Many people suffer from motion sickness while playing video games. It’s a taboo subject among gamers, as you might not be considered hardcore if you can’t play certain things. But getting motion sickness from playing games is not something to ignore. It causes headaches, dizziness, nausea, heavy sweating, and excessive saliva production. Here’s what you need to know about the condition and what you can do to prevent it.

Video game-induced motion sickness is sometimes called simulator sickness (it was first identified using flight simulators). It is caused when there is a discrepancy between what your eyes see and what your body feels. The same experience can occur when you think you are moving when you are not. For example, if you are sitting in a parked car and the car next to you starts to back up, you may think you are moving when you are not, and it can cause a sick feeling in your stomach.

The most common theory about why you get sick is that your body thinks you've been poisoned and you hallucinate the movement you see but don't feel. This makes you feel nauseous and – if you don't stop playing immediately – you throw up to flush the toxins from your body.

Not all games cause motion sickness, but some games do. Some games have a low field of view that makes you feel like you’re falling or too low to the ground. But in most cases it comes down to camera movement and having something to focus your eyes on.