These can be more than annoying.
City of Heroes once used faint grey rings for its "Sonic Resonance" buff powerset, which unfortunately turned out to be a perfect storm for those susceptible to photosensitive migraines. It took YEARS for the devs to get around to fixing it, during which time the powerset was deeply neglected since 1: hardly anyone could tell that you were DOING anything and 2: every couple teams, someone would get upset and ragequit the team saying 'either the sonic guy goes or I do before I throw up and have to spend the rest of the day in bed'. Not sure how relevant it is since it wasn't 'flashing lights'..
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Sorry, I pressed the wrong button. Never mind this.
Edited by Gagaga_Madness Call 555 for emergency Call 913 for misunderstandings
I have a question. How would would portray this trope in-universe for drama? In the scenario I was thinking of, the protagonist is locked in a room would be surrounded by flashing lights. These flashing lights which give the main character a seizure, and is completely believable that it could give a seizure in-universe, but at the same time is completely harmless to the viewer. Would slow-motion work?
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Some forms of epilepsy can make people more sensitive to flashing lights, so just say that the protagonist has one of these epilepsies.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
The character in question isn't epileptic. The genre for this hypothetical story would be science fiction or science fantasy. The room the protagonist is locked in was created by a Sufficiently Advanced Alien. The flashing lights are combined with a horrible noise. The combination is what causes the seizure. Both the harsh noise and flashing lights are very powerful in universe. How bad the effect is depends on the physical attributes of the victim (gender, age, species) as well as if the victim only hears the sound or only sees the lights.
I want it to be obvious that the effect is horrible and painful in universe, but completely safe for the viewer.
Well, I'll direct you to our Writer's Block
forum, where you may get more help than I can provide.
I am concerned that this title furthers a trend of considering seizures and epilepsy a joke, such as referring to someone who dances badly as epileptic. Many of those who have epilepsy find this offensive. While some people with certain forms of epilepsy can have seizures triggered by flashing lights, most people with epilepsy do not, and the same could be said for people with migraines. Around 1 in 26 Americans have epilepsy, and 50,000 Americans die of epilepsy each year (more then those who die of breast cancer). The Institute of Medicine issued a report suggesting we strike the word "epileptic" from our language to help reduce stigma and improve understanding of epilepsy.
Think of the Trope Maker, though. It's a literal take on what the lights in that movie are like, and it's the best way to describe them.
Edited by 162.226.1.70
Techno Kitten Adventures leads to a red link. Should I edit out the link?
Call 555 for emergency Call 913 for misunderstandings