Gamers are a very loud and proud bunch. When someone wins, he will attribute it to l33t skillz, superior hand-eye coordination and a bunch of other bullcrap, only about half of which is true. Then when he finishes last on the ladder, the player will blame lag, an overheating computer, or even a surprise alien invasion… anything except himself.

But did you ever stop and think how the simple act of clicking can affect your gameplay?

No matter what game you play, the mouse click is perhaps one of the most basic moves there is. It’s used to select units, issue orders, fire a weapon, hack/slash an enemy dragon, and even satisfy a virtual person (for those um… alternative Japanese games).

Unless you’re playing Typing of the Dead or racing games with a steering wheel, there is NO way you could play a game without at least one mouse click.

That said, just how can it affect your game? We’ll show you how.

Action / FPS

Left-click is the most important move in any shooter. Without it, you might as well be playing a hide-and-seek game with Combine soldiers.

Clicking is essential for two reasons: one, it lets you fire the current weapon, and two, it determines how much ammo you spend per burst. To be successful, you need both speed and dexterity. Speed because you need to be able to shoot the moment that terrorist / Orc / zombie pops its ugly head in the doorway, and dexterity because you must be capable of short, well-timed bursts in order to conserve your ammo while finishing off the target as opposed to wounding them.

To do this, make use of the tutorials. Practice your speed-clicking and reaction times. In addition, gauge how many bullets you waste with each gun for every second that your finger stays on the trigger.

RPG

Similar to FPSes, clicking lets you swing your weapon or activate a special ability. However, this can be a daunting task if your left hand is tapping a special key combo while your right is moving the mouse and left- or right-clicking as needed. The brain has trouble synchronizing two different movements.

To enhance your game play, you need to focus more on the left hand than the right. You can only speed-click so much. However, being able to perform those combos without looking at the keyboard will allow you to fix your eyes on the screen and the action. So practice touch-typing, while using the mouse at the same time.

RTS

This is perhaps the one game where clicking counts the most. Whether it’s the old C&C series or Supreme Commander 2, clicking is how you build units and structures, group units, issue orders, and fight or flee from the battlefield.

Before you start clicking, make sure you have the right tool for the job. A laser mouse with high DPI can be valuable in translating your wrist movements to the screen. The focus is on your reaction time. You need to be able to move the mouse exactly where you want to, and as fast as possible. This is crucial in going from the Mines to the War Factory and producing tanks faster than your enemy.

If you want to be perfect at games, you’ll need to have a mean button mashing finger. Most games have some sort of spin of this gameplay style prevalent and its easy to see why. It doesn’t require skill, but yet, there are skillful ways go about mashing the buttons. There’s a time and a place to be mashing the buttons. Mashing buttons in an arcade fighting game isn’t gonna get you any good reputation points. You’ll look like a fool and no one will want to play with you. Besides that, you’ll develop carpal tunnel syndrome and that’s not cool.

Mashing the buttons, usually the A button, works best in race situations. If an adventure game throws to you some sort of race, it will more likely than not involve punching buttons. Best be careful and follow this advice. Breathe as much as you can get a chance. Nobody likes a dead gamer. Also drink some water before the big button mashing showdown.

First thing’s first, decide what finger is best to mash with. The thumb is the most popular choice, and probably the best standby, especially if its a lower button on the controller. If you decide to mash with the thumb, keep it stiff. In other words, don’t bend at the joint, that can cause trouble down the line. Technique lies in shaking the whole hand like you’re having a minor seizure. Don’t bend the wrist, only a shake is necessary. It’s also like a twisting motion or even a flick like you’re playing text twist with a friend.

To make sure you don’t get stuck and maintain a fluid button mashing motion, bring the twist of the hand to the button clean. Wash your hands before the mashing begins. Otherwise, friction is going to wreck all kinds of havoc on your sorry ass. Another secret requires tools, preferably two pencils. You want to position the controller on something very stable, maybe the back of a chair might work fine. Hold the two pencils (again with clean hands) with the eraser sides facing the button in need of mashing. Keep the distance between the pencils and your face far away so you don’t poke your eyes out. Now again shake like the last technique, but this time with each pencil held tightly between the forefingers and the thumb. Now you can mash single buttons twice as fast as a normal gamer!