Arcen Games

General Category => Bionic Dues => : Aquohn September 12, 2013, 03:34:13 PM

: Visual design health effects?
: Aquohn September 12, 2013, 03:34:13 PM
OK, this is gonna be a little weird, but...um...when I play BD for an extended period of time, after I look away, for some reason, my right eye doesn't seem to work, as in there'll just be a black patch there. And I get a splitting headache. I think this is caused by the fact that the left side of the screen, with the icons, is permenantly lit and colourful, whereas the right side is generally dark. I don't know if this affects people in general, or if it's just me, but if it does...I don't know, might be something to look into. So does this happen to anybody else?
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: x4000 September 12, 2013, 03:39:01 PM
Goodness!  I've not heard of that sort of thing before.  I mean, if you want some sort of bright line on the white, I can certainly give it to you if you think that might help.  As an option to help with folks with a sensitivity to this sort of thing, you know.
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: Misery September 12, 2013, 08:30:59 PM
Er.  This may be the sort of thing to see a doctor about, just in case.  What it SOUNDS like is one eye getting used to alot of light (from the left) and the other one getting used to alot of dark (from the right), and having both happen at once is.... kinda unpleasant.   I've had that one happen if I get a bit of water/soap in one eye when showering, and I'll then just keep that eye closed the rest of the time and then afterwards I open it and the stupid begins.

Really though, if something like this keeps bugging you, see a doc about it.  Certainly cant hurt!

Also.... take breaks.  I know how it is with gaming in general, but alot of gamers dont take breaks nearly as often as they should. 


That all being said, hmm.... I've not had any issues with brightness and such with this game.  The whole screen seems fine to me?  I've not noticed any part of it really being darker/lighter than any other part.   Certain background types seem dark-ish, but.... never to the point of being a problem.
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: Aquohn September 12, 2013, 08:42:49 PM
Right, thanks! Going to see a doc now; for some reason I still get splitting headaches whenever I move my head (it's been nearly 12 hours since I last played now...).
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: x4000 September 12, 2013, 09:06:46 PM
Oh my goodness -- I hope it turns out well!
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: keith.lamothe September 12, 2013, 09:39:43 PM
Ouch, yea, definitely see a doctor.  Migraines and other such can develop mid-life, and video games (and certain types of video game presentations) can be triggers.  My wife became migraine susceptible a few years ago, largely due to a serious allergic reaction (btw, are you around any large allergen sources?  Rodent infestations, molding basement, etc), and has to be very careful about video games.
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: x4000 September 12, 2013, 09:52:32 PM
And like I said, if you find yourself over-sensitive to having something bright on one side but not the other, I can put a settings option in there to even it out.  There's no reason our game has to be a particular trigger for you.

That said, it sounds like it could have been a confluence of events, but I'm no doctor.  I hope the news is good.
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: Aquohn September 12, 2013, 10:17:29 PM
Thanks, guys - doctor said it was a migraine, but he didn't go into much detail about what could have caused it, aside from mentioning that the game graphics were a potential trigger (he recommended finishing the game quickly, though XD).

As for other triggers...well, there are a lot of dusty old documents lying around the room I'm in, but they've always been there, and I've never had a migraine because of anything. So, yeah, I think a settings option would be good, to balance out the screen brightness. Thanks!
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: keith.lamothe September 12, 2013, 11:05:23 PM
Allergies can start after years of exposure to something.  Indeed some allergies really only start that way, as in the case of the one that lead to my wife having migraines.

But there can be a ton of things that lead to migraines.

In general to avoid light-based triggers you may find the following helpful (or not, as you may have a very different situation than other people) :

1) If you're going to be looking at something bright, try to have good ambient lighting.  Looking at a bright monitor in a dark room would probably not be a great idea.

2) You may find that bright lights per se are not a problem, but that rapid variations in lighting (strobing, flickering, etc) are.  Emergency lights on police/ambulance/etc vehicles can be particularly problematic, as can lightning flashes.

3) Take breaks :)  Playing for hours on end may be tempting, but ultimately detrimental.

In my wife's case it got really bad partly because she didn't want to adjust her lifestyle to deal with the new risk factors, and couldn't game for months.  It was kind of sad, given what I do for a living.  If it gets bad it can be hard to get it un-bad, you could say.  Once she started being careful to avoid stuff like that she got back to being able to game occasionally, and longer for games that were less trigger-ish (no around-the-screen glows, lightning, etc).  Once we got away from the source of the main allergies she's gotten to the point where she can basically play according to her old habits (just avoiding the really flashy games).


Anyway, all the above is based off of a very very small statistical sample, you could say, but perhaps it will help :)
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: Misery September 13, 2013, 02:27:39 AM
Well, it's good that it wasnt something serious.  At least for something like what you have, there's various medications and such available.  Be careful though about pain meds if you end up taking some, as some of them can be very strong. 

Though, it's good to take breaks even if you arent having one.  Eye strain and general aches and pains, ya dont want those either if you can avoid it.   
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: Tridus September 13, 2013, 07:24:46 AM
I used to get really bad headaches for no reason.

Turned out it was because I was grinding my teeth really badly at night, and the dentist was able to give me something for that which totally eliminated the problem.

Go figure. :)
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: x4000 September 13, 2013, 10:23:30 AM
I get really bad headaches from dehydration -- not drinking enough is something I really have to work hard against.  I don't get naturally thirsty, or at least when I do I don't really notice/care.  So it's easy for me to get seriously dehydrated; they had to pump me full of IV saline last summer at one point, and even that I STILL was not fully hydrated.  I'm a lot better about it now, but even when I'm taking pretty good care, if I drop a little bit then a headache comes in until I swill another 20oz gatorade or water.

Anyway, hopefully this helps in your case:

* Added a new "Show Robot Forces Window In Missions" option in the Extras tab:
** With this on, you'll see the city map's right-hand window even during missions.  Normally this is not something you'd want to do, as this blocks some of your screen real estate.  But particularly if you have a condition where your eyes need (relatively) equal amounts of light coming into them at once, this helps to balance out the amount of light hitting each eye during missions.
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: Aquohn September 13, 2013, 06:07:29 PM
* Added a new "Show Robot Forces Window In Missions" option in the Extras tab:
** With this on, you'll see the city map's right-hand window even during missions.  Normally this is not something you'd want to do, as this blocks some of your screen real estate.  But particularly if you have a condition where your eyes need (relatively) equal amounts of light coming into them at once, this helps to balance out the amount of light hitting each eye during missions.

Alright; thanks a bunch!
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: x4000 September 13, 2013, 06:16:10 PM
You bet!
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: Aquohn September 14, 2013, 07:05:54 AM
Alright, works like a charm!

Well, actually, I don't know for sure; the first time around, I played for a couple of hours, but I'm not exactly willing to use myself as a guinea pig to find out if this is fixed in the long term. But right now I can play single missions comfortably, so I think that's a mission accomplished ;)
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: x4000 September 14, 2013, 08:22:08 AM
Excellent!
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: keith.lamothe September 14, 2013, 12:01:17 PM
Alright, works like a charm!

Well, actually, I don't know for sure; the first time around, I played for a couple of hours, but I'm not exactly willing to use myself as a guinea pig to find out if this is fixed in the long term. But right now I can play single missions comfortably, so I think that's a mission accomplished ;)
Awesome :)

Be careful, and pace yourself, etc.  Migraines are often a very manageable condition, you just have to pay close attention to not triggering your triggers.  There are also meds that are good for shutting down a migraine that's starting up (when combined with removing the trigger sources, at least), but different ones work for different people.  In any event, keep that dialogue open with your doctor.
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: Aquohn September 14, 2013, 06:55:16 PM
Be careful, and pace yourself, etc.  Migraines are often a very manageable condition, you just have to pay close attention to not triggering your triggers.  There are also meds that are good for shutting down a migraine that's starting up (when combined with removing the trigger sources, at least), but different ones work for different people.  In any event, keep that dialogue open with your doctor.

Will do, thanks guys :)
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: Pepisolo September 14, 2013, 07:09:20 PM
Bit of a longshot (hey don't even know if you wear glasses), but my brother used to get headaches when using the computer. Turns out his glasses were too strong for him. He switched to a weaker pair and the headaches stopped.
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: x4000 September 14, 2013, 07:36:48 PM
I used to get that wearing contacts when it was later at night and my eyes were dry.  I now wear glasses all the time, and with an anti-glare coating, and no problems of the sort since.  Though it was not migraines for me with it at the time, just headaches.
: Re: Visual design health effects?
: Pepisolo September 14, 2013, 07:58:51 PM
Yeah, same with my bro. Not full blown migraines, but pretty bad headaches. It's pretty important to get a pair of glasses/contacts that you feel comfortable in, I think. It's quite easy to just wear whatever your given by your optometrist and try to get used to it, but sometimes you need to change or get a second opinion I think. I had one pair before and the world was swimming in front of my eyes... not good. Definitely needed a change then.