Video games offer a wonderful escape from the real world, and are a great way to have fun and relax. There’s no doubting the benefits of playing video games. However, video game Injuries, if suffered, take the enjoyment out of gaming.

While your characters will often die or be badly injured, it’s also possible for gamers themselves to suffer an injury while gaming. Some are more severe than others and common video game injuries include Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and neck pain.

In this article, we list a number of video game injuries and explain how to avoid them.

1. Computer Vision Syndrome

Computer vision syndrome isn’t specific to video games, but rather any extended periods of time spent looking at a screen close-up. However, since many games have that addicting “just one more turn” feeling, it’s likely that you will experience this: around 90 percent of people who spend more than three hours at a screen will.

It’s a condition caused by looking at a screen for so long without letting your eyes relax. Focusing on something nearby for so long puts tension on your eyes. You might notice dry or irritated eyes, blurred vision, headaches, and more as a result.

The best solution is to not play games for hours on end. You should also consciously blink if you feel your eyes getting tired and employ the 20-20-20 rule. This means that every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet (6.1 meters) away for 20 seconds. This allows the eyes to relax.

2. Neck and Back Pain

Sitting is a major killer and you won’t help the situation by slouching in your chair or couch. Sitting increases the pressure on your lower back at the best of times—if your posture is poor, that pressure is greater.

This increased pressure will wear down the bones and joints. You’ll feel the pain all over your body, but primarily in the back and neck.

Ideally, you should do some exercise every day to keep your body fit. If this isn’t possible, at the very least take a break every half hour or so to get up and walk around. It will stop your body seizing up.

While gaming, ensure your posture is correct. Sit up straight, keep the TV or monitor at eye level, arms at 90 degrees, with your feet flat on the floor. You should also invest in a supportive chair if you can afford one.

3. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is when the bones and ligaments in the wrist have narrowed. This then causes the median nerve, which runs through the tunnel from your upper arm to the palm of your hand, to be pinched.

This is an issue because that tunnel is very slim. Any strain is going to be felt in your hand and cause a tingling sensation. This will then progress to numbness and pain.

One way that carpal tunnel syndrome occurs is due to repeatedly bending the wrist, like when typing or clicking the mouse, or from holding a controller for a long time.

You can wear a wrist splint at night to help keep the wrist straight. Also, you can try wrist exercises, though there’s limited evidence to their usefulness. Ideally, buy ergonomic equipment such as vertical mice to reduce the wrist strain.

4. Seizure

You might have noticed that many video games come with an epilepsy warning. This is because video games were medically recorded as causing seizures in the early 1980s, after which console manufacturers were required to include epilepsy warnings with their systems.

You are only at risk of a seizure if you suffer from photosensitivity. In video games, the seizure can be brought on by aspects like lights flashing repeatedly or stripes of contrasting colors. Some games do have a setting to turn off specific elements that might cause a seizure, so do check for this.

The chance of suffering a seizure is small, but it’s still a risk. You should know if this applies to you. Speak to a doctor if so. Advice they might give you, short of not playing video games at all, is to sit further back from the screen, adjust the screen’s brightness, and be surrounded by natural light.

5. Full-Contact Injuries

Gaming used to be a sedentary hobby, but the advent of the Wii took many people off their couch… and swinging their bodies around wildly. News reports at the time talked of gamers who had fallen over or whacked someone in the face with a controller.

It wasn’t just people that were being damaged, but TV screens too! In fact, Nintendo had to issue advice on how to use the Wii controllers safely and started packing them in protective silicone to try to limit damage.

While the Wii is an old console now, similar physical injuries are still a risk. With virtual reality growing, it’s still possible to have a full-contact injury while gaming. Before playing, ensure that you have enough space around you and that you hold on to the controllers properly.

If you’re about to play an intense game, you might even want to stretch and warm up.

6. Obesity

Being obese means that you’re severely overweight. While it isn’t an injury in itself, it is a condition that will lead to problems.

Children are spending less time outdoors and more time inside playing games. Leading a sedentary lifestyle is more likely to cause obesity due to the lack of physical exercise. There’s also some evidence to show that obsessive gamers eat more while gaming, even if they’re not hungry.

The easiest way to combat this is to get outside and work out. Go for a run, play a sport, or hit the gym. To ease into this, you could try some physical fitness video games, like those that get you dancing or exercising.

Work Out and Stay Active

While there’s no doubting the joys of gaming, it isn’t a hobby you should do all of the time. Many of these injuries can be avoided simply by spending less time playing games and more time being physically fit.

To help keep yourself fit and healthy, use the best workout apps to get in shape.

Read the full article: 6 Real-Life Video Game Injuries and How to Avoid Them