10 Video Game Design Rules You Can Never Unsee

1. Thumbstick Correction

Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar

And finally, a trick that's said to be "pretty standard in AAA" is thumbstick correction, whereby a game will subtly ignore a player's inputs if they're about to collide with the environment and sneakily manoeuvre them around it for the sake of a smoother experience.

In perfect conditions it prevents the player from walking into walls or getting stuck in environmental objects, but as Red Dead Redemption 2 proved last year, it can also result in the feeling that the controls are a little too floaty and sluggish.

But Rockstar wasn't just getting lazy with how they programmed the controls: this was an active attempt to guide players around the world, though the game's overall meditative pace ensured the approach didn't work for everyone.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.