Left handed gamers: is your layout different?

[ChristopherT]

Left handed, I've always used my mouse with my right hand, and otherwise play right-handed. I've tried using a mouse with my left hand and I can't at all. Everything else I do left handed, write, throw, swing, stand on a board, but gaming I learned it right handed I guess. I don't know, someone put me in front of a computer, the mouse was on the right, so I grabbed it with my right hand, it just made sense and worked for whatever reason.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

While left handed, I've been playing mostly on consoles anyway and from a young age at that...I was pretty much conditioned from the word Go to be comfortable playing with WADS on those occasions that I play games on the PC.

Pffh, lefties. They *choose* to be left-handed and expect the rest of the world to conform and accept them. They should use WASD like normal folk and leave their strange left-handed lifestyle behind closed doors. I especially don't want any left-handed types stirring my coffee clockwise, as though it's perfectly acceptable.

Yes, I CHOSE to be stigmatized my entire life by you "normal" right handed people. I CHOSE to be left handed so I wouldn't be able to use the scissors in school and because I LIKE having black marks on my hand while I write or draw!

In all seriousness Gambit, that post made me chuckle

 

[waj9876]

I'm left-handed, but I use the computer like a right-handed person. But then I usually use things like a right-handed person.

I am left-handed though. I write, draw, and eat with my left hand. As well as some other stuff. I guess I just grew up using right-handed people's stuff, so I got used to it.

 

[Magix]

While left handed, I've been playing mostly on consoles anyway and from a young age at that...I was pretty much conditioned from the word Go to be comfortable playing with WADS on those occasions that I play games on the PC.

Pffh, lefties. They *choose* to be left-handed and expect the rest of the world to conform and accept them. They should use WASD like normal folk and leave their strange left-handed lifestyle behind closed doors. I especially don't want any left-handed types stirring my coffee clockwise, as though it's perfectly acceptable.

Yes, I CHOSE to be stigmatized my entire life by you "normal" right handed people. I CHOSE to be left handed so I wouldn't be able to use the scissors in school and because I LIKE having black marks on my hand while I write or draw!

In all seriousness Gambit, that post made me chuckle

Oh god, I can't get through a day in school without my left pinkie being blue from the pen

 

[x EvilErmine x]

I'm a lefty for writing, throwing, and eating (I hold the fork in my left, knife in the right) only. Everything else I do with my right hand so I don't really have a problem with right handed things like scissors or can openers.

Since I was little I was forced to use my right had so I think it's a case of having ambidexterity beaten into me rather than it being something innate so maybe there is some sort of 'cure' for left handedness after all. I do sometimes wonder though if i would be better off using a left handed guitar, I've tried one before and it felt odd but i don't know if i gave it a proper chance, maybe i should get a cheapo lefty one and give it a go.

Edit

As for writing then i think i may be a very odd fish in that i prefer using a fountain pen to a biro and I don't smudge the page at all, but then according to everyone who sees me write says i write upside down, but i have no idea what they mean by that.

 

[Rolaoi]

I'm left-handed and use ESDF. The only awkwardness I've ever experienced from being left-handed is that I used to smudge when I wrote.

 

[Cerebrawl]

A sidenote here as well, which might factor into this. I'm lefthanded but cross-dominant, IE: my right eye is my dominant eye, though I can swap at will, it defaults to my right eye.

 

[Creator002]

My left-handed friend uses mice, keyboards and controllers normally and doesn't find it uncomfortable in the slightest. He's used to it that way.

Spoiler: Not sure if entirely relevant, since this is about me attempting to be left handed, so I've spoiler-ed it just in case.

When I was on a quest to become ambidextrous/mixed-handed (natural right-hander), I moved everything over to a left-handed setup. I used IKJL (as opposed to WSAD) for movement and reversed the clicks of my mouse. When playing flash games at school, I always used IKJL for movement and keys on the left side of the keyboard for actions, so that wasn't too hard to adjust to.
Now, since I've built a gaming PC, my mouse is built to be used by the right hand, so I just have it there and I'm pretty comfortable using either hand for most actions, so I see no reason to force myself to stay to a left handed setup.

I especially don't want any left-handed types stirring my coffee clockwise, as though it's perfectly acceptable.

When using my right hand, I stir clockwise. Left hand, anti-clockwise. I write the letter O and number 0 the same way. Clockwise with right hand, anti-clockwise with left hand. (Unless it's normal to do it that way and I misunderstood your post.)

 

[CardinalPiggles]

I use the right handed way of playing even though I'm left handed too. But there are enough people that can't or don't feel comfortable doing it the right handed way to justify making the keys fully rebindable. There is absolutely no justification for not making the keys fully rebindable, none whatsoever. Yes ok the devs should make the default key layout the way they think the game should be played, and maybe make a couple of preset options but still let people rebind their keys the way they feel comfortable playing.

For the right handed players (and lefties that play right handed alike) isn't it annoying when there is a key on the other side of the keyboard that needs to be pressed? Imagine being left handed and having about half your games do that to you.

I totally agree with TotalBiscuit in the sense that there should always be plenty of options.

 

[RevRaptor]

I've never been a fan of wsad but I don't really think being a lefty has that much to do with it. I used to play with my mouse in my left hand but now I use an N52te speedpad and a trackball. so now I play left to move and right to look just like pretty much everyone else. It feels pretty natural that way, plus I'm used to that set up from playing with a gamepad

 

[Branindain]

I use left-hand on the mouse and arrow keys are preferable to WASD, or I use IJKL if I'm gonna need access to strafe keys or some such near the movement keys. Technically I'm ambidextrous but whichever hand I first learned to do something with has the advantage.

 

[Someone Depressing]

Nope. I'm perfectly happy. Infact, WASD is god loads better than the Directional Keys.

The only real problem is when I'm playing fighting games, when my character is facing left, it tend to be difficult to pull or harder comboes or specials. But I just suck it up.

 

[Stabby Joe]

The ONLY instance of my writing hand being at odds with a game is Liberation Maiden on the 3DS (apparently not the only game with this issue). As for mouse and keys, I didn't think there was a difference for right and left. If there was you could always just use the arrow keys instead.

 

[Evonisia]

I'm part of the left handed master race and I'm fine with WASD and using the mouse with the right hand. At least that's what I think the 'default' is. Edit: I also use the default controls on consoles, I don't know how you're supposed to play with the left handed controls. I looked at them for Call of Duty once and just backed away.

When I was a kid I used to use the arrow keys with the left and hold the mouse with the right hand just to confuse matters.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

I especially don't want any left-handed types stirring my coffee clockwise, as though it's perfectly acceptable.

When using my right hand, I stir clockwise. Left hand, anti-clockwise.

Clockwise with your right hand!? Are you some sort of strange mutant-man?

We may joke about these things, but there are some [http://961joyfm.com/celebrity-demands-stir-my-coffee/] for whom this is actually a thing, or so it would seem.

 

[Total LOLige]

Somewhat off topic but I have a right handed friend that plays Call of Duty using the "Southpaw" control scheme, which I think is meant for lefties. He does this because another friend changed his controls when he first started playing as a joke.

 

[Grace_Omega]

I've experimented with layouts intended for left-handed players. I feel that some of them, particularly swapping the movement/aiming sticks on a controller, could be really beneficial, but at this point the standard configuration is just too ingrained for me to switch. I think I would have had to start out playing like that as a child.

The only concession to left-handedness I make is using my mouse with my left hand, since I started out doing that when I first learned to use a computer.

 

[cerebus23]

Its good to change hands keeps the neural pathways conneting and networkig.

I can use a mouse and kb right handed or left handed, at home i use my left hand for mouse and right hand for kb and use wasd space etc just fine.

work i tend to use mouse right handed and kb with my left. just they way pcs are setup at work. nm most home pcs when i've done tech support and installs and stuff.

its good to be flexible.

i if anuything rebind key to wasd and hate the arrow keys or numberpad for movement. the whole wasd, space to jump, q e to straif or lean, works. for me at lest no matter what hand i am using.

 

[Magix]

A sidenote here as well, which might factor into this. I'm lefthanded but cross-dominant, IE: my right eye is my dominant eye, though I can swap at will, it defaults to my right eye.

How do you even know which eye is dominant? O.O