Video Games You Can Play While Injured

If you do a lot of typing and gaming in less-than-ideal ergonomic conditions, you’re probably putting yourself at risk of a hand or wrist injury. But even if you manage to put yourself out of commission, you can still indulge your hobby.

Game Informer posts a narrative of a gamer afflicted with carpal tunnel syndrome who describes games with non-traditional control methods that helped him through his recovery process.

The writer includes this disclaimer:

If you think you have carpal tunnel syndrome, quit playing video games and see a doctor. I did not do this, but that does not mean you should do what I did. I am not a medical professional. I am an idiot.

The games the self-described “idiot” played included:

*Xbox Live Arcade download Full House Poker, which mostly only requires you to press face buttons, letting you set the controller down rather than hold it with both hands.

*Scene It? The game comes with special buzzer controllers that require just one hand.

*You Don’t Know Jack. Like Full House Poker, the irreverent quiz game rarely requires you to tap anything other than face buttons.

Confession: On more than one occasion I played so much Mario Kart DS that I rubbed my left thumb raw. Switching to stylus-based puzzle games, such as those from the Professor Layton and Ace Attorney series, allowed me to keep playing my beloved DS while I healed up.

What video game injuries have you incurred, and what did you play as you recovered?

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – My Time on the Disabled List [Game Informer]

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