As videogame control develops, grasping the gamer in new, unique, and sometimes, strange ways, we the players become exceedingly more involved in the games we interact with. Long ago, control meant nothing more than simply "mashing" a single button. Now, infinitely more complex games require sensitive touch, complex timed button presses, quick movements, and a number of buttons, joysticks, directional pads, and triggers. With the evolution of control comes the growth of the experience. By structuring control to accomodate how one experiences a game, control has become vital in delivering specific feelings and emotions to the player. Below are examples of feelings that have gained new identity with the help of control, along with examples of specific games that feature this feeling/control duo.

Fear:

The Survival/Horror genre of games is always a consistent chart topper. With blockbuster titles like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, it is no surprise that fans enjoy getting a little fright in their nights. This experience, though, is a relatively new phenomenon in the world of video games. Because fear requires a sense of believability, horror games pretty much began with the Sony Playstation, as 3D games and heightened graphics recreated haunted mansions and fields of moaning zombies. No game though, has factored control into its frightfest more so than "Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem" for the Gamecube. In a rarity for videogames, "Eternal Darkness" actually uses the concept of "no control" in its control scheme. By this, I refer to the actually shutting off of the controller itself. Developer Silicon Knights realized that nothing is more frightening than entering a room full of zombies only to stand, frozen, unable to move. Though this is the premier element of fear in the game, other control features like shocking rumbles add to suspenseful moments.

Force:

Whether you're at the receiving end of a crucial blow, or dealing out a hardened punch, control has a huge bearing on the concept of force in games. This reality took its truest form with the creation of the Rumble Pak, the first time in video game history where the player could actually "feel" what was going on in the game. A most perfect example would be EA's Madden, where after a great tackle or painful fall, a rumble signals the hit. On the other end of the ball though, exists a hightened sense of force. Before the rumbling tackle, players can choose how hard the tackle will be by determining how strong to push a button. This analog button system exists in numerous games and has endless involvement in determining strength actions.

Focus:

Back in the day (the NES days), there was not much one could do with a single directional pad and two buttons. Today, analog control allows for much larger possibilities, requiring the player to be mindful of his touch, whether that means jamming down a button, performing a light tap, or determing how far to shift a joystick. This not only adds to realism, but forces the player to engross himself deeper into the mindset of the game. For games where tight maneuvering is key, whether walking around skinny ledges, shifting a paddle to keep your monkey in his ball, or preparing for that clutch sniper shot, focus is the pinnacle of player interaction. Such is the case with Activision's Call of Duty. When proned and aligning a sniper shot, one must watch his breathing as the crosshair shifts ever so slightly. In order to counteract this effect, the player must be sensitive to the joystick (or mouse) to get the shot dead on.