In the early days of console gaming, about 25% (maybe more) of games made me nauseous, dizzy or gave me headaches to the point where I couldn’t play them. A prime example was Deus Ex: Invisible War. I enjoyed the game and wanted to continue playing it. But I couldn’t play for more than 15 minutes without becoming dizzy and nauseous. Ultimately, I had to abandon the game.

[Nov 8, 2008 Update: In an attempt to isolate exactly what the ‘X-Factor is that makes me dizzy/nauseous, I updated this post to add a list of games that have made me nauseous.]

In the current (Xbox 360/PS3) console generation, the percentage of games that are unplayable due to nausea, headaches or dizziness has dropped dramatically to, perhaps, 5 to 10%. For example, I couldn’t play the otherwise enjoyable Laura Croft: Tomb Raider Legend for more than 15 minutes without feeling ill.

Below, I identify three factors that cause me dizziness, headaches and nausea when playing video games.  I’d be interested in your thoughts – especially with respect to what might be behind the X-Factor discussed below.

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