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The curious tendency of video game players to do completely unnecessary actions over and over and over again--regardless of their actual effect on gameplay. In Platformers, some people will jump and Double Jump even when they're not crossing platforms--they simply bound across the landscape. In an Action Adventure game, they might turn an Unnecessary Combat Roll into an Unnecessary Anything Roll, somersaulting everywhere they go. A First-Person Shooter player with unlimited ammo might just unload rounds into the environment. An RPG player waiting for an Overly-Long Fighting Animation to finish might mash their buttons in time with the music.

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  • Player Tic
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  • The curious tendency of video game players to do completely unnecessary actions over and over and over again--regardless of their actual effect on gameplay. In Platformers, some people will jump and Double Jump even when they're not crossing platforms--they simply bound across the landscape. In an Action Adventure game, they might turn an Unnecessary Combat Roll into an Unnecessary Anything Roll, somersaulting everywhere they go. A First-Person Shooter player with unlimited ammo might just unload rounds into the environment. An RPG player waiting for an Overly-Long Fighting Animation to finish might mash their buttons in time with the music.
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abstract
  • The curious tendency of video game players to do completely unnecessary actions over and over and over again--regardless of their actual effect on gameplay. In Platformers, some people will jump and Double Jump even when they're not crossing platforms--they simply bound across the landscape. In an Action Adventure game, they might turn an Unnecessary Combat Roll into an Unnecessary Anything Roll, somersaulting everywhere they go. A First-Person Shooter player with unlimited ammo might just unload rounds into the environment. An RPG player waiting for an Overly-Long Fighting Animation to finish might mash their buttons in time with the music. Reason? There generally is none. Gameplay advantage? Minimal. It's mostly just gamers pressing buttons to, well, press buttons--and maybe break up the monotony of long stretches of gameplay where there's not much else to do, like traveling over the Hub Level before getting the Warp Whistle, or to fill the time in RPG battles without Action Commands. Depending on your theological color, they may even be attempts to appease the mighty and fickle Random Number God, especially when attempting a Tool Assisted Speedrun. Common tics include: * Jumping (and double-jumping) incessantly while traveling. * That goes double if jumping at the end of the level or when the screen freezes. (e.g. Flip Screen Scrolling) * Doing much the same as the above, only executing any sort of attack with forward momentum (such as a roll or spin). * If there's a delay between pushing a button and it making something happen (such as with an elevator), repeatedly pressing the button while waiting. * While waiting, attacking randomly. * Tapping buttons in the rhythm of the music. * Destroying everything destroyable onscreen even when there's no need to. * Adjusting the camera when there's no need to. If it will let you. * Finishing off Big Damn Enemies with hilariously weak attacks... or doing just the opposite, even if they only have a sliver of health left. * Singing loudly the victory fanfare when it's played after a successful battle or a level. * Tilting the controller while turning in a racing game. * Making sure the character faces the "right" way while on a moving platform or otherwise standing still. If these tics become widespread enough in a fanbase, they may even inspire an Urban Legend of Zelda about their effectiveness. See also Video Game Cruelty Potential, Video Game Caring Potential, Die, Chair, Die!, and Kleptomaniac Hero for especially common forms of this.
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