Game Controls And The Blank Page Are One And The Same

The inspiration for this post came about when I had a chat with Margot from Margot Plays Video Games about my difficulties getting my head around game controls, in this case, the Steam Deck.

I’m a keyboard and mouse girly. When I returned to games after a long absence, that’s where I started and although I can manage a Switch fine, as soon as I plug a controller into my PC or hop on the PS4, I’m back to knowing absolutely nothing about how to do the thing.

That’s fine though, right? All I’ve got to do is learn…

Sure, but why aren’t the controls standardised across consoles???

It seems like that’s a whole argument in itself and yes, I know I can bind the controls to suit my preferences, although that's not always possible with some games.

I had to quit Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two on the Wii U before I’d even finished the tutorial because I just couldn't get my head around the controls! The Wii consoles are their own beasts when it comes to gameplay and it’s not the contrary systems that fill me with trepidation.

The design of gaming controllers has a long history. Apparently, Nintendo are all about ergonomics and comfortable gaming and put a lot of research and work into the design of their controls (tell that to my right thumb after months of playing Mario Kart on the N64 in 1997! The tiny joystick is no joke! 😒)

There’s a reason why I keep playing the same games over and over, sinking unimaginable hours into the same fandoms. In my defense, these games have immense replayability.

Sometimes playing a new game on PC is daunting too. I found Skyrim overwhelming to play and inevitably put it down. Hades was not great on keyboard and mouse so I gave up, but recently had another go on the Steam Deck - I'll admit, it's way better!

I’m a visual person and I love seeing all the spells/skills available to me in a neat little row at the bottom of the screen. Being able to access everything at the touch of a button all adds to a streamlined experience that leaves my brain free to concentrate on what's happening in the game itself. The wheel that appears when a controller is plugged in is painful to me (don’t ask how I managed to play Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2 on the PS3 because I simply don’t know 😅)

The Blank Page™

In my last post, I mentioned that I’m querying my first novel with agents. It’s a long, emotionally draining process so in the meantime, I’m drafting the sequel. I’ll admit that having the world pretty much built and the majority of the cast of characters already formed cuts out a lot of the heavy lifting. Even so, I’m continuously faced with the dreaded Blank Page.

You’d think that every time I start a new chapter, it wouldn’t feel difficult or daunting as the story is already unfolding, but I exist in a perpetual haze of not knowing what I’m doing. I don’t know how I’m going to tackle certain aspects of the story or what direction I’m going to take things in and I’m often frozen by the prospect of continuing such a huge task. Similarly, I occasionally dabble in fanfiction gift exchanges and nothing is scarier than writing to a complete stranger’s desires and specifications, never mind my own.

The Blank Page is a way to start again too. Not loving what you're working on? Scrap it and bring up a new document, or turn the page in your notebook to a fresh one. Like picking up a new game, we might not know how to begin, or where it will take us. We might not know if it will be easy, or stress us out with its tricksy ways, but it is almost always worth giving it a crack anyway.

What are some of your non-gaming related hobbies? Is there a game that you simply cannot play due to the controls kicking your ass? Do you have a favourite way to play? ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE CRAZY AMAZING DEMONS THAT PLAYS INVERTED? I’d love to know!

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