Gaming and User Input

User input is the means by which the user interacts with a game. Considering the fact that user input encompasses the entire communications between a player and a game, you would think that designing an intuitive, efficient interface for user input would be at the top of the list of key game design elements. However, that isn't always the case. With all the hype these days surrounding real-time, texture-mapped 3D graphics engines and positional 3D audio in games , effective user input support is often overlooked. In fact, user input is perhaps the most overlooked aspect of game design, which is truly a tragedy. It's a tragedy because user input support in a game directly impacts the playability of the game; and when the user input isn't effective, the play suffers.

You see, I'm from the old school of game players, and I still remember paying homage to the gods of gaming with my hard earned allowance in arcades, well before there was an option of playing anything other than Pong at home (see the opener for Hour 1, "The Basics of Game Creation"). In return for my quarter offerings, the game gods usually provided me with incredibly fun games that usually had to survive on their playability alone. Because the hardware at that time simply couldn't provide a very high level of graphic and sound intensity, game developers were forced to make up for it with game play. Of course, they didn't consider their focus on playability as making up for anything; with the limited graphics and sound capabilities at the time, they didn't have an option.

Let me give you a quick example of what I'm talking about in regard to playability and user input. One of my all-time favorite games is Ring King, which is a boxing game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Ring King is definitely considered "old" by current gaming standards ”possibly even ancient. Compared to current games, it has weak graphics, animation, and sound. However, I still play the game simply because it plays so well. And that playability is largely based on how the game handles user input; it allows for very subtle timing when you punch and dodge, which goes a long way in a boxing game! Since then, I've tried to find a modern replacement for Ring King, but I've had no luck. When I get beyond the fancy graphics and sound, I start missing the responsiveness of the controls in my old favorite. I'm still looking, though.

Lest you think I'm being overly critical of current games, plenty of recent games have incredible user input support, along with awesome graphics and sound. However, an equal number of recent games have killer graphics and sound, but little substance when it comes to playability and user input. These types of games might be visually stunning and fun to listen to, but they rarely have any lasting appeal beyond the initial "Wow!"

Now, let me step down from the soapbox and get to the real point, which is that you should carefully plan the user input for your games just like you carefully plan the graphics, sound, and game logic. This doesn't mean only deciding between supporting a keyboard or a mouse for the user interface. It means putting some real thought into making the user interface as intuitive as possible. You want the controls for the game to feel as natural as possible to the player.