Something simplistic enough to go mad viral on Twitter. Sometimes it really seems like the world needed this notion said out loud. The photo features a decal that reads: “Do not use controller with dirty or greasy hands.” Well, the replies to the tweet could pretty much be the mood. Right? I mean, everyone has been there. You grind your way through the game, grab some chips, and next thing you know is feeling a little awkward, sticky thing on your controller. Not cool!
The shared image is plain. It’s a literal decal you may find in a kitchen or break room, except that one is for gamers. “Tapping the sign 👇” is net-speak for “Hey, read this; it’s important.” And the gaming community is all for it. The replies started rolling in, with people crossing their fingers, spilling their horror stories, and some even felt singled out. One user by the name of Shifty wrote, “Totally agree! Grease ruins controllers, keyboards, everything! A universal experience.”
Some were entertaining the subject of more than just grease. After that, Markus quoted Troy from “Community” – “don’t want to grease up the troops.” That is hilarious. Then Paul Nelse jumped in and called it a pet peeve; he even hates himself for ignoring that rule. Real struggle, folks.
Good stuff: Arctic said that he has multiple controllers for just that reason. I’d say, pretty smart move. Stryk3R, in a similar vein, asked where they could get that sign, which… I wish I knew. I want one in my gaming room. Then again, some comments are taking other directions; among them is Mad Mannn 9 asking Xbox to fix party chat on the PC app. A very valid argument but not really fitting here.
The coloress shade was thrown. SkoooL called out somebody named TheSxndman for eating fried chicken without any napkin whatsoever. That’s a specific call-out, and it probably deserves it. AdamEric1985 claims they’re making an exception for Cheetos dust… controversial, right? But hey, to each their own.
But not really all jokes. Then there’s more serious stuff with Robert pointing that controllers are expensive and do not use Hall Effect tech; hence, keep them clean. Kato held nothing back to lay out just how nasty the drift on new-gen controllers is. Well, oof, that’s another story altogether. And BustedNutz was going hardcore on Xbox for stick drift, especially since elite controllers are £150 and fail rapidly. In fact, they have one at the service center in Germany. Again. That’s just sad.
Cultural talk came up at some point, with UzayliYapiGS saying that it’s rude in their culture to tell people what not to do. That’s something to think about. Audaciousninja gave the other side of the story: “I would put that sign on my door and wash my controllers because I am sick of washing ‘hand cheese’ off of them.” Hand cheese; I’ll be thinking about that for a while.
There was a bit of nostalgia. UnkThanos said, “Back in the day, you could take controllers apart and clean them. Not so much anymore.” Pretty much.” Then Abdellatif said in Arabic that one must keep white controller clean because yeah, it shows everything.
A lot of comedy. Soliveski joked about patenting a controller that shocks anyone with dirty hands. I’d buy it. And GuacMaster shared a gif captioned, “Yo bro pass me the controller,” probably where the problem starts in the first place.
Meanwhile, a few others are trying to change the subject-ahem, The Surber asking about the Rog Ally. Wrong time, dude. Then there’s Packwolf throwing out some random thoughts of Xbox mirrors and Halloween candy for marketing. Okay, that was creative.
So the vibe for this whole conversation? Gamers are on the same page here. No snack and grease on the controllers. Simple, yet surprisingly violated. And Xbox? Tapping with the sign is genius. It’s relatable, engaging, spawning a conversation; it’s reminding you, in case you forget, cleaning your gear is important, especially when replacements aren’t cheap.
So next time before you start gaming, and you have some messy snacks with you, maybe ask that question again. Or just wash those hands. Thankful controllers and your friends who will share that feeling with you. Who would ever want to deal with that leftover grease feel? Not me.
There’s the tea; or should I say, the cheesy dust. Whatever. Just keep it clean, people.
