How to control body movement when playing video games with a game pad/controller?

[Scholarkin]

I have been gaming for some years and I have come to realized that some people follow the movement of the game pad /controller.
Some people even kick things due to their vigorous movements in unison with the game pad.
It is because of lack of good coordination?
I am a living testimony.
I can't play a game without following the movement of the game pad.

 

[Paladin$]

Easy just strap your arms to the desk and your legs to the chair for a good gaming experience.

 

[JaiGuru]

I have been gaming for some years and I have come to realized that some people follow the movement of the game pad /controller.
Some people even kick things due to their vigorous movements in unison with the game pad.
It is because of lack of good coordination?
I am a living testimony.
I can't play a game without following the movement of the game pad.

I wish I could help, but I can commiserate! My mother would occasionally sit in to play Super Mario Bros. with us when we were kids. Every single time she jumped she would rapidly lift the controller like she was flipping pancakes as though this would somehow boost Mario higher. I'd laugh and joke at her expense and try to show her that you didn't have to do that. Fast forward many years to the Wii era and there's Miyamoto-san himself demoing a New Super Mario Bros title at an E3 show. And what do you think he was doing? Yup! Mr. Mario himself was making that same pancake-flipping motion with the controller every time he jumped. I had to show the video to my mother so she could get the last laugh. And to make matters worse, as I've gotten older I've started doing some of that sort of thing too! I'll lean to the side I'm trying to direct a character or my stomach will bottom out when I jump Link off of a particularly tall cliff. That's what I get for being a little smart ass!

 

[BatmanWayne]

I think that I have the same issue, I like to play, but I get very, very stressed when I am losing or if I am in a tense moment, then if I have to make something drastic in a game I always move, I use to move my legs, my arms, it is funny, but I don't think that it is a bad thing, I only try to not hit someone or kick my brother when he is beating me in a game :sweatsmile:.

 

[LydiaHilda]

If there's a solution, I don't know what it is. If I'm playing a driving game, I'll lean my whole body in the direction I want the vehicle to go, even though that's not how I drive in real life! Or if I'm playing a console game, if I'm extremely focused on getting a character over a jump, I'll bounce up in my seat to "help" the game. It's always if I'm super immersed in the game.

 

[Gladdy]

I think people tend to do this because they get so into the game that they even for a second forget about the rest of the world around them - they truly feel like leaning or moving will help them with the movement. I personally never did this though. I was always one of those calm controller users - the only thing that I do is when I die, I curse a bit other than that, I don't really move around with my pad. I just sit there and play. You could maybe try controlling it by being more conscious of what you're doing while playing? Make an effort to stop doing it and it might help. But if this is a long habit then it'll be hard to break out of.

 

[TsuyoyRival]

As a child I would do that a lot, almost kicking the screen as i jumped and whirled with Crash Bandicoot. Such good memories eheh. Anyways, I'm not sure if this has something to do with less or higher coordination, but for sure i was doing this at my early years as a gamer, and now I don't usually do that, and if I do, I do it unconsciously.

 

[arachnophobik]

I used to have it whenever I'm very new to a certain game, but I don't anymore. I used to shake a lot every time I play Counter Strike, and every time I get hit would make my whole body jump out of surprise and I would start cussing uncontrollably due to shock. I eventually got over it as I played the game more often. I used to know this woman who plays SNES racing games and would have her whole body move to which direction she was pressing. So much immersion lol.

 

[PenguinManiac]

I think you just get used to it. I still find myself wiggling along the car when playing racing games, but I've always enjoyed it, so I never thought I actively had to do something about it. It's easy to pick up this habit if you've started gaming as a kid, though, and I'm sure a lot of people do that.
I guess the quickest way to get rid of it is to play on handheld consoles. You can't stare at the screen correctly if you don't stand still, so it's easy to stop moving around with it. Plus, handhelds don't have as good a grip as controllers, and it's hard to feel comfortable while twisting the console with the constant fear of watching it drop to the ground at any time.

 

[Scholarkin]

Easy just strap your arms to the desk and your legs to the chair for a good gaming experience.

Thanks for the advise.
I will work on that.

 

[Scholarkin]

I wish I could help, but I can commiserate! My mother would occasionally sit in to play Super Mario Bros. with us when we were kids. Every single time she jumped she would rapidly lift the controller like she was flipping pancakes as though this would somehow boost Mario higher. I'd laugh and joke at her expense and try to show her that you didn't have to do that. Fast forward many years to the Wii era and there's Miyamoto-san himself demoing a New Super Mario Bros title at an E3 show. And what do you think he was doing? Yup! Mr. Mario himself was making that same pancake-flipping motion with the controller every time he jumped. I had to show the video to my mother so she could get the last laugh. And to make matters worse, as I've gotten older I've started doing some of that sort of thing too! I'll lean to the side I'm trying to direct a character or my stomach will bottom out when I jump Link off of a particularly tall cliff. That's what I get for being a little smart ass!

Wow, very interesting comment. I'm in love with your story.
I guess, I'm worst at controlling game character with respect to my body movement. I even kick football myself before a referee whistle for the character to strike.
Haha, back to the story, your mum is a good predictor..

 

[Scholarkin]

Nice experiences comments up there. Sure, those movements aren't bad but I don't think I will stop It any moment from now since it has been same story from infancy till now.

 

[rockandgreen]

It depends on how finely you can control your nerves and bodily responses and functions. A finer motor control means you can control what parts of your body respond to what stimuli. It just comes with practice.

 

[Frank]

Yeah, this used to happen to me too. Not so much lately, but when I was a teenager and just started getting into gaming, my leg twitched when I was playing PS3 and I knocked it off a coffee table and onto my leg. Messed up my ankle and the console. These days I'm much more careful where I put my legs LOL

 

[ZXD22]

I would just get used to it. I would bend and move my gaming chair around with the twitches and that usually works well for me at least.

 

[giovanniiiii]

I have seen that this is actually common for people who are not used to playing games yet they find the game they are playing rather fun and thrilling. I find it really funny how people tilt to a side with their controller while playing driving games and that when playing fighting games, they are mashing the attack button as hard as they can, in the hope that it will deal a lot of damage. I'm not ridiculing them or shaming them since with no familiar knowledge for video gaming, you'll do so too and I guess your muscle memory remembers it.
I don't move with the character while playing video games but I always flinch when I am surprised and I subconsciously groan whenever I am playing video games. For example, when my character is near dying and I am about to win too, I groan while fighting enemies. It's as if I'm giving out a battle cry. I know it is not necessary but it's a habit that will be hard for me to remove, just like moving with body movements.

 

[olaryeankarh]

I am a bad gamer. Lol!
In fact, I am totally guilty of this funny gesture. I hardly play games without having to do all those things. So well, I used to think it means I am actively in the game. Or perhaps, I have passion for the game to a great extent. Am I wrong?
You know, it's hard to keep cool when you are trying to defeat a monster 10x your size (physically and virtually). I just have to give it everything I've got. Any tips to help this issue, please?

 

[Scholarkin]

I would just get used to it. I would bend and move my gaming chair around with the twitches and that usually works well for me at least.

Hahaha, this is funny but very true. This happens to me too.
But sadly, I can't get over it. It has become part of me

 

[Scholarkin]

I have seen that this is actually common for people who are not used to playing games yet they find the game they are playing rather fun and thrilling. I find it really funny how people tilt to a side with their controller while playing driving games and that when playing fighting games, they are mashing the attack button as hard as they can, in the hope that it will deal a lot of damage. I'm not ridiculing them or shaming them since with no familiar knowledge for video gaming, you'll do so too and I guess your muscle memory remembers it.
I don't move with the character while playing video games but I always flinch when I am surprised and I subconsciously groan whenever I am playing video games. For example, when my character is near dying and I am about to win too, I groan while fighting enemies. It's as if I'm giving out a battle cry. I know it is not necessary but it's a habit that will be hard for me to remove, just like moving with body movements.

I'm used to playing games since infancy but I still do the movements so I'm not in total agreement with your first point.
Yeah, it's normal to groan when your character is losing his /her battle. Lol

 

[Scholarkin]

I am a bad gamer. Lol!
In fact, I am totally guilty of this funny gesture. I hardly play games without having to do all those things. So well, I used to think it means I am actively in the game. Or perhaps, I have passion for the game to a great extent. Am I wrong?
You know, it's hard to keep cool when you are trying to defeat a monster 10x your size (physically and virtually). I just have to give it everything I've got. Any tips to help this issue, please?

Hahaha.
In the world of gaming, I think we are twins from different mothers. I do all these but I'm not a bad gamer though.