Which pictures are the eyestrainiest?

Andrew Sayers

A
Eyestrain has come up in a few threads lately, and taking inspiration once again from Cathy, I thought I'd conduct a little experiment. I've spoilered out the images below so you can read the text, but I'd appreciate if those of you that experience eyestrain in games would have a look and say which ones affect you more. A better understanding of the mechanics of the problem might help the rest of us see it.

I'll present a series of images of train tracks in this post, because they're a nice natural feature for leading the eye. If train tracks don't do it for you, feel free to post variations on a different theme to explore the issue.

First, some plain tracks:

Does this completely continuous image make it particularly hard to focus, or unusually easy?


Next, some intersecting train tracks.

Is it the added complexity in these tracks that trips your brain up?


Next, people in the foreground with a shape in the distance:

Does your brain rebel when you look between the people and the shape, or do the tracks help tell the story?


Finally, a simulated train cab:

What do your eyes have to say about that?


This post focuses specifically on the continuous lines drawn by train tracks - in many ways the opposite of the context-free objects floating around in a space game. If your eyes reacted differently than they would to Elite, what pictures would be more illustrative?
 

PacalB

PacalB
No issues with any of them par the first one. The blurring on the tracks and rocks make looking at it a little uncomfortable (maybe because its not actually moving and my brains telling me it should be?) The rest are fine to me.
 

OneoftheLost

OneoftheLost
^ Ditto what PacalB said. None of the above had any effect except for the first one, and I wouldn't call that 'eyestrain' at least not what I experienced.
 

Cathy

Cathy
The first three aren't a problem because the context doesn't direct me to alter focus abruptly (number 3 is a nice image, btw). Sure number 1 is blurry in the foreground, but I don't need to look at the foreground to appreciate the image. The criss-crossed rails are no trouble for me (might well be for some others).

The fourth one, the cab, would cause problems for me over time because the context is incoherent. My eyes can accustom to simulated middle/far distance for the scene outside the cab, but want to change their focus to near for the cab's interior details. Because the image is on a flat screen that jump and repeated need to correct it would hurt after a while.

If the cab's instruments were simulated as a projected HUD on the window that context would work fine and prevent the eventual eye strain.
 

Cathy

Cathy
Eyes in training, did you say?

Eyes in trainers? Whose eyes wear trainers?

What? Eh? Where's me ear trumpet gone..? :S
 

jan

jan
I found rail bridges in steel whit all its crisscrossed latticework when the train is passing em to be very hard on the eyes and i usually look away or shut my eyes to try prevent a bad headache
 

Andrew Sayers

A
So if I'm understanding correctly, for those people that have problems, immersion is pretty much directly your enemy? The more you believe you are looking at a real cockpit with real space behind it, the more it hurts?

To test that theory, I've photoshopped a stop sign into this image, with context to make it look like it's in different places. How do your eyes react to switching focus between the sign and the horizon in both images?

stop-sign-big.jpg

stop-sign-far.jpg
 

Aewarin Jameson

Aewarin Jameson
Andrew Sayers said:
So if I'm understanding correctly, for those people that have problems, immersion is pretty much directly your enemy? The more you believe you are looking at a real cockpit with real space behind it, the more it hurts?
Click to expand...

Your theory is invalid - I have problems with ship hulls that move independently of the view I am seeing, or with head bob when walking about in an FPS, and has nothing to do with a HUD (which is what you're testing here) - Most people that I know of from the DDF who had problems had no issues with the HUD which is what your sign would represent.

Now if you could animate your screen shots ...
 

Cathy

Cathy
Andrew Sayers said:
So if I'm understanding correctly, for those people that have problems, immersion is pretty much directly your enemy? The more you believe you are looking at a real cockpit with real space behind it, the more it hurts?

To test that theory, I've photoshopped a stop sign into this image, with context to make it look like it's in different places. How do your eyes react to switching focus between the sign and the horizon in both images?

stop-sign-big.jpg

stop-sign-far.jpg
Click to expand...
Picture number one is giving me problems which would become painful over time. I know from experience that the eyestrain issue from this sort of image would be exacerbated if the sign and the background were moving independently from each other around the screen (like a starscape beyond a solid cockpit structure). Note - that might also combine for some people with a version of the movement issue I describe below.

Picture number two isn't a problem for me, which is interesting.

As to FPS head bob others have mention - that's a related issue but not the same cause, i.e. not about eyes wanting to refocus and struggling to train your brain otherwise. I understand that's more to do with body movement simulation v. being still. Combine that with the near/distance focus issue, and someone who is unlucky enough to struggle with both probably won't be able to play at all, or not for long :(

edit: good thread btw Andrew. Film/TV/theatre producers have had to address photosensitive epilepsy issues because of pressure from the public and medical professionals. If games developers want to sell more of their product and widen their player base they will pay attention to this sort of thing - essentially by giving players as many options as possible over their experience.
 
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Andrew Sayers

A
Liqua said:
Now if you could animate your screen shots ...
Click to expand...

I'm rather enjoying this bit of science, so sure. Which of the following have an effect on you?

Control page:

Just the image scrolling:

Just the viewscreen scrolling:

Both scrolling:

(note: you can configure scrolling by editing the URL - please look for better values if the above don't illustrate your issue)
 

Aewarin Jameson

Aewarin Jameson
Andrew Sayers said:
I'm rather enjoying this bit of science, so sure. Which of the following have an effect on you?
Click to expand...

For myself personally the only one that gave me slight trouble was the image scrolls twice speed of your mouse - all the others were fine.

I think that one had an effect because the border made the image appear fixed, the image behind was moving fast (if i moved my mouse quick that is) and if I made it circular in motion it sent the brain funny!

Most FPS games are fine for me as the relative motion in-game is proportional to the speed at which I can process it throwing in the extra cycles needed to ignore the ears (which don't move and confuse) - make the motion quick and its rising time! :eek:
 

STABB666

STABB666
Cathy said:
Picture number one is giving me problems which would become painful over time. I know from experience that the eyestrain issue from this sort of image would be exacerbated if the sign and the background were moving independently from each other around the screen (like a starscape beyond a solid cockpit structure). Note - that might also combine for some people with a version of the movement issue I describe below.

Picture number two isn't a problem for me, which is interesting.

As to FPS head bob others have mention - that's a related issue but not the same cause, i.e. not about eyes wanting to refocus and struggling to train your brain otherwise. I understand that's more to do with body movement simulation v. being still. Combine that with the near/distance focus issue, and someone who is unlucky enough to struggle with both probably won't be able to play at all, or not for long :(

edit: good thread btw Andrew. Film/TV/theatre producers have had to address photosensitive epilepsy issues because of pressure from the public and medical professionals. If games developers want to sell more of their product and widen their player base they will pay attention to this sort of thing - essentially by giving players as many options as possible over their experience.
Click to expand...


I agree with your points here. That first image was very uncomfortable almost immediately and the second was no problem. My depth perception needed that image of the person in relative size as a reference point.

The head-bob thing in FPS games is a technique used to help with parallax mapping to make textures appear more 'real', so it is mostly down to motion sickness for people who have problems with it.

It would be nice if the game intends to have stereoscopic 3D.
 

Cathy

Cathy
Andrew Sayers said:
I'm rather enjoying this bit of science, so sure. Which of the following have an effect on you?
Click to expand...
Whoa. Those are fun.

I think my brain is starting to lose the plot a little when the movement is half or twice the speed of my mouse. But other than that they don't seem to have much effect.
 
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