San Diego, California News Station - KFMB Channel 8 - cbs8.comCarlsbad Mom Says Nintendo Video Game Made Son Sick

Carlsbad Mom Says Nintendo Video Game Made Son Sick

The parents of a Carlsbad five-year-old say a Nintendo video game put their son into severe pain, and ultimately a panic attack.

Nine-year-old Nicolo loves his Nintendo video games - he owns more than 40.

"I especially like adventure games where you discover secrets and you battle people," he said.

Nicolo says he's never experienced any pain or physical illness while playing video games, aside from occasional sweaty fingers.

"They get a little sweaty, but not usually every time," he said.

But that's not the case for five-year-old Michael, a Carlsbad boy who ended up having a panic attack after playing Nintendo for just a half-hour.

"He then began to complain and cry, saying he was experiencing pain in his hand and that he wasn't feeling well," mother Isabelle Clingerman said.

"He began to scream and what he was experiencing was a type of motion sickness due to the game," she said.

It's a known fact in some children video games can cause migraine headaches, motion sickness and even epileptic seizures. Neurologist James Grisolia says the frequency of the flashing lights is to blame.

"There was an episode of 'Pokemon' in Japan some years ago that had a certain kink of stimulation in the TV show that sent 700 children to the emergency room with different symptoms," Dr. Grisolia said.

The problem is so well documented, San Diego's Epilepsy Foundation offers these tips for children playing video games:

- Take frequent breaks of 10 or 15 minutes,

- Don't play when tired,

- Reduce the brightness of the screen, and

- Always play in a well-lit room.

While physical pain is relatively rare in kids who play video games, Dr. Grisolia has other concerns.

"The most important health effects from video games are obesity from not getting outside and playing, failing to socialize with other kids and getting exposed to a high level of violence in some of the more violent games," he said.

As for Isabelle, she's taking her son's Nintendo back to the store.

"I can't recommend this game to any parent," she said. "It's not a substitute for reading a book or doing an outdoor activity with your child."

Nintendo declined to comment for this report. A spokesperson directed us to a health warning Nintendo has posted on its web site.