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Tips On How To Avoid 'Xbox Vision', 'Nintendonitis', And Other Gaming-Related Discomforts |
Listed in: Wii, PS3, PSP, MMORPG, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360 Tags:
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We were watching a rerun of Hollywood Squares (only because the guest celebrities were former child stars-turned-media curiosities: Leif Garret, Danny Bonaducci, Todd Bridges, Erin Moran, and so on)with David Spade on the center square. Anyway the host, Tom Bergeron, had a question for David. Something like a "recent study showed children who played too much video game grow up having poorly developed hand and arm muscles to do what?" David Spade being David Spade made the usual double entendre smart ass jokes eliciting obligatory snickers from the celebrity curiosities around him. (Spade after all hired them as extras in his movie Dicky Roberts: Former Child Star). To make a long introduction short (or is it too late for that?) the answer was... “kids who played too much video games grow up with poorly developed muscles necessary for handwriting.” Not exactly Jack Thompson material, but it got us thinking. Everybody's been too busy debating the effects of sexy and violent video games on our brains, we forgot too much gameplay time affects our bodies, too. How much is too much? We couldn't find an exact figure but experts say between 20 to 40 hours gameplay a week (about 3 to 6 hours a day) is probably overdoing it. Sounds like you? The price for too much fun can be potentially devastating. Find out how you can keep the doctor away.
“Xbox Vision”Staring at the PC monitor or TV screen for hours can cause blurred vision, eye irritation, dry eyes, pain in the eyes (or surrounding muscles), excessive blinking, squinting, difficulty focusing and increased sensitivity to light. The stress on your visual system doesn't stay on your balls (eyeballs, we mean). It causes headache, body fatigue, reduced efficiency at work (or school) and, don't look now, possible increased risk for glaucoma.
The cure for “Xbox Eyes” is simple. Cut down on your gameplay hours (but you already knew that). If you can't take your eyes off your favorite game even if it blinded you, you can reduce (not totally eliminate) the strain by using anti-glare screens. You can also wear computer glasses with stress-relieving lenses. When playing, sit directly facing the screen, not at an angle, to stimulate both eyes equally. Sit 6 to 10 feet away from the TV screen. Take your eyes off the screen every 15-20 minutes and focus on other objects around you.
"Nintendenitis" Too much use of hand-held controllers and joysticks can cause repetitive-motion hand and arm injuries. When you start experiencing swollen muscles and tendons, it's time to cut back. They may not bother you that much now but they could lead to more serious conditions like tendonitis, bursitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Your PSP or Nintendo DS are not exactly healthy alternatives to your Xbox, Xbox 360 and PS because these consoles involve intense gripping, repetitive punching motions on small buttons and sharp wrist movements.
Experts suggest a brief warm up period before you turn on your consoles. During game play practice good posture and use chairs that provide solid back support and allow the feet to rest comfortably on the floor. When using hand-held systems, put pillows on your lap to support your arms. This also helps keep your head in a more upright position reducing neck strain.You can protect yourself against injury by taking breaks every 30 minutes or every hour. Don't confuse this with your bathroom or snack break. You're supposed to perform the following finger, hand and arm stretching exercises (for at least 10 seconds each):
- Place your hand just above the back of the elbow and gently pull your elbow across your chest toward the opposite shoulder. Do this for both arms.
- Raise one arm overhead and bend your elbow behind your head. Place your other hand on the bent elbow and gently push the elbow down. Do this for both arms.
- Extend an arm in front of you, elbow completely straight, your palm facing down. Use your other hand to bend that hand down. Do this for both hands.
- Open up your hands and spread your fingers are far as possible.
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Comments
Although once i was on a Counter-Strike binge, i played over 200 hours in less than a month. And I developed a calice on my wrist where it would drag on the mousepad/table.
Honestly, this is stupid, gaming is safer than 90% of other things you could be doing.
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Also, after I got CS:S I would say my gaming hours increased. It would look like I tried to slice my own wrist because how I had my wrist on the edge of the desk, and at the time it was a wood desk and the edges were all sharp. I would sit there for over an hour without worrying about it, but after long sessions I found a solution to fix it. I just simply slid my mouse pad off the desk some so it covered the corner, this way it cushoned the sharp part of the edge where I layed my wrist on.
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you can play alot of games and still be healthy and fit. there has to be limits, 8 hours straight is obviously going to hurt your eyes, if your willing to take that risk then go for it, basicly every 2 hours or so go do something else for 15 minutes away from your computer and you'l never have a problem.
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And the guy above me is such a nintendo fanboy...get a life.
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you get the feeling hes never played another video games
console without the name nintendo on it.
ive been playing video games since 4 years old, and i am playing video games for around 4 hours a day on average.
the only effect i have is a lazy eye (one eye loses focus eventually) and that was at a very young age.
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if you were exausted after a long day of whatever though, i can see how that would be a bad thing.
now that i think about it i do spend way too much time in front of my computer monitor. i havent been playing a lot of games lately though, and i dont sit close to anything but my monitor unless im gaming on my tv, which i'll usually put a chair 3-4 feet in front of.
kthx
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A controller with all the ergonomics of a combine harvester and a 14" tv so far from flatscreen it was later used as a fishbowl.
Happy days.
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I didn't start having problems with my vision until I bought the PSP, I don't know about DS Lite, and I could care less about it, it probably causes the same problem (not really a "healthy alternative", give me a break).
Anyways, Wear some kind of eye protection when playing PSP extensivley, I started freaking out when my vision became blurry and I couldn't see the map correctly in GTA liberty city, and also had trouble reading Manga for some reason.
Other than that, I'd say the PSP is entirely at fault, Even when holding it at an extreme distance the blur continued and did not halt until I discontinued playing.
My laptop, TV, PDA, and Phone do not give me these problems at all, so by process of elimination, Sony should be Sued, this could end up being another Pokemon situation, where instead of Japanese kids having seizures, it will be people worldwide losing their eye-sight.
And actually my eyes did not start becoming blurry until playing Grand Theft Auto, I played Metal Gear Acid, Megaman X, and Wipeout with no problems....
Something seems fishy...
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