- A new “Animal Crossing”DLC Pack reportedly contains a flashing sequence.
- According to an epilepsy charity, such footage can trigger seizures for some people.
- They want developers to make the game. “safer for everyone.”
Developers are being urged by a British charity for epilepsy to upgrade a new building “Animal Crossing”After social media users reported that the feature contained flashing lights, they speculate it could trigger epilepsy symptoms in people with certain medical conditions such as epilepsy.
The “Happy Home Paradise”For players of the social sim game, a pack with downloadable content (DLC), was released earlier in the month. “Animal Crossing: New Horizons,”This was released originally on the Nintendo Switch in spring 2020. DLCs allow you to add content to an already-released game.
According to a Video of gameplayThis video was uploaded to YouTube on Saturday. “Animal Crossing”DLC has a concert sequence with a variety flashing lights.
This is because flashing lights can cause some people to have an adverse reaction. “photoparoxysmal response,”Meaning that the brain’s electrical activity shows a “characteristic change,”According to Dr. Johannes PulstKorenberg, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Southern California, Insider was informed by him that epilepsy can lead to seizures in some patients.
Research PubliziertIn “The Journal of Headache and Pain”This is known as photosensitivity. It could also be linked to migraines.
EpilepsyA neurological condition that can cause seizures in people, as defined by the World Health Organization. “brief episodes of involuntary movement.”Although rare, epilepsy can lead to seizures that can prove fatal. According to the national US charity, the Epilepsy Foundation.
Chantal Spittles spoke for Epilepsy Action in Britain and told Insider she was “alarmed”According to reports, the new “Animal Crossing”DLC includes a strobe lighting scene. “We urge the developers to consider ways to update the game as soon as possible, to make it safer for everyone,”She said.
Insider did not find any reports that epilepsy sufferers experienced seizures due to the treatment. “Animal Crossing”Spittles however believes that DLC poses a risk.
“These features are unsafe and should have been avoided to make the game more accessible. With huge demand and excitement around these games, they can pose a very real and serious risk,”She added.
Liz Moore (Twitter user) stated they suffer from postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS), which is a circulatory disorder that can lead to migraines. ResearchPublished in “Journal of Arrhythmia.”
Moore tweets a series of tweets about November 15. Warned Others players have reported the lights sequence to them, as well as in a Direct tweetNintendo was asked if they could add a warning to the lights sequence or offer players the option of skipping.
—Sparrow/Liz (@UntoNuggan) November 15, 2021
“It’s frustrating that gamers are having to help each other figure out how to avoid things like seizures or headaches when Nintendo could have prevented the issue with some kind of warning or skipping the strobe lights entirely,”Moore shared his thoughts with Insider
Nicola Swanborough, head of communications at the Epilepsy Society, is a UK-based charity that treats epilepsy. She is not affiliated with the US charity.
Concerns about the “Animal Crossing”Insider was told by her that DLC should be conducted by game developers The Harding TestSoftware is used to detect and analyze certain sequences and images in games that could trigger epilepsy.
Insider reached out to Nintendo for comment but they did not respond immediately.
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