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Button mashing (also button bashing) is the term given to repeated button presses over a short period. Most of the time, button mashing is seen in athletic and Fighting Video Games . ATHLETIC GAMES In athletic games, button mashing is the usual way of making the athlete run or set strength. Over time, different ways of achieving this result have been tried: Epyx relied on moving the directional pad left and right (this practice is commonly called ''joystick wobbling'') and occasionally on 360° turns, Accolade 's ''Challenge'' games used only one button, while other companies (such as U.S. Gold and ATD ) use two buttons. In Olympic Video Games based on the Summer Games, usually only technical events (diving and gymnastics), archery, shooting and others that in reality do not rely much on physical strength are free from button mashing. In games based on Winter events, button mashing usage decreases greatly, since those events are either aerobic (such as cross country) or Alpine skiing, button mashing is reserved for starts (bobsled and luge) or in speed skating. FIGHTING GAMES In fighting games, mashing is usually a desperation tactic rather than an actual skill. Less experienced players will button mash in an attempt to do moves that require a complex series of button presses. In some games, such moves often require combining over 10 button presses in under 3 seconds. Others, like many games based on the '''', in order to break a sword lock, the player has to press one button repeatedly. CRITICISM Sometimes, random button mashing is actually more effective than skilled button pushing. This is frustrating to skilled players, who consider button-mashing a mindless action. There are many games that greatly rewarded the player for punching, kicking, or shooting a gun as fast as possible, which must be achieved through button-mashing. In order to reduce wear on Controllers and allow players to gain the advantages of button mashing without having to actually mash the buttons, some game controllers feature a turbo button. This easily allows the player to maximize performance in games where a single button must be pressed repeatedly, but gives no advantage in fighting games or when two buttons must be pressed repeatedly one after the other. Some games (like '' Metal Gear Solid '' during the torture sequence) attempt to detect turbo buttons and end the game if they receive an unreasonable number of button pushes in a short time or a pattern that is too regular. In response, newer game controllers with turbo buttons feature a lower hit frequency, closer to "human" values, but still high enough to allow passing even the most difficult sequences. Most modern game devices for PC s have drivers and applications that allow the same, and can record complex button sequences for fighting games. Modern game designers recognize that many players do not enjoy hours of button mashing to complete games. The designers often incorporate auto-fire features or power-ups that alleviate button mashing requirements in their games. Button mashing is still used in gameplay, but sparingly during climactic points, such as a tight grapple with an enemy or breaking free from a confining attack. HISTORY AND EXAMPLES Button mashing was first popularized by '' Track & Field '' in 1983 . '' Daley Thompson Decathlon'' ( 1996 ) used mouse clicks and holds, but the formula proved to be only effective or rewarding while playing in a working environment, as it can be perceived as working from distance. Probably the most recent button mashing sequence in a console game is '' The Warriors '' produced by Rockstar Games (which is based on the Movie of the Same Name ), where one can increase one's fighting stamina by performing basic gym exercise. Capcom's '' Resident Evil 4 '' featured several sequences of button mashing incorporated in the gameplay. As of ''. Sonic Rush for the Nintendo DS features a boss which has an intense button mashing finale, this intense mashing of the A and B button causes actual pain, and many gamers have had to pause during the button mashing part to let their hands recover. Many of the minigames in the Mario Party series of games utilize button mashing of some sort, usually in a competitive setting (i.e. the person who can mash the most before time runs out, or who can hit a button multiple times the fastest, will win the minigame). There are also many microgames in the WarioWare series which require the player to mash buttons in order to clear said microgames. In Fighting Game s, a ''scrub'', is a Neologism that refers to a person who is commonly engaged in the physical act of running ones hands aggressively over a six button control layout, "scrubbing" the buttons hoping for a win based on Luck rather than Skill . Origins The Street Fighter series of games posess an arcade control layout consisting of six buttons, each producing a different attack. Because the buttons are close together, a player can opt to run a hand along all six buttons in a motion similar to scrubbing a surface clean. By making use of this tactic, the player will execute a series of random attaks that can overwhelm a beginning player, but are easily defended against by a novice Gamer . Then again, button mashing could just be the player pressing buttons as fast as they can at random. Tactical Execution To a beginner, ''scrubbing'' is preferable to doing nothing, particularly as a fighting game's complexity overwhelms a New Player . In certain games, scrubbing can be tactically beneficial. In X-Men Vs. Street Fighter and Marvel Vs. Capcom , a player using the "easy" control option can exploit the execution of random special attacks with single button presses. In Capcom Vs. SNK 2 EO , random special moves can be easily executed in ''Extreme Offense/Easy Operation'' mode, though it is not technically ''scrubbing'' per se. This mode is meant for use with a Game Pad rather than a six-button arcade layout, hence no "scrubbing" action occurs. Gamers who are defeated by scrubs are often humiliated that they were overcome by an unskilled opponent, thus leading ''scrub'' to be a pejorative term. General Pejorative Usage More recently, ''scrub'' can be used as a general pejorative term to belittle any manner of disagreeable gamer. One form of scrub refers to a player who intentionally limits his strategic choices due to a perceived imbalance in certain dominant gaming strategies that are based on exploiting a particular technique or Combo with a particular character. TACTICAL EXPLOITATION SCRUB PHILOSOPHY The scrub defines the exploited powerful techniques "cheap" and attempts to gather popular support for an Honor System which avoids using said techniques or characters in competitive play. This "scrub" vs. "expert player" dichotomy is not peculiar to fighting games, although that is one of it's best known examples. In many with the intent of minimizing or eliminating the offending Strategy to enhance their personal enjoyment - a form of House Rules . The "expert player" typically criticizes this as establishing a handicap to cope with rules they find too difficult to deal with. The "scrub" will counter this by saying that the "expert players" are exploiting tactics unintended by the developer to the detriment of the system as a whole. Other reasons scrubs may not like certain techniques can be because they may dramatically increase the learning curve of the game without increasing the "fun factor", or dramatically increase the complexity of control input. One example might be "roll canceling" from Capcom VS SNK 2. This technique allows a character to be invincible while performing certain moves by inputting the commands for the move during the first frames of a "roll." The window of time for the input is only a few frames, or only a very small fraction of a second. This technique is difficult to execute and requires intense practice; however, it can be very beneficial to the player that has mastered it. While there was much debate on whether or not to allow this, most tournaments for this game allow the technique. The controversy over it has largely subsided, as the play groups that are most likely object to the practice are also most typically the ones least likely to utilize it, making it somewhat of a non-issue within each camp. It does create something of a rift between the casual and hardcore players, however. What a fighting game player or tournament can consider allowable or against house rules is not exact, creating controversy over use of the scrub term. For example, almost all tournaments ban glitches; for example, in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Juggernaut's ability to permanently knock an opponent out of the match is disallowed. Some other techniques are only banned in the United States and not in Japan. On a local level, what is considered cheap play varies widely. Randomly hitting buttons (button mashing) is called by some as cheap, although it is clearly an inefficient strategy. Most efficient strategies are called cheap at some point as well, as is explained by Sirlin.net: Here we’ve encountered our first clash: the scrub is only willing to play to win within his own made-up mental set of rules. These rules can be staggeringly arbitrary. If you beat a scrub by throwing projectile attacks at him, keeping your distance and preventing him from getting near you…that’s cheap. If you throw him repeatedly, that’s cheap, too. We’ve covered that one. If you sit in block for 50 seconds doing no moves, that’s cheap. Nearly anything you do that ends up making you win is a prime candidate for being called cheap. COUNTERING THE TACTICAL EXPLOITATION SCRUB Another interesting Emergent phenomena is the Arms Race effect that occurs here. Many scrubs claim that the use of dominant strategies reduces complexity of play. This is only true for a limited amount of time. Eventually, a counter may be found to the dominant strategy. The tactic may eliminate the usefulness of the first strategy, thus setting the meta-game back in equilibrium. Alternately, a counter to the counter will be discovered that re-enables use of the original tactic; or a new playstyle entirely developed. This constant search for new dominant strategies can actually increase the complexity of play and leads to novel and unintended strategies that the developers did not foresee, which possibly ultimately leads to more strategic flexibility. A prime example might be Urien from Street Fighter 3 . At first glance, he appears to be an unremarkable Charge Character . One of his " Super Arts ," "Aegis Reflector," was intended for use as a projectile shield. Advanced players eventually discovered it could be utilized to establish unblockable setups (or traps) that otherwise would not be possible. Due to this discovery, Urien is seen as a highly competitive character when played by a skilled gamer, and also one more strategically interesting than a basic charge character. Ultimately, the issue is reduced to "playing to win" versus "playing for fun (or casual play.)" The players marked as scrubs rarely are the tournament-going types, and primarily play casually with friends for the simple enjoyment of the game. This is contrasted to the more hardcore "expert players," who play for both the enjoyment of the game but also for the thrill of victory; and they are characterized by a more intense level of play. The scrub title and controversy is primarily associated with the fighting game mileu, as fighting games are competitive games where design flaws can be very apparent once discovered, and difficult to repair later. In other games (primarily PC games, such as real time strategy games or MMORPGS) patches may be released to correct imbalances. Due to the logistics of deploying an update to many arcades internationally, only major glitches or game-destroying balancing issues warrant a new revision. This phenomenon of "cheap play" and the controversy it comes with is also found in non-digital games. One notable example of this occurring in mainstream sports is the Hockey example of the Neutral Zone Trap . EXTERNAL LINKS
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