Motion Sickness in Gaming: An Often-Overlooked Accessibility Issue
Up to one-third of gamers experience motion sickness, significantly impacting their gaming experience. This article explores the causes of motion sickness—a mismatch between visually perceived movement and the vestibular system's perception of movement—and common triggers in games, such as field of view, screen shake, motion blur, etc. The article argues that game developers should provide more accessibility options, such as FOV sliders, FPS targets, and the ability to turn off motion bobbing, to improve game accessibility. Using personal experiences and Minecraft's accessibility settings as examples, the author emphasizes the importance of considering accessibility from the initial stages of game development. The article also points out that the misuse of accessibility options by some players highlights not a problem with the options themselves, but rather flaws in game design.