Does your console have control issues?

By: Cody Bozarth

Posted: 3/17/08

Recently, Peter Molyneux, creator of the "Fable" franchise, was quoted on Kotaku.com as saying the following in regard to the upcoming installment of his award-winning game: "We don't use half the buttons on the 360 controller simply because the whole dream I've got is that someone will sit down to play 'Fable 2' who has never played a game before and they can play with someone who's played games the whole of their lives."

Well, anyone familiar with Mr. Molyneux knows his tendency to be a bit of a blowhard. But with the age of casual gaming dominance over the industry well upon us, it got me thinking about the state of controllers. Months, perhaps even years, go into the design of a controller. Think about the shape of the 360 or PS3 controller. Pretty much the same design, right? Only slight ergonomic differences that make them look distinct.

I feel like a long lineage of controllers, beginning with the Atari's simple one-toggle-one-button setup, has led us to this eventual perfection of controllers. This design is effective for running the full gamut between hardcore games ("Halo 3" online deathmatches) to completely casual games ("Lumines").

Looking back into the history of the industry, you'll find some of the most ridiculous, confusing and horribly designed pieces of hardware you'd ever imagine. Hell, even the Nintendo 64 controller required instructions on how to hold the darn thing. If Molyneux wants to ignore a few buttons, good. His game will probably work just fine and be more accessible to more people. But a recent article on Kotaku quoted "Bioshock" creator Ken Levine as saying, "I think what it is, it's a nice gateway drug. (Casual gaming) makes people understand the principles of gaming ... I think it is going to strictly expand the market, which doesn't scare me very much."

Levine hit the nail on the head. Casual gaming should serve as a way of introducing people to the principles of gaming so when you sit down to play "Call of Duty" with a person who hasn't played video games, they don't feel like they're holding a ticking time bomb in their hands. "Fable 2" will be a great way for non-gamers to get acquainted with the principles of an Action-RPG so they can play more hardcore, more challenging games competently.

But to suggest controller design should be streamlined would be a mistake. I'm a casual gamer who enjoys an occasional hardcore game. I'm no slouch when it comes to "Call of Duty 4" pwnage. And I know that the community is filled with hardcore and professional gamers who aren't as entertained with Wii Sports as your grandma is.

When Molyneux says controllers are too complicated, he's wrong. He should be saying game designers are making their control schemes too complicated, and even then he's only half right. Are you going to need all the buttons to chain together badass combos in the next "God of War," recently confirmed for PS3? Yes, you will. But how can you streamline that to make it accessible to non-gamers? You don't. Like Levine said, casual gaming should be an entry point, not a destination. And I think that "Big Daddy" knows a thing or two about game design.