Your brain shapes itself to around what you do to large extent (such as, if you read alot on a computer screen your brain becomes better at processing this type of information, but worse at reading from a book, [See Article])...you are wired for right hand gaming. Just be happy, on average left handers have more intellectual capacity than right handers, although we also die about a year younger.

IronMonocle

Canada142 Posts

December 25 2010 23:39 GMT

#22

If you are left handed then your current setup is holding you back. Get a left handed mouse and give yourself a couple of weeks to adapt, also a change in key setup to something like grid; It is of great benefits to left handed players. At first you will notice that you are awful with your new setup but in a short time your muscle memory will fully develop and you will be better then how you are currently.

Goolpsy

Denmark301 Posts

December 26 2010 00:29 GMT

#23

I am lefthandned as well, and use my right hand as mousehand.

I am pretty sure you would get a faster mouse hand if you switched, however!: Your right hand should have plenty precission for playing, and doing wise mouse movements the extra speed won't really help that much imo.

As I see it, starcraft, more than most RTS, rely on short keys and your control of the keyboard, hence having your best hand on the keyboard is not a bad thing at all!!

I would not switch, but if you feel you lack mousespeed you should watch how you move your mouse when playing and maximize its effeciency. If you need precission, just do alot of precission exercises - I personally play Minesweeper.

zeru

8156 Posts

December 26 2010 00:42 GMT

#24

--- Nuked ---

hewtrain

Australia89 Posts

December 26 2010 00:54 GMT

#25

Legendary wc3 player ReMinD always used his mouse with his left hand, and it never held him back.. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just spreading blasphemy.

SaLaYa

United States363 Posts

December 26 2010 01:01 GMT

#26

Hi, I am left handed but partially ambidextrous. Personally I'd say just learn to play a right handed set up. Sounds weird. But there is a lot of loops you have to jump through to play as a left handed gamer.

If you're a student you'll get a lot of practice at school.

unDef

United States85 Posts

December 26 2010 01:14 GMT

#27

I've been playing left-handed all my life. When I started gaming in WC2 when I was real young, I always thought it was just normal for left-handers to do it that way because my Dad is also left-handed and did the same thing. It has never held me back. In fact in SC2, I have an average of around 160-180 APM.

I have thought about creating a guide for this setup with a picture of my desk following on how I have such high APM, but I figured since the reader audience would be so low, there wouldn't really be a point.

The only downside is that when you want to use the backspace method to inject or something on the other side of the keyboard, you have to move your hand further to the right or use your pinky/middle fingers which is a little more awkward. But of course it really isn't a disadvantage once you get used to it. Overall, us left-handed witches are way cooler

.

If you guys have any questions about using your left hand just shoot me a PM.

Black Gun

Germany4482 Posts

December 26 2010 01:26 GMT

#28

i think it might be a problem to be using the keyboard with ur right hand... the important areas of the usual keyboard are on the left side of it, even if its a tenkeyless keyboard... so i could imagine that this would force ur keyboard hand into a more uncomfortable and inefficient position....

and ofc the choice of suitable mice would be reduced aswell. ud be stuck with ambidextrous mice or the very rare lefthander editions.

Sentient

United States437 Posts

December 26 2010 02:24 GMT

#29

I am left-handed but I use my right hand exclusively for the mouse. Most people aren't exclusively one-handed. Personally I don't think switching would gain me anything, but you'll have to decide for yourself.

roflcopter420

Sweden168 Posts

December 26 2010 02:26 GMT

#30

lol stupid lefties... just play like you are right handed and learn it properly.

DrDoom

United States107 Posts

December 26 2010 02:46 GMT

#31

I'm left handed and I've always used my left hand for the mouse. I think that you should stick with whichever hand you've trained with. For musicians it doesn't matter which handedness you are, you always have the bow in the right hand and play with the left hand and both left and right handed people are good.

lindn

Sweden833 Posts

December 26 2010 02:49 GMT

#32

On December 26 2010 10:26 Black Gun wrote:

and ofc the choice of suitable mice would be reduced aswell. ud be stuck with ambidextrous mice or the very rare lefthander editions.

or just get the lefty deathadder.

Offhand

United States1869 Posts

December 26 2010 02:57 GMT

#33

On December 26 2010 11:49 lindn wrote:

Show nested quote +

or just get the lefty deathadder.

Lefty deathadder rules.

I would suggest at least trying switching your mouse position for a few days to see if there's a major difference. Honestly, switch up your keyboard and mouse hand might actually effect the keyboard hand more for a game like SC then it will effect your mouse hand (but then again, my right hand mouse use is almost on par with my left hand).

Brad

2754 Posts

December 26 2010 03:08 GMT

#34

I'm an exclusive left-hander, I can't do anything with my right and be accurate. My left hand accuracy is far superior to my right. I couldn't imagine ever playing a game right handed.

To switch hands is very difficult. I tried to play Xbox on Southpaw setting once, and it was ridiculous. It will be very time consuming and frustrating to learn another way to use your hands.

The Microsoft 1.1 is a GREAT mouse for left handers (and right), and was the staple mouse in the CS community for years. I recommend it for any lefties.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826105122

e4e5nf3

Canada599 Posts

December 26 2010 03:11 GMT

#35

I too am left-handed (and Canadian!) and I've also wondered if things would be different if I trained myself at a younger age to hold the mouse with my left hand. But now that I think about it, most of my apm weakness is hotkeys, which I am using my dominant left hand with. Even after almost 10 years of SC playing I still have to look at the keyboard to hit certain keys. I think taking a keyboarding class would have benefited me more, as I am still one of those two finger typists.

waxypants

United States479 Posts

December 26 2010 03:17 GMT

#36

I'm naturally right-handed and I've been having repetitive strain issues in my right arm. I have been mousing with my left arm every once in a while and after a net practice time of only a week or 2, my accuracy has improved dramatically (still sucks complete ass compared to right hand but still). If you are naturally left handed I don't see why you couldn't get competent with the mouse very quickly, why not try for a week or 2?

hagon

United Kingdom556 Posts

December 26 2010 03:19 GMT

#37

...your brain is organic and grows to do what you do most best, at the cost of things you do rarely. This means that if your left handed and you mouse right handed, your brain is BUILT to work with mouse on right hand, trying to undo this and your not just working against years of habit and instinct, your working against the actual architecture of your brain....

Trran-1

Cuba40 Posts

December 26 2010 03:24 GMT

#38

Man, I will let you know something, mouse and keyboard are like drums, is true you can use it with the left hand, but they are desing for right handed people, I'm left handed to and I use my mouse with my right hand, if I ever use it with the left, I will be so unconfortable, same as drumms, I play them at the right hand, becouse I'm use to it. If you wanna give a shoot to the left, do it, but I asure you, you will feel really unconfortable. Man glhf, keep it with the right hand, there is nothing wrong with it, just your brain trying to say something else.

Uhh Negative

United States1090 Posts

December 26 2010 03:32 GMT

#39

I am also left handed and use a mouse with my right hand. I don't think its worth re-learning because the advantage it could give you isn't really that significant, in my opinion.

exarchrum

United States491 Posts

December 26 2010 03:35 GMT

#40

I'm a lefty, but I do a number of activities with my right hand. For instance I play most sports, like baseball, golf, soccer, etc., right handed. Trying to switch hands in sports never really works for me. I write, eat, use tools with my left hand so I think I'm naturally wired to be left handed but learned certain activities right handed. Those activities are deeply en-grained in my head, even if they go against my natural wiring.

So if you were to try to switch to using a mouse left handed it would be extremely difficult and not worth the time or effort. You've probably spent your whole life using mouse with right hand, and keyboard on left while gaming, so a switch would require a whole new set of skills for you to learn and master plus you would have to fight what you've trained yourself to learn.