On April 25, 1997, Sony revolutionized how we game when the first dual analog stick controller was released – the DualShock PlayStation controller. Other gaming systems soon followed suit and left and right analog controllers became the norm in the gaming world. For most games, the functions of each stick is pretty simple. The left stick controls movement of the playable character and the right controls camera movement around that character.
And I HATE that stupid right one.
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For as long as I can remember, I have actively avoided using the right analog stick when playing anything. To me, it always felt like it was a lot of extra work when playing an already difficult game. So you’re telling me I have to now try to uppercut someone into oblivion, while simultaneously activating my special then going into a block and THEN I have to worry about moving the camera, too?! I only have so many fingers!
Typically, I try to play games where usage of the right analog stick is not integral to gameplay. Shoutout to Animal Crossing and the original Sonic the Hedgehog! But, it does make playing complex shooting and open world action adventure games very difficult. Needing to vigorously whip the camera around to fight multiple hardened enemies or to zero in on a moving target is not my forte. Give me a rolling screen, however, and we are good to go.
I’ve been playing this way for so long that I realized I didn’t even remember why I started playing like this. I had come to think it was just a preference. But, the more I started thinking about it, I was reminded of the queasy feeling I would get in the pit of my stomach when attempting to shoot enemies in Halo or the headaches I would get when I tried to pick up gems with Spryo. Turns out the right analog stick had been making me sick, figuratively and literally, all along.
Motion sickness while playing video games, especially in first-person perspective, is actually quite common and doctors refer to it as “simulator sickness”. The term was coined because it was first discovered in pilots who were training with flight simulators. When you're playing a game, you’re typically sitting still. However, your brain is sensing movement from the immersion of the game. This mismatch of signals from your brain to your inner ear and other muscles is what is believed to cause motion sickness. Common symptoms associated with include headaches, nausea, disorientation and lethargy. None of which make for a pleasant gaming experience.
There is not necessarily a cure for motion sickness. The best remedies include sitting further back from the screen, taking frequent breaks, limiting game play or, in my case, not using that pesky little right analog stick.
With new innovations popping up every day in the wide world of gaming, maybe one day motion sickness while playing will be a thing of the past. Until then, I will continue to blame you, you little stick, you.
NEXT: Please Add More Motion Sickness Settings To Your Games
