I think controllers are, without a doubt, the most instrumental tool for those who play video games. They are where the action takes place—where the gameplay decisions and button inputs are made on behalf of the player. In the How to Play Video Games chapter NES D-pad: Interface, David O’Grady talks about the important establishment of the D-pad and its influences on gaming interfaces moving forward, writing, “The interface or controller serves as a metonym of the video game’s fundamental aesthetic quality—player action—and it presents a fascinating locus for examination; it is the site where the physical and digital come together—where screen-based audiovisual actions and biomechanical agency are mutually translated.” (O’Grady, 270) The introduction of the D-pad and subsequent implementation of other key features on different kinds of controllers has become a defining trait of gaming. The typical structure of most game controllers today—movement on the left, action on the right, pause/menu buttons in the center—is an immediately recognizable image to most people who play games. It’s about as recognizable as a t.v. remote or iPhone. Whether minimal or drastic, the changes made to these controllers is usually a topic of discussion. This is understandable given that many people get used to one interface as kids and are used to it years down the line. As mentioned by O’Grady, the controller is the place where the digital and physical come together. It’s also one of the main reasons, I think, that games are so immersive. As interactive pieces of media where one truly controls what is happening on the t.v. screen, they are able to pull people into digital places to the point that they are deeply invested. The controller is what makes this possible. As tacky as it sounds, it is a bridge between worlds. 

Depending on the game, each button has its unique purpose. Outside of the basic idea that left is for movement and right is for action, there tend to be things like shoulder buttons, touch pads, and motion controls with their own delegated features to further immerse the player in whatever world they’re engaging with. In a ton of the games that I play, the shoulder buttons are imperative—they’re the trigger buttons and occasionally the dodge buttons. In the digital worlds of these games, they’re the difference between life and death. This adds to the sense of tension in that the inputs you as the player make are truly the deciding factor in the protagonist’s fate. While other forms of media like t.v. definitely possess degrees of tension, immersion, and terror at the idea of dying, you are not the one making the decisions. Different people will inevitably be impacted by the pieces of media they interact with to different degrees, but due to the use of controllers as interfaces, games particularly possess the ability to influence experiences that might otherwise be difficult to identify with/dive into. To think that this all began with the invention of a directional pad with the basic idea of being able to move protagonists in different directions is insane. The influences the D-pad has had on gaming have become increasingly obvious as time passes and more distinct features are included on player interfaces. 

Works Cited

Huntmann, Nina B. and Payne, Matthew Thomas. How to Play Video Games. New York, NY, New York University Press, 2019.