Tap, waggle and click   22 April 2010

The way we play videogames has changed dramatically over the past couple of years, mostly due to innovations in input devices and the ever-increasing ubiquity of mobile devices. Reflecting on my work here, there is a similar explosion in input devices and platforms. Smiley was (primarily) mouse and keyboard, but everything goes fuzzy beyond that. Analog sticks for DUOtrix, touchscreen for Geomex and 32×32, and finally Orbit One, a one-button game. Presently, I’m typing this article out on the “virtual” keyboard of my shiny new iPad, and I’m agonizing over what’s next. The sheer amount of choice is as overwhelming as it is exciting.

A big part of me that wants to write an iPad game because I’m interested in exploring the potential for videogame experiences unique to this new device. The promise of infinite AppStore riches doesn’t hurt either. But the other part of me just wants to make a game that clicks.

Clicks: striking a mechanical button to perform an action. In the time I’ve been away from designing PC games, what I miss most is a bunch of keys that click.

At a primal level, buttons are satisfying because they click. That button mashing exists as a genre is proof of that. It is also the reason why “virtual” buttons in iPhone games fall so flat. They lack that satisfying feedback.

Buttons have a definite state, they are either pressed or released. Neither the computer nor the player see a fuzzy “in-between” state. This allows for quick and accurate control schemes. Arrow keys, for example, allow the player to navigate a world in a way that analog sticks simply cannot compete with. Analog sticks may allow for a greater range of movement, but arrow keys are more accurate.

Finally, while a controller relegates all the face buttons to a single thumb, a keyboard invites the player to sprawl their fingers all over the keys. Holding two buttons down at once is far easier on a keyboard. Going between different multi-key combos is trivial too. On a keyboard your fingers are free to dance all over the keys, seamlessly moving from one key combo to the next without a second thought.

So keyboards have these specific perks, but what does it all mean? One logical conclusion is a fast-paced game, where quick decisions, precise movement, multi-key combos, and a healthy amount of frantic button mashing are required. In short, you are left with an arcade game or, at a stretch, a shoot-em-up.

I’m still undecided on what’s next. The iPad is this fun new toy that is ripe for exploration. There is so much in the world of touch gaming that I must explore. But I can’t deny that a big part of me just wants to go back to the basics, grab a hand full of buttons and make a fun action game that clicks.