Homesickness is a status ailment in the 1995 video game EarthBound. Ness, the only playable character in the game who can be affected by the ailment, will become homesick when he has not contacted his mother for a lengthy period of time (either by phone call or in person). Homesickness causes the possibility that Ness will miss turns while in combat, during which Ness will instead spend these turns reminiscing about home. Homesickness can be temporarily cured by having Ness use a Chick, which makes him feel happy. Ness' mother will call him on his Receiver phone shortly after Ness begins to feel homesick, reminding him that he should contact her. Despite the fact that they speak, the received call does not cure homesickness.
If the Doctor is talked to while Ness is suffering homesickness, he'll point it out by saying: "What a sad look in your eyes… you, the boy in a red cap. You must be homesick. That’s nothing you need to be ashamed of. Anybody who is on a long trip will miss home. In this case, the best thing to do is to call home and hear your mom’s voice." However, while the doctor claims Ness to be sad (which is true while he is suffering homesickness) Ness' face always stays the same because he has no sprites with his sad mouth. This leaves the player puzzled if Ness is truly sad or not.