Photosensitivity and health
Please read before playing
Photosensitive seizures
A very small number of people may have a seizure when exposed to certain flashing lights or patterns. This can happen while watching television, playing video games or using a computer — including people with no history of epilepsy and no previous symptoms.
If you or anyone in your family has ever had a seizure or epilepsy, consult a doctor before playing.
Stop immediately if this happens
Stop playing and see a doctor if you experience dizziness, altered vision, twitching of the eye or face, jerking or shaking of the arms or legs, disorientation, confusion, loss of awareness of your surroundings, or convulsions.
How to lower the risk
- Play in a well-lit room, never in the dark.
- Sit as far from the screen as is comfortable.
- Take a break of 10 to 15 minutes every hour.
- Do not play when you are tired or short on sleep.
What VIRAR contains
This is not a generic notice. These are the effects the game actually uses:
- Flickering and strobing lights — street lamps, vehicle headlights and failing indoor lights that stutter irregularly.
- Hard contrast between dark and light, including a torch beam moving across a mostly black screen.
- A simulated CRT image: scanlines, film grain and a dithering pattern across the whole picture.
- Geometry that wobbles as the camera moves. This is deliberate — it recreates how PlayStation-era hardware rendered — and it is present at all times.
- Camera shake during certain events.
Motion sickness
The wobbling geometry and the moving camera can cause nausea, headache or eye strain in people who are sensitive to motion. If you feel any of that, stop and rest. Do not push through it.
This page describes VIRAR only. It is not medical advice. If you have any doubt about your own health, speak to a doctor rather than to us.