On why simulator sickness happens, most of this slashdot discussion has been focused on the sensory conflict theory. Joseph J. LaViola Jr. has an interesting paper on the subject. He states in his paper "A Discussion of Cybersickness in Virtual Environments" that there are three theories of what causes motion sickness: sensory conflict theory, the poison theory and the postural instability theory.
Some other interesting points he makes:
Women are more susceptible to cybersickness than men.
Age plays a factor. We are most susceptible as children, and as we approach 50 years old or later, cybersickness is almost nonexistent.
Posture has an effect: Simulations in which you are standing, you get sick more often then if you were sitting.
My personal opinion many video gamer are not sitting in the proper position in front of the monitor for which the video game is rendering. I think this "Off-Axis" viewing may contribute to motion sickness. To make sure that people view the image from the correct viewing angle and distance, there could be an options section of the video game where you calibrate your sitting position. If nothing else, just put a paragraph in the instruction manual.
Slashdot Mirror
On why simulator sickness happens, most of this slashdot discussion has been focused on the sensory conflict theory. Joseph J. LaViola Jr. has an interesting paper on the subject. He states in his paper "A Discussion of Cybersickness in Virtual Environments" that there are three theories of what causes motion sickness: sensory conflict theory, the poison theory and the postural instability theory.
Some other interesting points he makes:
Women are more susceptible to cybersickness than men.
Age plays a factor. We are most susceptible as children, and as we approach 50 years old or later, cybersickness is almost nonexistent.
Posture has an effect: Simulations in which you are standing, you get sick more often then if you were sitting.
My personal opinion many video gamer are not sitting in the proper position in front of the monitor for which the video game is rendering. I think this "Off-Axis" viewing may contribute to motion sickness. To make sure that people view the image from the correct viewing angle and distance, there could be an options section of the video game where you calibrate your sitting position. If nothing else, just put a paragraph in the instruction manual.