Last time I checked, human sight made up 80% of our sensory input. Computers, Books, and sports all rely on sight. Our eyes are powerful tools. They can automatically move and focus on moving objects at variable depths. Countless rods and cones constantly turn light into electronic signals that are interpreted by our brain as images or video. Video games: the key word being “video.” We’ve all played games with broken controllers. We’ve all played with garbled or no sound. But have we played with no visuals? Is that even possible? I’ll always choose to see Smash rather than not. But what about the other 20% of our sensory input? In order to become a better smasher, we have to put this residual percent to use.
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Taste and smell are out the window, leaving us to focus on touch and sound. We’ll start with touch. The only thing that connects you to the game is your controller. Grip it as tightly or loosely as you want. Nintendo makes their products to last. As long as you’re not playing with a wavebird, you can use the controller’s rumble features. Rumble can be a very effective tool. Let’s face it: eyes are great but they only can do so much. Eyes can only focus on one thing at a time. Also, it takes time to sweep them across the TV screen. Having rumble allows you to keep your eyes focused on other parts of the screen. Instead of waiting for you character to hit the ground, you can wait for the rumble and move your eyes to other areas. Though rumble isn’t as accurate as sight, using your eyes in new ways is the key.
Sound. Have you played Melee without the music on? I suggest that everyone tries this at least once. You’ll notice that everything in the game has a distinct sound. My favorites are the echoes on Final Destination, and the sound of the steam rising off your body after you’re burned from a fire attack. If you train your ears well enough, you can “see” what happens in the match even when you’re not looking. You can hear when your opponents dash, jump, attack, dodge, or do signature moves like the Falcon Punch. In the same fashion, the different parts of the gamecube controller makes different sounds. Use that piece of knowledge however you want.
Even if you don’t want to become a better smasher, you can appreciate all the hard work that was put into Smash.
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Taste and smell are out the window, leaving us to focus on touch and sound. We’ll start with touch. The only thing that connects you to the game is your controller. Grip it as tightly or loosely as you want. Nintendo makes their products to last. As long as you’re not playing with a wavebird, you can use the controller’s rumble features. Rumble can be a very effective tool. Let’s face it: eyes are great but they only can do so much. Eyes can only focus on one thing at a time. Also, it takes time to sweep them across the TV screen. Having rumble allows you to keep your eyes focused on other parts of the screen. Instead of waiting for you character to hit the ground, you can wait for the rumble and move your eyes to other areas. Though rumble isn’t as accurate as sight, using your eyes in new ways is the key.
Sound. Have you played Melee without the music on? I suggest that everyone tries this at least once. You’ll notice that everything in the game has a distinct sound. My favorites are the echoes on Final Destination, and the sound of the steam rising off your body after you’re burned from a fire attack. If you train your ears well enough, you can “see” what happens in the match even when you’re not looking. You can hear when your opponents dash, jump, attack, dodge, or do signature moves like the Falcon Punch. In the same fashion, the different parts of the gamecube controller makes different sounds. Use that piece of knowledge however you want.
Even if you don’t want to become a better smasher, you can appreciate all the hard work that was put into Smash.
