Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026
07:24
Using Eye-tracking to Assess the Relative Importance of Visual and Vestibular Input to Subcortical Motion Processing in the Roll Plane
Published on: August 22, 2025
Motion sickness, console video games, and head-mounted displays
Omar Merhi1, Elise Faugloire, Moira Flanagan
1School of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.
Human Factors
|October 6, 2007
Summary
Commercial video games played on head-mounted displays can cause motion sickness. Sickness was more frequent when standing, and head motion instability preceded sickness when seated.
Area of Science:
- Human-computer interaction
- Virtual reality and gaming
- Neuroscience and sensory systems
Background:
- Growing use of head-mounted displays (HMDs) for gaming.
- Anecdotal evidence suggests motion sickness in video game players.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the nauseogenic potential of commercial console video games via HMDs.
- To investigate factors influencing motion sickness during gameplay.
Main Methods:
- Participants played commercial Xbox games using an HMD.
- Posture (standing vs. sitting) and game type were varied.
- Participants self-reported motion sickness symptoms and played for up to 50 minutes.
Main Results:
- Motion sickness occurred in all tested conditions.
- Sickness was more prevalent in the standing posture.
- Significant head motion differences were observed between sick and well participants when seated before symptom onset.
Conclusions:
- Commercial console video games delivered via HMDs can induce motion sickness.
- Instability in seated posture control may precede motion sickness.
- Findings can inform game design and user recommendations for HMD use.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Equilibrium and Balance
The inner ear assumes dual functionalities of auditory perception and equilibrium maintenance. The vestibule is the organ responsible for balance. This organ contains mechanoreceptors, specifically hair cells, endowed with stereocilia, which aid in deciphering information regarding the position and motion of our heads. Two intrinsic components, the utricle and saccule, help perceive head position, while the semicircular canals track head movement. Neurological messages initiated in the...
01:29The Vestibular System
The vestibular system is a set of inner ear structures that provide a sense of balance and spatial orientation. This system is comprised of structures within the labyrinth of the inner ear, including the cochlea and two otolith organs—the utricle and saccule. The labyrinth also contains three semicircular canals—superior, posterior, and horizontal—that are oriented on different planes.