Why is it so hard to make good swimming levels/controls in video games?

Question

So often, in video games, people dread any swimming sections, usually citing that controls are janky and hard to work with, even if the rest of the game is smooth and works well. So, I ask, why is it so difficult to design good swimming controls/levels?

In: Technology

Answer 1

It’s a context switching problem. Computer games are an inherently unnatural way to use your body but you spend hours conditioning yourself to it. Then you hit the water level and everything changes, everything you’ve learnt is useless and in fact possibly counter productive.