The genres of PC games that have been influenced and affected by the development of gaming keypads are first-person shooters (FPS), third-person action-adventure, and massively multiplayer online games (MMO). In each of these styles of games, there is control over the movement of one character, and this traditionally is done by the WASD keys.
A gaming keypad is a small, auxiliary keyboard designed only for gaming. It has a limited number of the original keys from a standard keyboard, and they are arranged in a more ergonomic fashion to facilitate quick and efficient gaming key presses.
The commonly used keys for
gaming on a computer are the 'W', 'A', 'S', 'D', and the keys close and
adjacent to these keys. These keys and style of using a keyboard is referred to
as WASD. A gaming keypad will not only optimize the WASD layout, but will often contain extra
functionality, such as volume control, the Esc. key, and the F1–F12 keys.
The benefits of having a gaming keypad over a
traditional keyboard are many. Reduced
size - Whether the player is looking to free up desktop space while they are
gaming, or are looking for a keyboard that is more conducive to resting in
their lap while they sit back and indulge their gaming desires, a keypad can
give them the option of something much more manageable.
Ergonomic design – Many of the new keypads
have been designed such that they are as comfortable to use as possible while
gaming. This reduces the amount of fatigue that the player's hand experiences
while playing. It also reduces the possibility of hand injury that could occur
from prolonged use of a keyboard. More available keys – While most of the
keypads do not invent new buttons, they do make more of the already existing
buttons more accessible to the fingertips without having to relocate or move
the entire hand. Some of them can almost double the amount of buttons that
could be normally reached by the hand and fingers. Extras – for example; volume
control, macro buttons, quick keys, USB ports, or headset ports.
The two primary, and most commonly used,
devices for players to use when gaming on a computer are the mouse and the
keyboard. While both are integral in the interaction of the game, their
evolutionary track has not been equal.
The mouse, over the years, has had better adaptation and incorporation
into gaming than the keyboard has. This could easily be attributed to the fact
that the mouse is a much more simplified device. The mouse has had many
advances to make it a much more adapted device for gaming. It has been upgraded
from a rolling ball to an optical sensor, and the optical sensor has been
upgraded to a laser.
The results of these progressions have allowed
players increased sensitivity and accuracy while in a game environment. The
mouse has also been equipped with increasingly more buttons. Starting with two
buttons, the mouse can now be found with up to seventeen buttons.[1] Buttons
have also become programmable, such that the player can perform a greater
variety of actions with their mouse. The
keyboard has not seen as much advancement in terms of making it a formidable
gaming device. The keyboard is mostly viewed as simply a conglomeration of over
a hundred keys that are placed and configured for typing efficiently, not for
navigating a character through a virtual world. There have been some
modifications made to keyboards to entice a gamer, such as adding macro buttons
on the perimeter of the keyboard, or having keys that glow in the dark. Still
today the shape and layout of a keyboard remains the same, optimised for word
processing but not gaming. Recently,
certain companies have started to introduce mini-keyboards, or sub-keyboards,
that are specifically designed to maximize the gaming experience. These are
commonly referred to as gaming keypads.
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