CONTROLLERS

The video enables user-video game interface. The first video games were made in the early 1960’s by and for scientists and engineers in US1, making the keyboard the first controller. Today, the main types are: the keyboard-mouse, , , , motion sensing devices and combinations of these.

The technological frame of controllers is built around their associated consoles. A controller can work only on this console. Their use is highly scripted since these consoles are dedicated gaming platforms. Exceptions include controllers for non-dedicated gaming devices like PC’s and mobiles. Some controller designs have been repurposed for civilian and military uses. For example, the is used to rotate the cameras of surveillance drones.

What do people want in a controller? Gamers desire simplicity, low cost, functionality and durability. Console manufacturers (the makers) want an edge over rivals and a superior design that attracts people. Game developers want something that is easy to configure with their software.

Those designing and playing games on non-dedicated game consoles (PC’s, laptops, mobiles, tablets) are well configured to use the default input devices like keyboard-mouse, touch screens and buttons as controllers, so they have received design closure.

Other controllers have seen lot of change. The first mainstream console controller, “Pong ”, had 2 knobs for ‘up’ and ‘down’ motion onscreen.2 In 1977, Atari came out with the first joystick for the Atari 2600 console. Its extra degrees of freedom enabled developers to design more complex games like shooting, driving and fighting games. It was well received but it caused too much wrist strain and was very fragile. The rivalry between Atari and companies that sprung up spawned innovations like directional discs and trigger buttons.3 The joystick (and its variants) had a deterministic role in setting up gaming arcades all over the world, creating a new pastime for people (especially youngsters) and the subsequent shutting down of many arcades, when the joystick went out of vogue.

The next revolution, the ‘’, was introduced by in 1983 with its massively popular NES console. The gamepad was flat, with only buttons and was designed to sit in the small palms of children and replace the bulkier joystick. Soon SEGA and Sony entered

1Wikipedia, ‘History of Video Games’, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_games , accessed October 2nd 2013 , accessed October 2nd, 2013 2Gioteck, ‘A Potted History of Video Game Controllers’, February 25th 2013, http://www.gioteck.com/potted- history-controllers/ , accessed October 2nd, 2013 3 Dark Watcher, ‘History of the Game Controller’, http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/art- controller.htm#page=early, accessed October 2nd, 2013 the business and rivalry spawned innovations like ergonomic gamepads and the addition of tiny joysticks on it.4 Nintendo, Atari and others also tried alternate designs like virtual- reality headsets (‘Mindlink’)5 and motion-control gloves (‘Power Glove’)6. These innovative devices failed as game developers lacked the prowess to design games for them and they were hard to use. The transition to gamepads meant that users’ skills with joysticks became redundant, but they quickly adapted. Companies heterogeneously engineered many factors like advertising, patents and warranties. Japanese companies like Nintendo had to set up localization teams to sell globally.

Aside from wireless connections, integrated touchscreens and motion sensors and some design changes, the gamepad has more or less achieved closure. With most gamers configured to the gamepad, the big companies nowadays prefer to bank on the gamepad’s momentum. However controllers of Nintendo’s (2012) and Sony’s PS4 (2013) indicate a move towards the new.7 Simultaneously, developers have begun to campaign for a paradigm shift and many smaller companies like Oculus VR8 (which makes virtual reality headsets), are answering their call.

As seen from the above, the structure is the release and consumption of consoles, controllers and games.9 The gamer expresses his agency through choosing a console and providing feedback on it. His agency mostly preserves structure. The agency of console makers and developers changes structure. Often the public finds a lot of changes in new controllers unnecessary, but this rarely moves companies, who believe it is their ‘moral duty’ to teach gamers what changes are necessary and what aren’t. They are perceived to give frequently give focus to novelty (like redundant lights and buttons) over practicality. But it seems that dialogue is improving. Hopefully, good things will come from this.

4 Dark Watcher, ‘History of the Game Controller’, http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/art- controller.htm#page=mid , accessed October 2nd, 2013 5 Wikipedia, ‘Atari Mindlink’, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Mindlink , accessed October 2nd, 2013 6 Wikipedia, ‘Power Glove’, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_glove , accessed October 2nd, 2013 7 http://www.gioteck.com/potted-history-controllers/ Gioteck, ‘A Potted History of Video Game Controllers’, February 25th 2013, http://www.gioteck.com/potted-history-controllers/ , accessed October 2nd, 2013 8Wikipedia, ‘Oculus Rift’, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oculus_Rift , accessed October 2nd, 2013 9Wikipedia, ‘Structure and Agency’, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structure_and_agency , accessed October 2nd, 2013