4 ms·

I'm left handed, and I previously put my mouse on the left side of the keyboard. I eventually stopped because video games assume you'll use your left hand on th

by csours 3y ago

I'm left handed, and I previously put my mouse on the left side of the keyboard. I eventually stopped because video games assume you'll use your left hand on the keyboard for wasd movement etc. I blame this for my poor performance, I used to be good at video games. Anyway, one day at work, my team lead comes over and tries to use my mouse to show me something. It's not moving. They do a double take, pick up the mouse, and realize it's an orange that was sitting to the right side of my keyboard.

Waterluvian 3y ago
That’s hilarious. I was once in a lecture hall with a friend who was a lefty. I forgot my mouse that day and was using my trackpad. But after break I instinctively came back, sat down, put my hand on my mouse and began driving. He looks at me, my hand on his, on his mouse, and just says, “this isn’t pottery.”
- scooke 3y ago
  I feel like someone ought to acknowledge the Ghost reference for you. Thanks.
- heelix 3y ago
  Pulled a funny on the developer in the cube across from me. Plugged in a second mouse into his computer, and would occasionally wiggle it a bit. He was absolutely sure the office was monitoring everything he did. "It moved again!" Walk around to his side -- nothing. "I'm not crazy. It moved"
  - drewzero1 3y ago
    We did that in my office one April Fools' Day. Switched the wireless receivers on the mice of two coworkers whose desks were across from each other. It was a funny moment but of course they figured it out quickly!
_puk 3y ago
One favourite is to simply spin the magic mouse 180 degrees on the desk.. Takes a few seconds to work out what is going on, every time:)
nier 3y ago
I’m right handed and taught myself to also use the mouse with my left hand but only when playing games. For movement and all the extra functions, it made more sense to me to use the numerical keypad with my dominant right hand. When typing, I can accept the rows of letter keys being shifted horizontally, but it just feels weird using that part of the keyboard for games.
ulizzle 3y ago
The classic pair programming conundrum.
tharkun__ 3y ago
I'm curious why the default keyboard layout of games is of particular issue to a lefty? Asking because while I am not a lefty, I created my own standard 3D game layout way before games made wasd standard. The very first thing in every single game is to go to settings and reconfigure. If you are wondering, it's basically just one to the right. ESDF, which is superior to wasd because it gives more keys to access without having to reach very far. In particular it avoids having to use caps lock, which in some games doesn't even work or it is at the very least very annoying when turning the game off or alt+tabbing out (say coz you died and want to do something other than watch while you wait). As a lefty it seems very conceivable to me that something like uhjk would work comparably?
- csours 3y ago
  Well.... when I started gaming, remapping keys was not a standard capability. And then, it's not just wasd you have to remap. And, again, back in the day your settings did not persist in the cloud. Overall, it just didn't feel worth it. I thought I would eventually catch up with right hand mouse, but I feel like I still don't have the same dexterity that I did. Also, just my 2 cents worth - no matter how much better your capabilities are - users hate changes https://www.nngroup.com/articles/consistency-and-standards/ https://www.nngroup.com/articles/consistency-and-standards/
  - Terr_ 3y ago
    Another potential issue when remapping keys involved rollover and ghosting effects for individual keyboard models. Some clusters of keys were simply better than others when it came to being able to press bunches of them at once--and have the program actually notice--and the modifier keys (control, shift, alt) were especially privileged.
  - tharkun__ 3y ago
    That first point is fair enough. Trying to play an old Tomb Raider is impossible nowadays, as no remapping can be done, so I can't use ESDF, so I won't play it. I don't get the rest though. Of course it's not just WASD you gotta remap. I literally, for each game, go through the entirety of the controls and remap every key around my ESDF as per perceived usefulness of the command. Before I've ever played the game. Then as I start playing I might find that a certain key is more useful or less useful than I thought and I remap them. It always takes a minute or two until my muscle memory adjusts but that's about it. I also agree with the standards thing, which is why I do the ESDF thing. That's what I am used to. And of course there were no cloud persistence and I still don't and won't use Cloud persistence. Why would I do or need that and what does that have to do with anything? I do agree w/ my sibling post that shift, ctrl, alt had some advantage, if you needed a three key combo for something. Like I crouch with Z, so crouched strafing while also moving forward or backwards might have been a problem sometimes. Not nowadays though. I think your issue is at least 50% absolutely not a lefty issue, but a willingness one. You mention you're still not as good when using the mouse w/ your right hand. I think it's totally worth it to "get over that hump" and try the mouse in the left hand and just do that remapping. If I was able to do it consistently throughout the years before Cloud was even a thing, you can do it too! ;)
davidgerard 3y ago
I had RSI and moved my mouse at work to the left and swapped the buttons. Fantastic for infuriating anyone grabbing my mouse.

by csours 3y ago

Waterluvian 3y ago

That’s hilarious. I was once in a lecture hall with a friend who was a lefty. I forgot my mouse that day and was using my trackpad. But after break I instinctively came back, sat down, put my hand on my mouse and began driving. He looks at me, my hand on his, on his mouse, and just says, “this isn’t pottery.”

scooke 3y ago
I feel like someone ought to acknowledge the Ghost reference for you. Thanks.
heelix 3y ago
Pulled a funny on the developer in the cube across from me. Plugged in a second mouse into his computer, and would occasionally wiggle it a bit. He was absolutely sure the office was monitoring everything he did. "It moved again!" Walk around to his side -- nothing. "I'm not crazy. It moved"
- drewzero1 3y ago
  We did that in my office one April Fools' Day. Switched the wireless receivers on the mice of two coworkers whose desks were across from each other. It was a funny moment but of course they figured it out quickly!

_puk 3y ago

One favourite is to simply spin the magic mouse 180 degrees on the desk.. Takes a few seconds to work out what is going on, every time:)

nier 3y ago

I’m right handed and taught myself to also use the mouse with my left hand but only when playing games. For movement and all the extra functions, it made more sense to me to use the numerical keypad with my dominant right hand. When typing, I can accept the rows of letter keys being shifted horizontally, but it just feels weird using that part of the keyboard for games.

ulizzle 3y ago

The classic pair programming conundrum.

tharkun__ 3y ago

I'm curious why the default keyboard layout of games is of particular issue to a lefty? Asking because while I am not a lefty, I created my own standard 3D game layout way before games made wasd standard. The very first thing in every single game is to go to settings and reconfigure. If you are wondering, it's basically just one to the right. ESDF, which is superior to wasd because it gives more keys to access without having to reach very far. In particular it avoids having to use caps lock, which in some games doesn't even work or it is at the very least very annoying when turning the game off or alt+tabbing out (say coz you died and want to do something other than watch while you wait). As a lefty it seems very conceivable to me that something like uhjk would work comparably?

csours 3y ago
Well.... when I started gaming, remapping keys was not a standard capability. And then, it's not just wasd you have to remap. And, again, back in the day your settings did not persist in the cloud. Overall, it just didn't feel worth it. I thought I would eventually catch up with right hand mouse, but I feel like I still don't have the same dexterity that I did. Also, just my 2 cents worth - no matter how much better your capabilities are - users hate changes https://www.nngroup.com/articles/consistency-and-standards/ https://www.nngroup.com/articles/consistency-and-standards/
- Terr_ 3y ago
  Another potential issue when remapping keys involved rollover and ghosting effects for individual keyboard models. Some clusters of keys were simply better than others when it came to being able to press bunches of them at once--and have the program actually notice--and the modifier keys (control, shift, alt) were especially privileged.
- tharkun__ 3y ago
  That first point is fair enough. Trying to play an old Tomb Raider is impossible nowadays, as no remapping can be done, so I can't use ESDF, so I won't play it. I don't get the rest though. Of course it's not just WASD you gotta remap. I literally, for each game, go through the entirety of the controls and remap every key around my ESDF as per perceived usefulness of the command. Before I've ever played the game. Then as I start playing I might find that a certain key is more useful or less useful than I thought and I remap them. It always takes a minute or two until my muscle memory adjusts but that's about it. I also agree with the standards thing, which is why I do the ESDF thing. That's what I am used to. And of course there were no cloud persistence and I still don't and won't use Cloud persistence. Why would I do or need that and what does that have to do with anything? I do agree w/ my sibling post that shift, ctrl, alt had some advantage, if you needed a three key combo for something. Like I crouch with Z, so crouched strafing while also moving forward or backwards might have been a problem sometimes. Not nowadays though. I think your issue is at least 50% absolutely not a lefty issue, but a willingness one. You mention you're still not as good when using the mouse w/ your right hand. I think it's totally worth it to "get over that hump" and try the mouse in the left hand and just do that remapping. If I was able to do it consistently throughout the years before Cloud was even a thing, you can do it too! ;)

davidgerard 3y ago

I had RSI and moved my mouse at work to the left and swapped the buttons. Fantastic for infuriating anyone grabbing my mouse.