Customization Is King

Most gamers I know don’t play fighting games. If they do, they stick to Mortal Kombat or Soul Caliber, play them intensely for a few days, and then leave off of them for a year or two until the new versions come out.

My husband, however, is a big Street Fighter fan. So I get to hear about all the fun accessories that will make his playing for hours on end that much more fun, such as the new Mad Catz Official Street Fighter™ IV FightStick™ coming out this year:

As you can see, Mad Catz (who has a reputation for making those really cheap, crappy accessories you find at GameStop) has decided to change things up for this model. The buttons are swappable, the disconnects are labeled and color-coded, nothing is soldered down…this means that the stick is fully customizable. As a special touch, you can even swap out the artwork on the top of the base for your own (Mad Catz is releasing a template so you can print and cut your art to fit). To top it all off they’re using Sanwa Denshi hardware, commonly considered the best in the industry.

It’s certainly getting top reviews, and even won “Best of CES” according to IGN. So, what makes this joystick so great? My theory is that it has little to do with being associated with SFIV, or even the great hardware. I think it has more to do with the customizability. I don’t think any other company has ever produced a joystick that is so easy to customize…that encourages you to make your own custom artwork, change the color or the manufacturer of the buttons (which an arcade or fighting game fan can be very picky about), and basically make entirely your own…not without having to learn how to use a soldering gun.

This to me reinforces the fact that people are happy when they can craft their entertainment environment to reflect their individuality. Whether it’s a joystick, your XBox’s dashboard theme, or your computer wallpaper…people thrive on expression of their individual self. Even if no one else ever sees it, the fact that it doesn’t have to be set to the manufacturer’s default settings make the experience more enjoyable…and definitely helps with viral marketing, if not outright sales.