joystick waggler

noun

A video game, usually based on a sport, where the player must build up and maintain speed or energy by rapidly moving the joystick back and forth.

Meanings

nounjoystick waggler (plural joystick wagglers)

plural joystick wagglers

  1. informalvideo gamesA video game, usually based on a sport, where the player must build up and maintain speed or energy by rapidly moving the joystick back and forth.

    It's not an exact simulation and it's not a joystick waggler. It is basically CM2 for cricket.

    1998, Mike Fairweather, “International cricket captain, opinions wanted”, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.sports (Usenet)
    2 more examples

    Popeye 3 is an out-and-out joystick waggler. While Zeppelin's Tag Team Wrestling used the old 'press fire with a direction' control method, to beat your opponent in Popeye 3, you have two stages of frenetic wrist-mangling.

    1992, Jon Pillar, Popeye III (game review) in Your Sinclair 83, November 1992

    Could be wrong but I'm sure T&F and several of the other give-the-controls-a-good-twatting games were actually button bashers rather than joystick wagglers. Bit picky I know.....

    2003, Nomenluni, “What Speccy game should have been in the arcade?”, in comp.sys.sinclair (Usenet)
Cite this entry
APA

joystick waggler. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/joystick%20waggler

MLA

“joystick waggler.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/joystick%20waggler. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “joystick waggler,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/joystick%20waggler.

Source: joystick waggler on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.