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Why gamers use WASD to move

WASD is a standard. Why?

Phil Edwards
Phil Edwards is a senior producer for the Vox video team.

If you’ve ever played a first-person shooter on a computer, you’ve probably used the WASD key configuration to move your character.

How did it become a standard?

As the above video shows, the roots of WASD go back to the 1990s and one gamer in particular: Dennis “Thresh” Fong. His trailblazing history as one of the first pro gamers made him influential for years to come — including on the keyboards of millions of players.

Today, mobile games and consoles have taken a share of the gaming market. But it’s safe to say that on keyboards, WASD will stick around for a while.

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