Mental and physical effects of gaming

I've been on hiatus from computer games for a few months. Instead, I've been working on my physical and mental well-being -- cycling, stretching, gym, meditation, reading good books, that sort of thing. It's been working, too -- I'm now fitter than I have been in maybe fifteen years, in most ways, and in definitely better mental shape than, like, ever.

I had been feeling especially good today.

Today afternoon, I spun up Crysis, and started playing. But after finishing the session, I discovered that I have a mild headache, I'm irritated, I have a crick in my neck, and my mind feels like a military academy. Even the persistent knee pain that had been on its way out was suddenly back. And I wasn't even losing.

The "before" and "after" contrast is so striking that I can't help but ascribe it to the Crysis session. I ain't gonna put up with this; if gaming really makes me feel like crap, I'm going to have to give it up.

However, I wouldn't like that, since gaming has been such a big part of my life since... well, a long time, and I get pretty big kicks out of it too.

Anyone else here had similar experiences? What did you do? Go cold turkey? Limit your session length somehow? If so, how, and to what length? Is there some particular type of game that screws with your head more that you have to avoid? FPS's? RTS? (gasp!) cRPG? Do you intentionally avoid some genre for reasons of well-being?

When I get like that I just stop playing. Usually happened during crunch time at school or during particularly hard semesters. I've gone a few months without touching so much as Solitaire, but I don't have an addictive personality so I'm readily able to 'give up' things if necessary.

Fighting games make me angry. I am horrible at them and always lose, so I tend to just get frustrated and want to punch whoever I play them with. FPS, RTS, and cRPGs relax me and generally send me into a good mood.

Oh, I avoid any NIS game like Disgaea. They break my head and make me want to blow up the sun because no game in existence should have a level cap of 9999.

Prime Junta said:

if gaming really makes me feel like crap, I'm going to have to give it up.

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Obviously, but for now I'd say that there is no need to generalize yet. One game does not equal gaming. There were a few games that literally made me (motion) sick after 10-20 minutes of playing so that I had to go out and get some fresh air -- and quickly uninstall them. A few first person 3D games were the culprit (but not all of them), including one off road racing game that I forgot the name of. Other games might have a similar effect, even if not as pronounced. Who knows.

Still, if I had to name one genre that screws with my head and body the most, it'd be mindless FPS games. Come to think of it, I haven't played any in a long while. They can be quite exhausting because they require constant concentration and good reflexes. The mind needs to be able to rest sometimes.

As for limiting one's gaming time ... personally, I don't hard code mine like "one hour of gaming, no more". That can be like being woken up by an alarm clock right when you're having a wonderful dream and would make me feel just as grumpy. What works for me is "soft coded" limits, like "one more level" and stick with it, but only when there was a decline in quality of some form (as in your case, maybe even physically?). If I'm having fun and I have the time and all is well, I'm sure going to keep playing. However, as soon as I notice that I'm not enjoying a game as much anymore as 10 minutes ago, or when my mind starts wandering off to something else, it's a good time to stop the session. No need to drag it out right then and there when it might get worse.

If your health and well-being is of such great concern while gaming is also still important, maybe you could try to detect the symptoms earlier and act on them sooner?

Sounds like what happens to me if I go too long *without* gaming.

Seriously though, I think Arhu has the right idea. Try a different game tomorrow (not a FPS), and see what kind of experience you have.

Exactly. Maybe it's the specific game, or just your eyes and body readjusting to the job at hand, or maybe it's your new graphics card rendering everything differently.

I can't play FPS at all--a very nasty motion sickness seems to set in within twenty minutes of being a disembodied eyeball looking at the world from behind a gun while dodging and dipping around corners, so I don't play them. Also games that are hard on my eyes, small or gloppy fonts, etc--as I've griped many times before. I hate it, because it keeps me from playing things like Dwarf Fortress, but being sick, as you note, Prime J, takes the fun out of the experience.

I also get carsick when I read in a moving car, so I don't do that either--but I still read, and I still ride in cars, just not simultaneously. Hopefully this is something similar, where you can figure out what's causing the physical distress and weed it out.

Thanks for the thoughts, folks. I think it may partly be due to the fact that it's Crysis -- it's a pretty tense, adrenalined-out game, and pretty monotonous in terms of pacing; you're basically going from one encounter to another, with few changes of pace. That might be what's getting to me. We'll see.

What about doing both of them? Working out, reading books and gaming. You can do them all. Be fit and healthy and game. Of course not in the same quantities as before. I've recently started doing that and I find that I have more energy to do everything I need. So 1h - 1h & 30 mins of working out daily can do wonders. You'll be able to do more than without it. And no gyms imo. Gyms are a waste of time & money. I'd spend 30 minutes going to it, and another 30 getting back. In that time I can actually workout in my "home-gym" and not waste time.

That wasn't the point, really. The point is that I discovered that my gaming session negatively affected my sense of well-being, which is something I don't want, not that it displaces some other activity that's good for me.

(I like my gym, though -- it's a three-minute walk away and while I certainly can work out at home as well, I can't do it as effectively or intensively, nor with as much variety. Plus I enjoy it at least as much as... gaming, for example.)

Edit: Out of curiosity, danutz++, how do you work out at home?

Prime Junta said:

Edit: Out of curiosity, danutz++, how do you work out at home?

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Well I've got a weekly schedule for different parts of my body. Every day I work out a different part. I start with chest, back, abdomen, biceps, triceps, deltoids for my upper-body and then I go down to my lower-body with quadriceps, calves, etc. For all of this I usually use weights or sometimes my body-weight is good enough. This goes on all week except for sunday which is always off. With regards to weights I only have 4 dumbbells. 2 of 8.5 kgs and 2 of 5 kgs. Not very much variety but it gets the job done. Plus they're customizable, so I can add/take off metal plates if I need to.

Along with weight training I do cardio-vascular/plyometrics training. Jogging/Sprinting/Jumping/etc. It's usually 2 days of this, and the third is off, and then repeat.

As for a list of actual exercises, everything from different styles of push-ups, pull-ups (though I'm not very good at these), curls, lifts, crunches, squats, etc etc. There's plenty of ways to do all of these so it keeps things fresh.

Don't know if you've looked at it at all but it might be worth checking your home computer setup is ergonomically sound, that you're sitting properly, monitor and keyboard at good heights and so on.

@dpp: that sounds like a very good program. My main obstacle to doing something like that at home is that I don't have a bench, nor anywhere to put one, and doing weights only standing or sitting on a chair limits the movements a quite a lot.

What I also like about the gym is that I can alternate between different ways of doing the same thing -- dumbbells, bar weights, pulley, occasionally even those machines that look like torture devices. It's also nice to have a wide range of weights to choose from; that makes it easier to learn new movements (to start with with lighter weights), or to push the envelope a bit when I feel like it. Plus there's a sauna.

V7 said:

Don't know if you've looked at it at all but it might be worth checking your home computer setup is ergonomically sound, that you're sitting properly, monitor and keyboard at good heights and so on.

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Yup, there's no problem with that. I can stay for quite long periods at it e.g. writing or editing photos or surfing the Net, so while it may not be ideal, it's not so bad I can put the blame on it.

I have been considering swapping my chair for one of the ones that pretty much force you to sit up.

I always found those chairs torture but then my setup probably isn't ideal either.

I used to have one. The thing is that you need to train yourself to sit up straight. The chair at work tilts forward enough that I can do that on it; my home one doesn't. Once you have gotten used to sitting up straight, it's very comfortable; anatomically it's the best way to sit. But before you're used to it, it does stress your back muscles in new ways, which is unpleasant.

Any FPS with headbob makes me ill. The first thing I look for is how to disable the headbob.

I usually avoid RTS like the plague. Things quickly get the visible signs of obsession when
I sink too much time on them (which invariably happens) and I start going "just one
more map... really only one !". Headaches and irritation are only natural when spending
time set aside for rest, in front of the PC, sometimes foregoing necessary work or more
constructive activities...

I actually fell to the trap twice recently both with PvZ and being reminded, again in these
Forums ( ), that I never really got around to playing Starcraft...

On the other hand it was the only gaming I got done since the Witcher came out (in
addition to sinking another 70 hours to G3) and never putting aside my everyday
exercise (I also work out at home but it is a simple schedule designed to help me with
the effects of a lower back injury I had a couple of years back). So its Ok I guess

Okay, I did a little experiment -- clearly Crysis at least doesn't agree with me. I just did a fairly short (45-minute) session, and it had the same effect on me as the longer one yesterday. I don't think it's anything physical; it's the gameplay itself that messes with my head.

There isn't anything else on my table that I feel like playing right now, so further experiments will have to wait -- but clearly, Crysis is out. Luckily I never liked it all that much to start with, so it's no huge loss.

Uninstalling now, and getting rid of the disk itself tomorrow -- taking it to the office where I can't play it, until I find someone who wants it.

If you like Battle For Wesnoth, I don't mind playing that with anyone here....
I don't think it'll give you these kinds of problems either, being a fairly static (as in 2D map) game...

You need training, control and patience. Train yourself to eat at least one pizza and drink at least 1,5 litre of cola each day. You might want to get some good caffeine pills for good measure. Also try to sleep less, 5-6 hours a night max. Try to focus on staying awake while the sun is down, and sleep while it's up (who ever claimed you shall expose yourself to a great ball of fire is a lunatic). Get a good chair that keeps your back up even when you are tired. I also suggest paying another $4000 on your computer. And when you drink beer in front of the computer, remember to drink it really cold. You should also practice these phrases;
"They do not make games like they used to."
"This framerate is killing me."
"Reboot first, if that fails, try to update your drivers."

If all that fails, you are ready to buy a console.

Hey, that sounds like great advice! Can you spot me $4k?