Why is it called a joystick?

So why is it called a joystick? The name originated from the early control sticks used by pilots to steer aircraft by manipulating the ailerons for banking and maneuverability. The "joy" referred to flight maneuverability, while "stick" described the physical controller itself – essentially a stick for controlling joy!

This aviation background gave rise to an evocative name that endures today even as joysticks adopt new forms far beyond cockpits. For us passionate gamers, it‘s a reminder of how today‘s beloved gamepads trace their history back over a hundred years to those early days of flight.

Dawn of the Joystick – Controlling the Joy of Flight

It all started in the pioneering days of aviation when pilots sought better ways to control their revolutionary new flying machines.

Early aircraft controls typically involved just a rudder bar for adjusting the tail rudder. But as aviation engineer Robert Esnault-Pelterie discovered, maneuvering aircraft laterally for banking required manipulating the sensitive aileron controls on the wings.

His solution in 1907 was the control stick – a pivoting lever that enabled more precise and intuitive aileron control with the flick of the pilot‘s wrist. Fellow pioneer aviator Louis Bleriot refined the concept with the joystick lever for his Bleriot VIII aircraft to adjust the ailerons for lateral "joy" of motion.

By 1926, electrical engineer C.B. Mirick fused joystick controls with electrical signaling when he developed the first patented electronic joystick for two-axis control. This paved the way for joystick inputs powering mechanical actuation rather than direct manual manipulation.

As aircraft technology advanced, control sticks and joysticks became standard equipment rather than novelty inventions. They offered superior handling compared to earlier unwieldy wing warping controls. The name endured – "joy-stick" – neatly encapsulating how lever movement produced aircraft motion for banking, turning, and maneuvering.

Joysticks Take Flight as Aviation Matures

With joysticks becoming commonplace components, subsequent iterations focused more on ergonomics and integrated design.

As early as 1944,Project Runway designer Kenneth Jay Laneivy analyzed anatomical wrist movement to produce the Angle Control Stick – a pistol-grip joystick placed vertically to match natural wrist articulation. This reduced fatigue and improved precision for pilots.

The post-war jet age demanded more robust control to handle higher speeds and complex navigation. In 1953, Royal Navy engineer Derrick Ashby created the "thought stick", modelling the control column on Cranwell cadet movements to produce intuitive steering behavior.

Other variants like side sticks also emerged, inspired by observations of how pilots responded to flight demands. But traditional centered joysticks prevailed as the preferred configuration.

Joysticks Today -Still Controlling the Joy of Flight

Modern aircraft retain joystick-style controls – albeit with fly-by-wire signaling rather than direct manipulation. The traditional yoke falls short for agile response and sensitivity enabled by multi-axis joysticks. Even massive commercial jetliners rely on sophisticated joystick autopilots to cross continents.

According to aviation publications, the global aircraft joystick market surpassed $1.3 billion in 2019 driven by demand for next-gen flight controls like side sticks. Top players include UTC Aerospace Systems and Rockwell Collins.

So over 100 years later, joysticks remain integral for controlling the joy and maneuverability of flight just as pioneering aviators envisioned.

The first joystick controller by Robert Esnault-Pelterie (left) alongside a modern flight stick exhibit at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Joysticks Take on New Life in Video Games

Of course, for contemporary gamers joysticks are associated more with blasting spaceships than banking biplanes. Let‘s examine how our favorite video game controllers inherited their DNA from those early 20th century aviators.

Joysticks Reborn for Computer Control

As personal computers emerged in the 1970s, engineers realized that the hands-on intuition of control sticks could improve user interaction beyond keyboards alone.

Joysticks mimicked the satisfying manual operation of machinery handles and cockpit controls. They enabled fluid cursor movement along X/Y axes – an efficient proposition for the limited inputs of early PCs.

In 1973, Atari engineers designed a digital joystick reading button directional contacts for their Pong arcade machine. Meanwhile analog positional joysticks like the Grafacon translated handle tilt into variable resistances using potentiometers. This preserved subtle nuance in movement versus just discrete directions.

When iconic PCs like the Apple II and Commodore 64 arrived for consumers, compatible joysticks quickly followed. Gameport connectors accommodated two joystick inputs, catering specifically to gaming control.

From PCs to game consoles, analog joysticks delivered the precision needed for navigating increasingly advanced 2D and 3D game worlds.

Gaming had rediscovered the ideas birthed in those early airplane cockpits – controlling vehicles by the push/pull of an intuitive stick. Only now, computer graphics brought virtual worlds to life as the new "joy" to control.

Evolution of the Gaming Joystick

Those early gaming joysticks bore close resemblance to aviation predecessors with tall perpendicular handles controlling on-screen action.

As processing power increased, games shifted focus from abstract challenges to immersive worlds with aviation-style vehicles. Joysticks followed this evolution – adapting aviation styling with more ergonomic designs for extended game play without fatigue.

Popular variants like the Competition Pro joystick by Gravis even resembled aircraft control sticks with stable bases and textured grips. Similarly, the original PlayStation analog controller was shaped like a flight stick appropriate for handling intense aerial action.

The evolution of PC gaming joysticks – from early digital units (left) to modern controllers incorporating aviation design aspects

With the 21st century arrival of ultra-complex shooters and open-world simulators, gamepads again reinnovated while retaining joystick heritage. Multi-axis sticks enable precise aiming control alongside triggers and buttons for expanded inputs. Precision grip analog sticks facilitate smooth 360° motion evoking aeroplane yokes rather than digital levers.

Recent years also welcome back center-mounted flight sticks on premium controllers. Meanwhile VR systems utilize standalone joysticks to convey unprecedented immersion for combat flight simulators, realizing the fantasies of gamers enamored with classic aviation experiences.

So while design diversified across countless joypad variants, the underlying joystick principles persist as game evolution continues reflecting aviation dreams.

Joysticks & Games – By the Numbers

• The global gaming joystick market reached $3.25 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow at 4.15% CAGR from 2022 to 2030 (Grand View Research)
• There are over 525 million monthly active PlayStation Network users as of 2021 – all reliant on DualShock joysticks (Statista)
• The best selling gamepad remains the Sony PlayStation controller with over 600 million units sold. Nintendo sold over 400 million GameCube controllers since 2001.
• Average console gamers spend 6 – 10 hours weekly gaming. Long gaming sessions emphasize ergonomic designs which joysticks enable.
• Popular games like Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) show joysticks are still ideal for controlling vehicular games with over 7 million players.

So while game genres expanded enormously, joystick principles continue finding relevance proving their enduring intuitive appeal.

Why "Joystick" Still Makes Sense

As we‘ve explored, contemporary joysticks retain fundamental DNA traceable past computer interfaces, past gaming predecessors, even past those pioneering aeroplane cockpits.

True, modern controllers house advanced electronics enabling vast inputs alongside the classic sticks. Multi-billion dollar gaming empires now thrive thanks to the joystick serving as a gateway to immersive interactive excitement.

Yet despite this progress, the underlying mechanics remain recognizable to those airmen maneuvering rickety biplanes using Bleriot’s wooden control stick contraption. The hands-on satisfaction, fluid sensitivity, tactile precision endure unchanged.

So there remains a certain poetry in the name "joystick" – evoking exciting historical origins while capturing their timeless sensations which delight gamers over a century later.

Those early aviators unwittingly gifted the ultimate instrument for virtual control. Decades later, we retain a versatile name symbolizing evolution, ingenuity and timeless interactive joy.