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Devil May RSI

Recently I just finished Devil May Cry 4. It wasn’t particularly easy, but then I was playing on Devil Hunter mode and the idea of using automatic guns appealed to me as much as wearing a T-shirt around town that said “I am a pussy. Ask me why.”

But I have to say, this is one of the first times a game has actually hurt. And not just the ‘mental frustration’ type of hurt, but an actual, painful hurt. I’ve taken to calling the game Devil May RSI as it really did make my hands and wrists ache. I bought it for PS3 rather than Xbox purely because I knew from previous DMC games that I would be better off with a smaller and lighter controller while I was hammering eighty-four billion button presses per second.

But it still hurt. It’s unusual for me to not finish a game I like really quickly but with this game I actually had to take breaks.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s an amazing game and I recommend it to anyone. Well, anyone with strong arms and wrists, at least.

Either I am getting too old for this gaming lark, or I’ll just have to stop playing old-school arcade-style Capcom games.

I know that people such as Olympic athletes frequently go through the pain barrier in order to be the best in their field, but isn’t it worrying when you end up doing the same for the sake of a hobby? Of course, it won’t stop me playing a game I like, but it makes you think.

If you need me, I’ll be in the fridge, icing my wrists.


Dante: That’s it, rub it just there.. ahh.. that feels better.

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5 responses to “Devil May RSI”

  1. Nick avatar
    Nick

    It’s one thing going through the pain barrier but if you can’t enjoy a game because of the pain, I personally wouldn’t bother. Or as you mentioned taking breaks (maybe the recommended 10 minutes per hour?) helps do that and then at least you can enjoy your games at short intervals. That way it’ll last longer!

  2. James avatar
    James

    😛 Capcom games really can smash in your fingers, was playing the classics collection (Vulgus) and by level 4 my fingers were aching like crazy

  3. Shaz avatar
    Shaz

    Sometimes my choice for gaming humour comes at a price. Humiliation I’m not bothered about. I love to dare me and a friend into playing co-op “Through the fire and flames – DragonForce”. My god it hurts like hell!

  4. Tony avatar
    Tony

    Actually, Nick, when I was referring to breaks, I meant repeated fractures in my wrists.

    No, just kidding.

    What I meant was, unlike some games that you just play for hours and hours until you finish them, I physically couldn’t play DMC4 for much longer than one or two levels in a row depending on how many times I had to retry.

  5. Michael avatar
    Michael

    Nope, I’ve never had a problem with RSI when playing a game. Oh wait, I just remembered I have gotten the odd twinge of… something in my wrists when playing GH3

    Other than that, not a bother.

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