I have realized over the course of time and a lot of gaming that all my years of playing videos has actually begun to affect me physically. No I am not becoming retarded or blind, but instead I think I am developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in my hands, specifically my left hand. This is probably due to the years of playing on a PC with my fingers precariously hovering over the WASD keys to circle and strafe in Quake and move around in Starcraft.
I noticed now that if I play with my PSP or DS for more than thirty minutes my hand begins to feel uncomfortable and if I play Guitar Hero or Rock Band for too long it is even worse. I would have never thought that gaming and using a PC would mess me up, but here I am. Carpal Tunnel stinks, it makes your hand numb and you feel pain that is just not fun. It probably does not help that I spend almost all day on a PC typing and doing things like writing articles.
Unfortunately this is a cumulative problem that will get worse with time so it is time to invest in a new keyboard for home gaming. I wonder if major gaming manufacturers will be developing more ergonomic (user friendly) gaming pads that could help with these types of problems. The PS3 controller is a bit flimsy in my hands and the Wiimote stinks to high heaven since it is made for those people with tiny hands I assume.
Ironically the XBox 360 controller is the most comfortable for me since it has a bit more size to it, but is considerably heavier. Hours of playing World of Warcraft are getting to be a pain, literally! I will be on the hunt for a comfy mouse and keyboard and will probably switch using my mouse to my left hand to give my right hand a break.
Have you ever gotten a gaming related injury of any kind? Write us and let us know.
4 Comments
Write a Comment»i’ve got a mild case of carpal tunnel syndrome myself but it’s more from being on the computer all day at work. i’ve seen the physical therapist for it and i apply ice to the bottom of my wrist and hand where i get the pain. (should be done every night but i don’t always have the time.) there are also some stretches you can do and some ibuprofen helps when it gets bad. i’m also trying to teach myself how to use the mouse with my left hand.
My hand would really cramp up when I played Step Mania for a long times, since my hand is big and the arrow keys are close to each other. As for handheld I too need a break from time to time when playing for a while. I don’t think I got Carpal Tunnel Syndrome but my hands do hurt sometimes.
I’m in my 60s (just) and been there since day one. Bought first Atari 2600 when they hit (1979 I think), followed by Atari 800 PC then Mattel Intellivision - Colecovision - Vextrex (great console) and so on and so on. On the journey to today only ones I never bought were PS One and PS 2. Now have a PS3 a Media Centre, a PSP, iTouch, DS and an iMac. And Yes I do find, my thumbs especially, get quite crampy after an hour of playing. Worst part of it all is your response times get worse as you get older. So going from Insane level, then Hard, then Normal and finally down to Easy is the worst part. Though I guess if you are still enjoying it (which I am) that’s all that matters.
The PSP and DS give me carpel tunnel, because the damn things are too small for my hands. Guitar Hero/Rock Band just put a strain on my eyes after an hour or two of playing.