Listen, I don’t understand inverted controls.
Sure, I’m happy to pick up a controller when it makes sense (I’m looking at you, 3rd person RPGs), but I don’t think I’ll understand or appreciate the need to flip controls on their head; and it seems scientists don’t either.
A scientist who was interviewed earlier this year on the topic is now undertaking new research to understand the minority of gamers who prefer to push their stick up to go down instead of the other way around, used by most.
Dr. Jennifer Corbett, who is the co-head of the Visual Perception and Attention Lab at the Brunel University, wants to understand the difference in perception by the players opting for this unique approach, stressing how this approach reflects a difference in cognitive perception when playing:
“From a cognitive perspective, players who don’t invert are ‘acting as’ the avatar, with movement/steering originating from between the avatar’s eyes, controlling the camera. Players who invert are ‘acting on’ the avatar, with the controls either behind or on top of the head controlling the avatar.”
In essence, those using normal controls control and view themselves as the character, while inverted users are an external force acting on the avatar. Dr. Corbett and her team are interested in studying the implications of this difference in approach to game controls and want to fill the “gaping hole in our knowledge regarding how our visual perception is heavily dependent on the rest of this vast majority of sensory information.”
It’s certainly an interesting topic to study, and not one many of us tend to think about when adjusting our settings before diving into a game, but one that might uncover differences in how each of us approaches play. As for me, I’ll be sticking with non-inverted controls, thanks!
Image Credit: Diego Marin/@diegosmarines (Unsplash)
