Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve got a gaming habit. I’ve got a gaming habit as well and sickeningly enough, it even has habits of it’s own! For example: In a FPS, if given the ability, I save around almost every corner. It’s not always necessary but for some reason I do it anyway, that’s why I call it a habit.

I think this sort of thing rings true for everyone in some way. Even though our individual genre interests might vary greatly, there are still habits that we carry across each and every game. Many of these tendencies simply cannot be shaken, no matter how hard we try.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret and I’m a little ashamed to say it. After reading this, I hope that you don’t view me in a negative light. I’m the average gamer just like you but for some reason, this particularly horrid trait has been infused into my psyche. No, I’m not a FPS jumper or the guy who sings into your headset….it’s much, much worse than that. This is very difficult for me to admit, I’m working through it…..okay here it is. Do you mind if I whisper it?

I invert the Y.

That’s right, you heard me. I “invert the Y” and according to the default settings of every single first and third person game released, I’m in the minority. I don’t quite understand how generations of gamers could be divided between players who believe down is really…down and those who believe down is actually “up”? Does it run deeper than just what we’ve been accustomed to over the years?

First off, what is this whole y-axis anyway? The standard description is simply the vertical of a two-dimentional plane. The idea of inverting Y refers to reversing the “look” controls into what many refer to as, “Flight Controls.” Pulling back on the flight stick of an aircraft causes it to rise, pushing forward causes it to descend. How these controls transferred over to an analog stick-controlled, first or third person shooter is pretty baffling, or is it?

Understanding a Yinverter

Breaking down the thought process behind a, “Normal” and “Inverted” y-axis might actually be easy. The individual who prefers a “normal” y-axis believes simply that pushing down should lower the line of sight or aim and pushing up, obviously, would raise it.

Someone who believes that the y-axis needs to be inverted believes in controlling the mechanism behind what makes that line of sight increase or decrease and not just the actual line of sight itself. Possibly unknowingly believing that they’re controlling a flying camera that hovers behind the player.

Does this “flying camera” theory imply that Yinverters view a 3D world in a different light or what could be considered as, “outside the box?” I asked a Yinverter recently about the idea of NOT inverting the Y. Here’s what he had to say,

“That’s just stupid,” and then went into a rant about flight controls and how down is up and up is down, blah blah. Well, that answer still has no bearing on why flight controls would be used in a 3rd or 1st Person, non-flight, video game. My “flying camera” idea does plug a very small piece of the hole.

What About Me?

Could it be that I just learned how to play my first 1st Person shooter with inverted controls and could never get used to anything else? That’s the simple answer, however it’s flawed when I take into consideration all the other gaming habits I’ve changed over the years. An inverted y-axis is definitely not one of them, it’s a mandatory gameplay feature for me. I’m confident that if inverting the y-axis was removed entirely from the industry, I’d probably have to take up knitting instead. If you thought this blog post was boring…

So in the end, which is correct? Is an inverted y-axis incorrect simply because it’s not the default setup in every first or third person game? Should an inverted setup only be used in flight simulations? Do gamers who invert the y-axis possibly think, “outside the box?” More importantly,

Do you invert the Y?

(Disclaimer: No analog sticks were injured in the writing of this post.)