Dance, Monkey, Dance
A good designer will think about how the game is played in the real world as well as in the game world. Think about how players are going to move those fingers over the controller. Avoid repetition and strive for an uncomplicated control scheme. If you get it right, you create what I call the “dance of the buttons” for players. If your controls get too complex or repetitive, you end up with your players resorting to button mashing.
Button mashing is a derogatory term used to describe when players aren’t sure how to control the game, resulting in wildly and/or rapidly hitting the buttons randomly to get any sort of positive result. This situation usually happens in action and fighting games when either the control scheme is too complex or the players aren’t getting satisfactory feedback.
Button mashing contributes to player fatigue and “gamers’ thumb” (otherwise known as “occupational overuse syndrome”...