Button mashing (a.k.a. button bashing) is a term used in console gaming contexts to refer to quick, repeated, and generally random button pressings. Usually, it is employed in an attempt to replace actual skill or practice, but some games have rapid inputs of a single button serve to raise some form of power gauge (see Dragon Ball below). Most of the time, button mashing is seen in athletic and fighting games. When one is speaking of the desperate manoeuver to replace skill, these are the only genres where button mashing might actually be effective. Four different video game consoles from different generations. ... This article describes competitive fighting games in which opponents face off in a battle. ...

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 rely more on skill than 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. Epyx, Inc. ... Accolade was a video game developer and publisher of the 1980s and 1990s. ... // US Gold Corporation - Gold Mining U.S. Gold is a gold exploration company focused on Nevadas Cortez Trend, which is home to some of the worlds largest gold deposits. ... Attention To Detail (short: ATD; official: Attention To Detail Ltd) was a Warwickshire-based British software house that endured nearly 15 years, from its foundation by five University of Birmingham graduates in September 1988 to their liquidation in mid-2003. ... Olympic Gold was the first officially licensed game Olympic videogames is the usual name given to sports video games including more than one event of several sports. ...

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 Dragon Ball franchise, require the player to mash the button to win a "power wave" move (such as a Kamehameha). In games involving swords, like Bushido Blade, Samurai Showdown or Jedi Outcast, in order to break a sword lock, the player has to press one button repeatedly. For the franchise created by Akira Toriyama, see Dragon Ball (franchise). ... Bushido Blade is a 3D fighting game series produced by Squaresoft for the PlayStation featuring one-on-one armed combat. ... Samurai Shodown (Samurai Spirits in Japan), or SS for short, is the name of a fighting game series by SNK. It is considered to be the premier 2D weapons fighter, and is one of the best-known video games created by SNK. This series also started SNKs reputation for...

Criticism

Sometimes, button mashing can prove to defeat a skilled strategy through random chance on singular occasions. This is often frustrating for skilled players, who have merely the opportunity for a rematch at their disposal.

There are many games that greatly reward 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. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

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 PCs have drivers and applications that allow the same, and can record complex button sequences for fighting games. This article is about the original Metal Gear Solid released for the PlayStation. ... While being one of the first personal computers, the Altair 8800 was considered a mere toy due its lack of abilities. ...

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.

"Button Masher" may be used as a derogatory term for a game that purports to require a high level of skill to complete but can be easily conquered by "button mashing".

History and examples

Button mashing was first popularized by Track & Field in 1983. Daley Thompson Decathlon (1984) 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. Track & Field is the name of a series of Olympic themed video games developed by Konami for several platforms since 1982. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Francis Morgan Thompson, CBE (born July 30, 1958 in Worcester Park), known commonly as Daley Thompson, is a former English decathlete and arguably the greatest the world had ever seen. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. The Warriors is a beat em up video game released on October 17, 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. ... It has been suggested that Rockstar Advanced Game Engine be merged into this article or section. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ...

Eddy Gordo, a character in Namco's Tekken series, has been criticized in the past for his useful, low hitting capoeira attacks. Some fans complained that he was cheap, as mashing the two kick buttons could actually lead to a reasonably powerful string of attacks. This has been toned down somewhat in more recent games. Eduardo Eddy Gordo is a video game character in the Tekken fighting game series. ... This article is about the game series. ...

In Final Fantasy VIII, the strength of Guardian Forces can be increased by repeatedly pressing the square button during the sequence showing the GF powering up. Although if square is pressed during certain intervals, the GF’s power is set back to the lowest level, causing the player to boost from scratch. Final Fantasy VIII ) is a console and computer role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ...

Capcom's Resident Evil 4 featured several sequences of button mashing incorporated in the gameplay. For the original NASA meaning, see capsule communicator. ... Resident Evil 4 ), is a survival horror game published and developed by Capcom. ...

God of War used several instances of this, such as when trying to finish off the 1st boss, the Hydra, and dealing with the various minotaurs throughout the game. This article is for the PlayStation 2 game. ...

As of 2006, there has been something of a resurgence of games relying extensively on button mashing, two examples being Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy in the US) and Leisure Suit Larry 8: Magna Cum Laude. For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love for Sail! Leisure Suit Larry is the title character of a series of adult adventure games written by Al Lowe and published by Sierra On-Line from the 1980s to the present. ...

Sonic Rush for the Nintendo DS features a boss (the Sonic vs. Blaze fight) which has an intense button mashing finale. This intense mashing of the A and B button causes actual pain^{[citation needed]}, and many gamers have had to pause during the button mashing part to let their hands recover. What's more, before this boss, there is another boss requiring you to button mash to avoid being blown off the battle platform by a pair of huge fans. Sonic Riders requires lots of control stick rotation, which is similar to the Mario Party series (see below). Sonic Rush (ソニック ラッシュ) is a Sonic the Hedgehog game for the Nintendo DS. It was developed by Dimps, and published by Sega. ... “NDS” redirects here. ... Sonic the Hedgehog comic book version, see Sonic the Hedgehog (comic character). ... Blaze the Cat ) is a fictional character in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, created by Sonic Team and owned by Sega, who made her debut in the Nintendo DS video game, Sonic Rush. ... Fan may refer to the following: Fan (aficionado) (the bracketed word being the Spanish translation), someone who has an intense liking of a sporting. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

Many of the minigames in the Mario Party series 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). In the first game, there were also some minigames that required to rotate the analog stick very fast in order to win. This forced gamers to rotate with their palm, causing severe damage to the stick and themselves. As a result, the stick rotation games were discontinued immediately; there were none in Mario Party 2 or any subsequent game in the series (though, it might no longer be a problem, as the Nintendo GameCube's control stick is more comfortable than the Nintendo 64's stick). There are also many microgames in the WarioWare series which require the player to mash buttons in order to clear said microgames. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Mario Party ) is the first in a series of board game style video games for Nintendo platforms, featuring popular characters from the Mario series. ... Mario Party 2 is the second in a series of board game style video games for Nintendo platforms, featuring popular Nintendo characters. ... The Nintendo GameCube , GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the sixth generation era. ... The Nintendo 64 ) is Nintendos third home video game console, and its third home video game console for the international market. ... ...

External links

• The perils & pleasures of button mashing at fustar.org