Tandem

Following the development of technology, the video game industry keeps rising rapidly year by year. This growth reflects the increasing market and popularity of playing video games, and attracts more players to boost the population of gamers. Also, playing video games has been proven to have several benefits to help people build new social connections or strengthen the existing bonds by playing together and having shared playful experiences. However, the design of contemporary game controllers is not friendly enough to help different players create joyful experiences because of the complex layout of inputs and a sharp learning curve. In order to create a more inclusive and intuitive game controller for different video gamers playing with others, this thesis combines the history of console controllers to understand the context of the controller’s development, and compare different kinds of game controllers to define the hidden problems of controllers. Unlike the contemporary game controllers pursuing a better individual playing experience, TANDEM focuses on improving the experience of people playing video games together, taking different kinds of gamers into account. With the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative research, the final objective distills and combines the features from different user interfaces to provide a possibility for the game controller industry and break through the deadlock. A set of console controllers is proposed to create a new gameplay experience and aims to break down the barrier between experienced and casual gamers. This project will open the door to invite more people to join and play with each other, feeling the excitement of the gaming world with infinite possibilities.