Mixed e-motions

Motion sickness sucks.

There is something disconcerting about your brain and inner-ear not being able to distinguish between reality and simulation. It's like the exit interviews from the first episodes of every Bachelor. You know these girls aren't really in love with the Bachelor, but something in their brains (or someone behind the camera) has convinced them that they are. Or, at least, that they could be.

Motion sickness is the same. No matter how intelligent you are, you can't talk your inner-ear out of thinking that something is wrong with the world.

Though it never feels good, you can understand your ear getting confused on a boat, a roller coaster or even a car.

But when you're playing a video game? That's what I've been dealing with lately, and it's stupid like a Hummer made out of plastic.

I tried playing King Kong on the Xbox 360. Sick.

Every time I play Half-Life 2 (or anything Source engine). Sick.

Then Tuesday, it was Metro 2033. (You know, the Russian post-apocalyptic first person shooter where you are battling against winged mutants.) Within 15 minutes, I felt sick enough that I had to... um... take a nap.

As much as I enjoyed the nap, I'm not sure what to do. I have no qualms drop kicking King Kong and Metro 2033 to the curb like a bag of mesquite-flavored soy nuts. But I want to play Half-Life 2. And not with ginger root in my mouth, or on Dramamine with a caffeine chaser.