Game Controls

A huge aspect of a video game experience depends on the ability to effectively use the controls of the game. Whether it be the arrow keys on the computer or the analog sticks on the controller of a console game. As someone whose experience with games is based on The Sims, where the mouse is the only controller you need, other types of controllers are mostly new to me. I thought it would be interesting to explore how the different types of controller effected my experience with the game. 

I'll start off with Fatal Frame 2, an xbox game in which the character is controlled with the left analog stick and the angle of the camera is controlled with the right. Some players prefer to be able to move the camera angles as they wish. I, on the other hand, actually don't mind when the game is designed to change camera angles on its own as the character moves throughout the game. For some, having control over the camera gives them more control in general. For me, not having anything to do with the camera's orientation makes me feel more in control, perhaps because there is less to manage. I would definitely say that this is attributed to my lack of skill. 

Take Fatal Frame 2 for example; by the time I started playing I had already been watching someone else play for a while. Therefore, when it was my turn I was nervous and basically did not want to screw everything up. I walked around a house for a while, learning things like that "A" picks up stuff and opens doors. I, luckily, did not encounter any ghosts. At some point in the game we end up outside and while I was controlling Mio, I could not help but bump into walls, and walk off the path. Just directing the character was a task for me. It reminded me of the race car arcade games that I used to play. It seemed impossible to keep the car off the sidewalk and on the road. The next time the controller came into my possession, we were deeper into the game and I had to be "encouraged" in order for me to actually play. I walked around once again and came upon a door, in fact a spooky door, in which I had no desire to open. Once I was convinced to do so, as soon as I went in, I was attacked by a "Boss" ghost and immediately died. This was the first time our character died and of course it would be my fault. Also, the vibration of the controller added to the scary elements of the game. 

In the game Deadspace the left joystick is for directing the character and the right is for controlling the camera's direction. When other people play they make it look so easy, but when the controller is in my hands, it's completely disorienting. I was up against some huge alien creature and I could not get the camera and my character in the position I wanted them. Consequently I died; the fight was short and I didn't have a chance. Lacking the skills to adequately use the controller made me completely vulnerable. Since I was so completely inept with using the controller, I wondered how much of a difference it would make if I played Deadspace on the computer. The game used the WASD controls for movement and the mouse as the guide for the camera. All in all, it was still disorienting because there was no guide to where my mouse was on the screen. I tried to run down a hallway but i just kept running into walls. However, I tried Half-life 2: Episode Two and I can definitely say that I felt a little better with the controls, again I used the WASD keys and the mouse to point my gun, but this time there was a "bullseye" in the middle of the screen so it made me easier to navigate. I think that command over the controls of any game takes practice and takes getting used to.  

The Path is a computer game, where you get to choose your character from a selection of girls. They set you up on a path and you are on your way. The music was creepy and there was not much explanation of the narrative besides the game telling you to go to grandmother's house and to stay on the path. In order to get the girl to walk forward, you either use the up arrow key or the W key. To turn you use the side arrows or the A and D key. In order to interact with objects or people in the game, you simple don't do anything. The simplicity of the controls made all the difference in the game in that they did not add any confusion or anxiety. 

What do you guys think? Do you prefer certain controller attributes in your game? Console to computer? How does playing with different controllers effect your gaming experience?