Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) players are spending more and more time playing their games of choice. Statistics show that MMORPG players are spending an average of 20 hrs per week sitting at the keyboard and mouse trying to save a virtual world (Yee). The time spent can peek as high as 60 hours in some rare cases (Yee). All this time spent gaming can have a serious affect on a persons hands, and wrist. Improper hand posture can cause stress on nerves, tendons, and muscles (Lueder and Grant 5). Many gamers stand by the keyboards as the only tool for their addictions. A player might want to consider another choice. The Fang Gaming Pad by Ideazon puts all the power of your keyboard into the palm of the gamers hand. The Fang is a minimum-motion Keyboard. The pad contains all the controls you need to handle everything but in-game chat. Minimum-motion keyboards attempt to reduce muscle tension by virtually immobilizing the hands and providing more complete support than with conventional keyboards (Lueder and Grant 18). Comfort and ergonomics adds up to a more comfortable and fun gaming experience.

Ideazon is a manufacturer of specialty keyboards out of Ontario Canada. The company was started in 1999 by Oren Kramer. Ideazon is the industry leader in gaming interface devices. With the slogan "Built by Gamers for Gamers" firmly in hand Ideazon set out to take on the challenge of a Minimum-motion Keyboard in early 2006 and the Fang gaming pad was born. This hand sized keyboard packs 41 ergonomically placed keys onto its sleek body. All the keys on the pad are within comfortable reach of the users hand. The small size and light weight make it very portable and easy to pack for the trip to a friend's house or the trip to E3.

The Fang is small, only slightly large than a hand span. The central area contains the traditional W,A,S, and D keys used for movement by much of the gaming industry. Across the top are numbered keys 1-11. Volume and playback controls are also on the pad for music listening. Everything about the Fang is well organized. By design the pad lends its self to just laying ones hand on the pad and relaxing. The pad is designed to be use by right or left handed users. All side buttons are reproduced on both sides. To top off the ease of form the gaming pad is a USB device so it can be easily added and remove form any desktop, or laptop computer.

Many view the minimum-motion keyboards available as tools for first person shooter games (FPS). It is somewhat short sighted to rules these incredible tools out for the MMORPG players also. Ideazon offers key mapping plug-ins for many of the popular MMORPGs on the market. The plug-ins available will map the keypad to shortcuts for many of the popular functions of the games on the market today. Even if a key map is not available you can use in-game key mapping to assign the keys on the pad to your favorite functions. In the fast paced action of player vs. player confrontations the ergonomic design of the fang gaming pad can shave seconds off your reaction time, turning the tides of the battle. Creative use of the device, can also lend it to usefulness in other applications. Many of the keys are short cuts for common applications such as Photoshop by Adobe, and Word by Microsoft. All this makes the fang gaming pad a well rounded computer tool.

As it can be seen the Fang gaming pad by Ideazon is a tool any computer gamer will be able to make great use of. The added easy of use and versatility will help with hand stress during those long hours of play so many of today's gamers have in front of them. Set up is a breeze; even without the device drivers Windows will still recognize the pad as a limited function keyboard. Give the Fang gaming pad a try and you will see why it is "The MMORPG weapon master's friend".

Lueder, Rani and Chris Grant. National Institute of Occupational Safety &

Health. Alternative Keyboard Designs. Encino, CA updated 2002.

Yee, Nick "The Daedalus project: The Psychology of MMORPGs"

21 February 2004 http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/archives/000758.php