Elements of game technology: Interactive Design.

Ergonomic consideration is a recent phenomenon to hit the gaming industry. Before mainstream and intuitive consoles such as the Nintendo Wii and the new XBOX Kinect, developers often referred to ergonomic as what did the job. Basic buttons and joysticks were just an ideal method to control very simple and entertaining gaming products. Yet as design becomes increasingly influential in the modern day market, everything has to be taken into consideration when trying to produce a product.

With recent developments such as freehand and three dimensional gaming, a lot of the old controlling mechanics have been thrown out the window, relying on entirely new and adventurous forms of interaction. Yet at a very fundamental level, these systems only manipulate a very small but important set off functions so the consumer can operate the game. For example a gaming controller has eight buttons and two directional pads, enough for the consumers fingers to utilize and certain buttons refer to context based actions. The style of interaction is completely changed when freehand technology is introduced. Classic control mechanics become irrelevant. The Wii in particular exploits this design feature and encourages its users to embrace the motion based play style, its a new generation of gaming, nothing like the arcades or bedroom consoles. It becomes an environment rather than a control in front of a screen.

The questions lies in whether this new wave of interaction is just a contemporary gimmick to involve the audience. Most Hardcore gamers will always choose there trusty controller over a freehand device, purely because it offers familiar and reliable control. The Sensor based devices are certainly a step forward in engrossing player interaction, but until it can become a comfortable, reliable and effective manner of navigating a game environment, its not a great example of controller ergonomics. It's exciting, new and intuitive, but not practical.

Interaction with the player has always been a key design factor for developers, they feel the more attached to their protagonist, the consumer will be more satisfied with the experience as a whole. This is evoked through emotional and visual stimulus, but ultimately the future lies with control design.