Summary
- Eye strain from long gaming sessions can lead to sore, dry eyes and discomfort.
- Pulling a neck muscle can occur from sudden movements after gaming, causing pain and dizziness.
- Always remember to stretch your fingers to prevent aches and strain from excessive gameplay.
Listen, I’m getting older. And that means getting hurt a lot more often. Whether it’s during a jog or simply walking to the kitchen, it’s easy to get hurt for me these days, and gaming is no exception. Over the years, I’ve accrued repeated instances of some of these terrible gaming injuries, which are actually no joke.
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In all honesty, having to relive some of these injuries is giving me pain flashbacks. But, it’s also feeling very cathartic in a way. So, without further ado, here are some of the worst gaming injuries I’ve ever endured, ranked by how awful they were.
8 Eye Strain
My Eyesight Is Already Terrible
Look, I already wear glasses. My optometrist is really worried about me. I can’t put any more strain on my eyes than I already do. And yet, I’m a gamer, and so eye strain is just part of the game.
My worst eye strain injury came from a very long night of playing Civilization. At least five to six hours went by before I realized I possibly hadn’t blinked even once during my playthrough. The next day, my eyes were sore and dry, so that I could barely look at a screen without wincing in pain.
7 Pulled Neck
Can’t Cross The Street Anymore
Particularly when it comes to intense, fast-paced games, I tend to notice that my entire body locks up. This extends to my neck, which ends up tensing quite dramatically. Sometimes, after a long evening of Marvel Rivals or Overwatch, I’ll get up from my chair only to realize that my neck is locked stiff.
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One minute I’m having fun, the next I’m crouching in a bush for 12 minutes.
The worst instance of this occurred after I stood up from my chair and rolled my neck around too quickly. I actually felt like I might have pulled a nerve, and had to sit down for a couple of minutes until the stars stopped dancing in front of my eyes. Gamers, stand up slowly, take your time.
6 Finger Aches
Don’t Forget To Stretch
Before you go for a run or do any kind of exercise, you need to stretch out. The same goes for gaming. Most gamers know the perpetual pain that comes from excessive gameplay, particularly in their fingers.
Honestly, you can stretch out your fingers just as much as you can your legs and arms. One time, after a long day of gaming on my PC (which always gets my fingers the worst), I actually took some time and stretched out my fingers. Trust me, it works!
5 Migraine
Once Was Enough
I have never been one to get headaches a lot. Usually, if I do get a headache, I’m just a little bit tired or dehydrated. However, one time, during my initial playthrough of Starfield, something about the graphics and the very small font on the inventory screens triggered the worst migraine I’ve ever experienced in my life.
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I actually had to shut down the game, step away, and lie down for about an hour. To this day, it’s the only migraine I’ve ever had, but I don’t intend on having that happen again. If a game has a font option for its UI, I maximize it.
4 Electric Shock
Potentially Almost Lethal
To this day, I still have no idea how this happened. To be honest, it was probably a skill issue, or maybe just that I was going too fast. Regardless, when I first set up my PS5, I nearly shocked myself.
True, I was using a very old surge protector, and part of the outlet was hanging out of the wall, so I should’ve been more careful. But somehow, during the setup process, I did feel a very small shock. Perhaps it was just a normal static shock, perhaps more. All I know is that it actually hurt bad enough for me to say ‘Yeowch!’ out loud alone in my apartment like a cartoon character.
3 Gamer’s Thumb
No More Thumb Wars
Hardcore gamers know this one like the back of their hand, or thumb. Usually, this happens to me when I’m playing hero shooters on my PC, but sometimes I get it on console too.
There are more permanent versions of this injury, and more temporary ones. Luckily, I’ve experienced mostly temporary instances of Gamer’s Thumb, but they were still incredibly painful. One instance of this injury onset right before I was trying to go to sleep, and the pain was so bad that I actually had a hard time falling asleep without a sleeping aid. Gamers, avoid this one at all costs.
2 Lower Back Strain
Sounds Fine, But It’s Actually Hell
For the penultimate injury on this list, I’m going with something that, on paper, seems relatively mild, but was actually acutely painful for me. Full disclosure, I don’t have an actual gamer chair; I just use my regular old office chair, which I believe is meant to correct my posture, but honestly does more damage than it should.
One time, while playing Fortnite, I somehow experienced a random back spasm sitting in this chair that was so painful I had to just quit the match. My teammates never forgave me, but I assured them that if they were in my shoes, they wouldn’t have to have done the same.
1 Sprained Toe
GameCubes Are Heavy
This is probably the most random incident on this list, but far and away the most painful. As the title suggests, yes, when I first got a GameCube, I dropped it directly on my big toe while setting it up. You might think that would’ve resulted in a minor injury, but the bruise was actually so bad that my toe turned blue.
To this day, I hesitate to move a console once it’s been initially set up. The memory of the pain is so acute in my mind that I can’t bear the thought of going through it again. Sometimes, the worst gaming injury is the one you never expect.
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