Why use wasd

Most of the time, gamers prefer WASD keys over Arrow Keys because they have more controller keys around them, making their grip stronger on other keys to perform other actions in the game. Here, W stands for forward, A stands for left, S for backward, and D for right. The combination of these keys is used for a lot of games. These keys are dedicated keys to control a character in a video game. They have been a part of the gaming industry for a very long time.

Different companies are designing various keyboards types , especially for gamers. Their backlighting system enables the W, A, S, and D to stand out among others for quick access.

It would help if you kept in mind that there are dozens of other combinations available to use rather than WASD, but why have various games set their standard to use WASD. A few decades ago, when gaming was not mainstream, there were no such standard combinations available. Furthermore, every game had been released with its controls. Many other keys were also used, like H for Horn and more.

Did you know? Just for a while, image and try to control your mouse with your left hand. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today to help us keep our work free for all. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.

By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Why gamers use WASD to move. Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. How did it become a standard? Next Up In Video. Delivered Fridays. In the early days of first-person shooters, Fong says the keymappings were all over the place, and even the great Thresh had only just started to play with a mouse at all.

Imagine him just a few years before, sometime around , as a teenager losing a match of Doom against his brother Lyle. Like many Doom players, Fong used only the keyboard. Without the need to look up or down, it was a natural choice—so much that using a mouse was even considered weird. His brother, however, was playing with a keyboard and trackball, and he was winning. After that, he was unbeatable. Did he invent the scheme?

No, probably not. Others were also gravitating to the left side of the keyboard for Doom at the same time. But without Fong's influence, the default could have ended up different. It might have been EDSF, or stranger configurations like ZXC to strafe and move backwards, and the right mouse button to move forwards.

Some early shooters bound movement to the arrow keys. I definitely think I helped popularize it with a certain set of gamers, particularly the ones that played first person shooters. The very concept of a professional gamer was new at the time, and Fong was well-known on the west coast as the best player around.