You know that thing when playing Pokemon games where after you throw a Pokeball you frantically tap the action button to ... do something? It is never made clear if this helps or even does anything at all. What are other ghost-mechanics like this in games or software that you know of, where folks often take actions that aren’t clearly signposted to actually do anything? The most immediate other example that comes to mind is swiping apps away in the iOS app switcher, but that isn’t exactly the same thing, since, even if it doesn’t free up memory, it is a direct interaction that alters state (removes options from the app switcher).

First thing that comes to mind is leaning in racing games. We also do it for bowling.

^ Came here to post this

I asked this on mastodon, too. I was directed towards this bit of computer history about Windows 95, that I technically used, but I have no memory of because I was a 6.

I will also say, if you watch any non-technical computer user, you will find this behavior. Things like copying files to make sure they are included in a powerpoint presentation. They will tell you X won't work unless I do abc.

Saving multiple times, ritualistically, in hopes that it'll really be saved. Same goes for Ctrl-C and similar terminal signal handlers

If you watch chess players playing online they also often move the piece and click several times to make sure the piece is really there.

The last few examples seem to highlight a distrust for systems that work their way into muscle memory. I've had a file not save so I lost my progress when my laptop battery died. I've mouse-slipped playing chess more time than I can count. As such, I spam the save button on repeat move actions out of distrust, but now they just feel like ritual

pressing the close door button in elevators. I heard that in most cases they are entirely non-functional.

Many cross walk buttons are that way. But one in my home town was the opposite. The second you pressed it, no matter how long the light had been green, it would go to yellow. You could do it back to back. I thought it would be hilarious to setup a little microcontroller to press the button over and over again and just watch traffic be ruined. (Obviously I wouldn’t actually do this)

ya’ll are serving hot. Thank you all so much! ribbit

When I first learned the Mac as a kid, I was taught that you had to do a copy before each paste. Even when cutting! So you'd do a cut, then copy, then paste. Sort of like people who double-click links in web browsers: there's no negative consequence most of the time, so it's a hard behaviour to unlearn.

Clicking on the trackpad when a light touch will suffice. I think I got this habit after moving away from Mac. I imagine it happened because sometimes it isn't enough, but I'm not sure.

Imho a light touch is always too much or not enough but never what you actually meant... Disabling this and making sure scrolling goes the one true direction are the first two configs needed on every new trackpad 😛