Health Concerns
Since the controller is the most common way of interacting with a game, it has to be ergonomically designed to feel comfortable to avoid injuries such as the ones in the repetitive strain injury group or carpal tunnel syndrome. Most modern controllers are designed with the relaxed position of the hands in mind, resulting in the "pronged" design that reduces soreness and cramps after extended use, compared to older pads such as the NES or the Sega Master System.
Also, Nintendo thumbs was a term coined in the early 90s after video game players had their thumbs badly burnt and even developed blisters due to the hardness of the buttons. A more common, less dangerous phenomenon sometimes known as a Nintendo cramp means the strain felt on the thumbs and the palm below. This tends to occur mostly when using particularly small controllers. The latter may in fact occur on any finger or the hand if it is kept in a prepared "arched" position for a long time, and is much less dangerous than Nintendo Fingers.
Currently, there are controller gloves available for the Wii Remote, Xbox 360 controllers, and Dualshock 3 controllers in stores to comfort players' hands.
Read more about this topic: Gamepad Translator
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