In class we talked about controllers and how they affect player experience. Every game will have default mapped controls, but a lot of games allow for players to alter controls to their own liking. In its most basic form this is just button mapping, where the player alters which controls give out which inputs often in some settings screen. Though there are more extreme examples where the player will actually change the controller. A pratical example would be Osu! which is a beat game that the default controllers allow the player to use a mouse to move a cursor and click circles with either “z” “x” or clicking. The player will soon realize that it is easier to click using “z” and “x” than using mouse clicks since the player can put less pressure on the mouse and be able to move it faster. Though, a less apparent change that players will make is to use a drawing tablet with a pen to improve their accuracy.

While some people modify the controllers to make their gaming experience easier, there is also those who alter their controllers for… other reasons. For example, here is a guy who maps toasters to play Doom. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI7tWd7B3iI ) This has little value to improving the play experience, though it does put literal meaning to playing on a toaster. Before continuing on with the point, here is another example of someone using bananas to play Overwatch ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GJ55UIyGvw ). This actually is not necessary, I just found it hilarious. This is an interesting modification for the game since it does not necessarily improve the play experience, but instead transforms it into something else. The play becomes less focused on the actual game play and more on how to effectively use the controls to get the same outcome as someone using traditional controls.

In a sense, the player is redefining the rules of the game by altering their controls. Controls, in games are set up as a means to an end and are supposed to feel fluid so that the player can easily perform actions without putting much thought into the interaction. This can been seen through how similar games have similar control sets and there is a “meta” for how many console controllers are designed. As well as games such as Maplestory, that before creating a new character, the game will ask the player if they are more used to playing Maplestory (which is interesting since it is a platformer that does not use a mouse, so the player would traditionally move with the arrow keys) or other games (where the player would most likely have played using WASD to move). The player is not meant to be thinking about what keys they are pressing they are more meant to be thinking of the actions that need to be performed and what is going on in the game world. By altering the controls though, the player must now focus more on how their controller impacts the game, and playing becomes less about mastering the strategy of the game and more about mastering the controls of the game.