Originally Posted by
Vianae
I've had this for quite a while, and there are many great games I simply can't go back and play because they make my head spin (Half-Life 1 for instance). The older the game, the more of a problem I seem to have, though even new games can give me headaches if I'm not careful. If I'm tired and kind of worn out from the day, I find that I am much more prone to the motion sickness.
I've had a bunch of different groups tell me many different things, but the one I heard that made the most sense was this: The motion sickness happens because your eyes tell your brain you're moving, but your inner ear and other areas for sensing balance/motion tell your brain that you're not moving. The more bobbing or jerky movements the game has, the more out-of-sync the on-screen motion and your real motion (none!) are, and the sicker it can make you. Things like turning on aiming reticules so you can focus on that is supposed to help, as well as playing when you're not exhausted.
For me, I've just learned that I have to either take the game a lot slower than most people would, or I have to get up every 30-45 minutes and take a break and walk around the house or do something else to get away from the screen. I don't know why older graphics give me more motion sickness than the new games do, and I wish I could play the original Deus Ex, but that's just how it works for me.