Ever since the days of Pong, interactive entertainment has taken the form of a set of verbs. Back then, your single verb was move; you moved the paddle to deflect the ball.
Since those days, console gaming has followed much the same formula: present a challenge to the player that he takes on through the set of verbs that the game makes available to him. Everything the player can do in that game is selected from the list verbs intrinsic to the game design; and that list of verbs is, by necessity, tailored to the base verbs the system's controller offers to the game designer.
The problem limiting innovation in game design is that you must work from the base verbs the controller offers you. At best, you find new ways to use the existing control, be it simple eight-way directional control or an analog stick offering 360 degrees and varying levels of tilt. At worst, you create obscene combinations of button sequences and use sticks in ways God (or the hardware designer, depending on your religion) never intended, trading off accessibility in the process. It all comes back to control options in the end.
Fast-forward to 2006. Nintendo is doing something about it, with their new console slated for release late this year: Wii.
Both visually and manually accessible, Wii's unique single-handed controller isn't just a couple buttons under the player's thumb. In conjunction with sensors placed on a TV, Wii can tell where a particular controller is in the room, what direction it's pointing, even detect rotation along its axis.
Thanks to this unique design, the range of verbs available to game designers just got a huge shot in the arm. In this article, we're bringing you a sampling of the major verbs Wii is going to bring to gaming, as well as an assortment of our own ideas for using such a verb both to enhance existing game experiences as well as create all-new ones.
Pick your verb below, and we'll tell you all about it. When you're done listening to us, head on over to our forums and continue the conversation.
| Point | Grab | Throw | Steer |
| Draw | Wave | Turn | Strike |