); Yoshida, Ken (K); Flanagan, Moira B (MB); Merhi, Omar (O);

Affiliation: School of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA. tas(-atsign-)umn.edu

Grants: R01 DC005387-01A2 (Agency:United States NIDCD)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Human factors (Hum Factors), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Apr; vol 50 (issue 2) : pp 322-31

Dates: Created 2008/06/03; Completed 2008/06/27;

PMID: 18516842, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Data Interpretation, Statistical
Female
Humans
Incidence
Male
Motion Sickness - epidemiology; etiology

Motion Sickness - epidemiology; etiology
Movement
Musculoskeletal Equilibrium
Posture
Risk Factors
Time Factors
Video Games

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