Interestingly the online dictionary leo.org (which is quite accurate most of the time) states that
vertigo [psych.] = Höhenangst (which is exactly what I meant) = fear of heights.
So I'm not that far off, but I don't want to be nit-picking. I suffer from fear of heights - in video games and in real life.
I find the differences from game to game very interesting though.

I never suffered from a fear of heights until I had my son and since then I'm terrified - though for example at the Grand Canyon, I'm ok if I have a railing to hold onto. But I even get upset and afraid when I see people walking out to areas without guard rails - especially kids :-(
We also do a lot of back country driving and my husband is prone to asking who is actually in the drivers seat - me or him - when I'm leaning so far away from the window! ;-p It's a bit better if I'm driving but not much!

However, I've never experienced anything except excitement when playing games - well maybe agitation from having to repeat levels again and again until I get through them. In real life I'm a basket case but I guess some part of me knows that a game is just a game!

Heheh!

I'm quite claustrophobic so I can understand that - though my own sense of claustrophobia tends to be triggered by crowds and the likes (I know theres a more specific term), yet in some games I also find it triggered by confined spaces in game - the tunnels in vietcong triggered it really badly - but also allowed me to beat that mission very quickly and easily too.
Now thats an interesting angle - rather than paralysing you, has your fear of heights ever enhanced your game or gameplaying?

It is because of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertigo_(film)]Hitchcock's film[/url] :)

Because of it people think Acrophobia. When suffering from Acrophobia you can experience vertigo.

I'm super sensitive to drops in real life, some elevators even bother me, but have never had a game bring about that feeling.