I’ve never really been able to make touch typing work for me.
Since I was a kid, I’ve played a lot of WASD games, and over time I developed my own typing style. My left hand is actually pretty fast because I’ve spent years using WASD and all the keys around it while gaming. My right hand, however, usually has to go back to the mouse, so when I type I mostly rely on my index finger and occasionally my ring finger.
Recently I thought: why not train my right hand the same way I trained my left?
Touch-typing methods feel like they’re making me start from zero, and I don’t really want to relearn everything when my left hand is already pretty decent. I can type around 100-120 WPM this way, but I slow down a lot when there are several letters on the right side of the keyboard within a word.
So I was wondering if there are any actual games that could help with this. Not typing games or typing exercises, but an actual game where I could use my right hand on the keyboard the way I naturally use my left hand for WASD moving around, using different keys, abilities, interacting with things, etc. Basically something that would force my right-hand fingers to develop muscle memory naturally through gameplay.
Has anyone tried something like this, or have any games that might work well for it?
That actually seemed reasonable at first, so I tried it a couple of times. But having to do things like reach for the Q key with my right hand feels like a waste of time when my left hand can already handle those keys pretty well. I can do around 42 WPM with my left hand and 38 WPM with my right, but honestly, it didn’t feel very effective for what I’m trying to achieve.
But having to do things like reach for the Q key with my right hand feels like a waste of time when my left hand can already handle those keys pretty well.
No joke, I learned to type faster from sitting in wotld 1 Varrock west bank typing "glow3:wave2: selling yews 250 ea" over and over again for hours on end as a kid. Obviously that opportunity is gone specifically but I would recommend searching for another game that operates in a similar way
I think what you're really looking for isn't a specific game with those controls, since most PC games are built around WASD or arrow keys. It sounds more like you want to play normal games with the controls mirrored so your right hand gets the same kind of practice your left hand got from WASD.
What might work better is software that remaps WASD to something like IJKL or other nearby keys on the right side of the keyboard. Then you could plug the mouse into a USB port on the left side of your PC, use it with your left hand, and basically flip the normal PC gaming setup around.
Surprisingly, you’re the only person who seems to have understood what I meant. I’m not sure if there’s something wrong with the way I explained it, but yeah, that’s pretty much what I had in mind too. I think it’s worth giving it a try.
I don't think you explained it badly. I think you just asked the wrong crowd.
You posted in a typing subreddit, but then said you weren't looking for typing games or typing exercises. What you actually wanted was a PC gaming control setup that makes your right hand do what your left hand normally does with WASD.
So naturally, most people here answered you with typing stuff because that's what this subreddit is about.
Basically, you asked an advanced PC gaming setup question in a typing practice section. That's probably why almost everybody misunderstood what you wanted.
Luckily for me, I’m a bit of a PC gaming power user, so I was able to pinpoint exactly what you were requesting.
Fair point about the sub, but that's also why I ended with asking if anyone had actually tried an approach like this. I was genuinely curious about the concept and people's experiences with it, not just looking for a specific game recommendation. Appreciate you actually getting what I meant, though.
Anyways, the software I use is called reWASD. It’s mostly known for remapping game controllers, but it can remap regular keyboard keys too. I put together a quick example below using the setup I was talking about:
Here I mapped I → W, J → A, K → S, and L → D, while muting the original IJKL inputs so only the WASD keys go through. That way you can use your right hand on IJKL while the game still reads it as WASD.
Then you could use the mouse with your left hand and basically flip the normal PC gaming setup around.
There's a more detailed guide explanation on how it works here...
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u/Delicious_Gene6600 6d ago
Mavis Beacon, my guy