The
concepts of polish, metaphor, and rules are equally important.
Input
Input is the player??™s organ of expression in the game world, and the potential for expression is deeply
a?¬? ected by the physical properties of the input device. Consider the di?¬? erence between a bu on and a
computer mouse. A typical bu on has two states: on or o?¬? . It can be in one of two positions, which is about
the minimum you can get sensitivity-wise. A mouse, on the other hand, has complete freedom of movement
along two axes. It is unbounded; you can move it as far as the surface underneath allows. So an input device
can have an inherent amount of sensitivity, what I call ???input sensitivity.???
An input device can also provide opportunities for natural mappings. That is, what kinds of motion are
implied by the constraints, motions, and sensitivity of the input device? My favorite example is Geometry
Wars for Xbox 360. Look at Geometry Wars, and then look at the Xbox 360 controller. Notice the way
that the joystick is formed and how that transposes almost exactly to the motion in Geometry Wars.
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