This Keyboard Changed My Life

[@SemagGames]

Hello! This video is very personal and means a lot to me, so please keep the comments civil. Since I announced that I had gotten RSI last year, a lot of you have asked me how I have been doing, and whether the injury has had any significant impact on the development of Vibrant Venture. I feel like I need to be transparent and give you all the full story about what has been going on over the past year, which is why I made this video. In regards to the future of Vibrant Venture, we plan to show more of the upcoming Alpha 5 update next week. Please see the video description if you would like to read up on the resources mentioned in the video. Take care of yourselves! - Patt

[@Pēm̐cā]

that was intresting

[@_.-.]

This is why I invariably take breaks after one hour of computer use. Stand up, stroll a couple of minutes around the house, stretch, rest my sight and do something else to also rest my mind (if I was doing something active). You don't need fancy equipment either, just have discipline around...resting, as contradictory as it sounds.

[@jasonthelxix1883]

i feel very bad for not knowing about it

[@mike35424]

This video hit me hard. I’ve struggled with RSI for years and our stories are very similar. I actually just ordered a moon lander about an hour ago. Looking forward to it, but am a little concerned that it can’t rent and negative tilt at the same time, correct? I’ve heard that is one of the most ergonomic positions to have. What are your thoughts?

[@SemagGames]

@@mike35424 Sorry to hear that. What exactly do you mean by "it can’t rent and negative tilt at the same time"?

[@BenVallack]

Great story and very nicely told!

[@jamesabestos2800]

Nice comment

[@manatwar1077]

Are you okay?

[@toEatFriedFrogs51]

Wow, just wow. This is one of my worst nightmares: having to give up on something you love so much. I myself enjoy programming and game development, so hearing this made me scared. You are a brave one. Good luck with your game!

[@atemoc]

@kızgın tosbağa Taking good care of yourself can be a lot harder than it seems, especially when you don't really realize you're not doing so.

[@atemoc]

@kızgın tosbağa ahhhh, sorry, I couldn't tell

[@Michaelno]

I’m 39 and in CyberSec. I’ve been working on some high level certs recently and my hands started hurting months in. Very similar story. Thank you for sharing yours! My Moonlander will be here soon. 🎉😊

[@tadzy1360]

Thanks my man! Also thank for the correct neck posture check at the end!

[@OmegaVitaminC]

This video helped me get through my own struggle with chronic pain, just hearing your story a year ago. Thank you.

[@thefluxwizard]

I wanna say that I’m glad you got the help you needed to get over RSI and be able to prevent it. Us Semag Games fans will always be here to back you up and support you, no matter what! Stay safe, man. We all appreciate you! :)

[@danielchesney5157]

This is so similar to my experience. I'm in the middle of it right now and that graph of how it feels really got to me. It does feel like every few days you're back at square one and it's the most demoralizing thing. I'm really happy that you're on the other side. Funnily enough I got here from Moonlander content so I'll have one to comment on from the Artist RSI perspective. Hope your improvement continues on an upward journey.

[@Eppobot]

Thanks for making this, very nice and brave of you. I have been feeling bit of pain in my right wrist, but I have always brushed it off. While I have taken breaks whenever I felt like it, I will definitely get my wrist checked sometime in the near future to prevent anything like this from happening to me.

[@SemagGames]

Thank you. Definitely take it seriously, pain from computer usage is nothing to scoff at. I would totally recommend getting into the habit of exercising/working out if you don't already do it, that has also helped me quite a bit. Weight lifting can strengthen the wrists and help get rid of the strain. - Patt

[@charlesbarden2042]

The quality of this video production is seriously incredible. I can't even begin to imagine how much time and effort you put into writing this script, recording the perfect take for every line, editing, making sure all of the video made sense with the audio, etc. But however much effort did go into it, oh my god was the effort worth it. Final product is incredible. Best of luck in your journey with ergo keyboards and colemak. Typed on a dactyl manuform with vanilla colemak

[@jeroeno_boy]

Hi, i am kindoff experiencing similar symptoms as you did before your rsi, I was thinking on getting the moonlander but was about to skip it due to its high price, but you convinced me to get it, before it’s too late! Thank you so much for sharing your story!

[@ssc1348]

Thank you for this video. A few months ago, I too was a CS student at a university when my wrists and forearms started to pain, so much so that I couldn't type a few words. Like you I too had ignored the initial signs. And upon going through a number of articles and many reddit posts, got a rough idea what this could be. I freaked out. Consulted a orthopedic surgeon. After ruling out nerve damage he said it's a RSI. I had to take a two months break from typing because it was too painful. Meanwhile the mental struggle continued. I started getting depressed thinking "What if this is permanent and worsens over time? I can't deal with this even before starting my career. What if I'm no able to type ever again. All the effort I had put in the last 10 years from studying CS in highschool to getting into a decent college to pursue masters will go to waste. I would not be able to do what I love most - code." But luckily things started improving. Then I bought an ergonomic keyboard and the pain drastically reduced. Now I'm able to type continuously for about a minute before my wrists and forearms start to pain. Then I give my hands a few minutes of rest whilst reading some documentation and then start typing again. Now, like you, the tendons on my mouse hand pains due to over-stretching because of my full-sized keyboard. I am considering between ZSA Moonlander and Microsoft Sculpt TKL Ergonomic keyboard. This video just my choice a bit easier. Thank you again.

[@daniellozobia5386]

ZSA or an ortholinear alternative should be better than the sculpt, because it reduces finger movement.

[@ssc1348]

@@daniellozobia5386 I got the Moonlander Mk 1.

[@fakeest]

@@ssc1348 was it worth it?

[@ssc1348]

@fakeest Absolutely! The keyboard, few stretching excercise along with changes to my work setup to make it more ergonomic has worked miracles. After consulting another neurologist, he suspected it could be due to a pinched nerve in the neck. I'm working on my spine since then. It's been a year, I'm pain free😃. Though there are few days that involves a lot of typing when it flares up.

[@fakeest]

@@ssc1348 I'm happy for you :) Having wrist pain myself, going to try to get a split keyboard. What kind of exercises do you do to help with the pain? :)

[@PalashBackup]

I came her to watch a review of moonlander keyboard. This is a great story to listen to. Thanks for sharing.

[@BlixenBlorp]

still struggling with rsi for over a year now, I go to the doctor, got a new fancy keyboard, do stretches. Nothing really seems to help enough... I come back to this video every so often. Makes me feel less alone. sometimes I feel like I'll never be able to hold down a job or move out of my parent's house. Your video has helped me stay hopeful for the future although I fear this is just my life now. I just try to remember what you said about the recovery curve and about patience and persistence, it helps.

[@Quionol]

I cried. Well, honestly I was close to because I also remembered that I learned to not take things for granted the hard way. Dude, I really appreciate your effort and your ability to push through. We, as a community, will listen to you and understand you. If you have to take a hiatus, then do so. No more stress. Take a rest, you deserve it.

[@e.2526]

Amazing speech that is entirely true

[@peppermint6190]

This was an amazing video!

[@greywolfxx1]

I have the same issue now and just bought the Moonlander. My pain comes and goes and I suspect its from my shoulder. It got way worse when I sleep wrong on neck/shoulder areas. It's really distressing because everything is on computers. I had to drop my 3D Modeling hobby because of it. I'm grateful that you've shared your story here. It makes me feel more hopeful and also want to make more effort for my health too. Best to you

[@greywolfxx1]

@@aliasor835 The keyboard has helped a fair amount! It's an improvement. I still have issues, but mainly its my mouse now. I recommend it

[@shouldbestudyingrightnow]

Thank you for sharing your story! I feel so validated hearing it from someone. I've worked hard on my dissertation for almost two years and I'm also an illustrator so when I learned I have RSI, I got really depressed - and this is just a month ago. I swear I teared up hearing someone talking about it and the psychological effects it can have on a person

[@Mega-kr7bx]

Good video Patt, I hope that you will recover very soon.

[@miramallo30]

I did the transition to a kinesis 15 years ago. Like me, for better or worse, I guess you will: -need about 3-5 years to completely accomodate to the new layout, -feel more comfortable then than you ever had with your old regular keyboard, -significantly increase your typing speed, - absolutely, deeply and desparately hate - HATE - standard keyboard layouts. You will stop liking to work with a laptop. You will add an external keyboard to your luggage. I can understand why regular keyboards are still in use - because they are simply there. I cannot understand why they are this fiercely and heavily defended by a lot of proponents that consider even a relocation of the arrow keys a sacrilege. Regular keyboards WILL destroy your health. The more you use it, the faster. The more you deviate from a correct and consistant usage of official touch typing, the faster. My urgend recommendation to everyone: get a proper ergonomic keyboard as soon as you can afford it. The sooner you start, the more you will get out of it, but is never too late to start. It will be difficult to get a proper ergonomic keyboard below 200.-- bucks. Forget all those pseudo-ergonomic keyboards that simply split and angle a regular layout keyboard. A proper egronomic keyboard: - mandatory: has vertically alligned keys/no row staggering to prevent twisting your fingers towards the pinky on the left hand and towards the thumb on the right hand, - mandatory: separates and/or angles left- and righthand keys to prevent ulnar adduction, - optional: completely splits the keyboard to allow adjustments in width to you, personally, - mandatory: has a proper wrist rest to prevent ulnar radial extension (except for you have the discipline and the endurance to _allways_ "hover" your wrists properly), - optional: has key wells to account for the different length of your fingers, - optional: can be angled laterally (like an ergo-mouse) to prevent ulnar pronation, - optional: has proper key switches with a decent travel befor impacting that activate way before impact to prevent "bottoming out" (some prefer short travel keys, but I don't understand why because it seems impossible to use them without bottoming out), -optional: has no number pad or other keys on its right side to get the mouse as close as possible to your right hand (except for you are a leftie, then congrats in this case). A (by far not complete) list of exaples for "proper" ergonomic keyboards: Maltron, Kinesis Advantage, Dactyl, Ergodox, Moonlander, Truly Ergonomic, X-Bows. If you are a bit more experimental: Datahand, CharaChorder. And to all those who are now outraged and argue "I am the fastest code hacker with my 7,5 finger custom system and have no injuries with my regular keyboard whatsoever". Yes, I know. I was too. For decades. I was wrong.

[@SemagGames]

Agree with everything except that it takes several years to adjust. For me, it only took a few months to learn how to use the Moonlander and feel comfortable with it. Of course, I did get even more comfortable with it over time, however after ~6 months, I was faster and more efficient than I ever was on a standard keyboard. Also, a couple other ergonomic keyboards you may consider adding to your list: Dygma Defy and Keyboardio Model 100.

[@miramallo30]

@@SemagGames Yes, I agree, also these are worthy contenders for the proper ergonomic keyboard list :-) Concerning the time frame of familiarizing with a substantially new keyboard layout, according to my expericence (mostly based on my own transition, somehow confirmed by some fellow transitioneers, and of course dependent on consistency of use and amount of extra training), you need about 1-3 weeks to write at all (all words without looking, but horribly slow), 1-3 months to write sufficiently fast to effectively do work, 6-12 months to reach and exceed your previous writing speed (but with still thinking about key location), 3-5 years to just think a word and brain stem and fingers will do the rest (you will even forget about individual key locations again). However, I was in my early 30s when transitioning and no young man anymore, and I assume that the earlier you start the faster your transition phase will pass. Let's meet here again in some years and share experiences ;-)

[@kaileysaenz5572]

Thank you for sharing your story. It's nice to know I wasn't the only one to make such a mistake. I wish I'd intervened sooner and I hope more people will see this and do what we couldn't and not let the problem get so bad.

[@henriquemorato]

Your video brings back one of my worst memories. I experienced the same thing but not to this extent when I found a new job one of my coworkers convenience me to try to use VIM mode for navigating through code so I would have to move my hand as often and neither the mouse as often. It was painful to improve muscle memory for many months but that changed my life I've never had to go back to the hospital to take shots on my tendons because they were inflamed and improved the love I had for programming. Cheers man, I hope you are 100% better now

[@zionj104]

Your determination is inspiring. This video ought to have more views.

[@askabramantya]

Terima kasih, karena video anda masalah RSI saya menghilang secara total. Saya juga seorang programmer jadi saya merasakan betul bagaimana efek RSI tersebut. Dari video anda yang saya lihat tahun 2022 membawa saya melalui perjalanan panjang pencarian keyboard yang sesuai. Harga moonlander sangat mahal di Indonesia karena harus impor. Dan saya membuat sendiri / DIY split keyboard yang saya butuhkan. Mulai dari Sofle dan sekarang telah nyaman dengan Dactyl Manuform 5x7. Posisi tilt Dactyl saya set ke 60 derajat, hampir serasa vertikal, tetapi justru membuat semakin nyaman. Sekarang masih mencari mouse yang bisa mode vertikal yang cocok. Untuk penderita RSI coba mulai dengan Split Keyboard kemudian mainkan Tilt nya sehingga tangan anda nyaman.

[@viniciusdesouzamaia]

Sound advice. Been there and done that. Sometimes it feels difficult not to push through because of both internal and external pressure to do something, but it almost never pays off in the end. You are better off taking that break and continuing later.

[@rimbaud0000]

Lovely video. Very important to deal with RSI. i almost had to give up programming because it was so bad, keeping me awake at night. Finally found a ergonomic mouse and keyboard which helped a lot

[@JohnKarlos]

Thank you for sharing your story! It really touched me and give me motivation to keep going in my journey of fixing my shoulder and arm muscle pain.

[@IanGloude]

Hey you're not alone - I injured my shoulder playing disc golf this summer and it not only impacted my favorite hobby & competitive outlet, but my job as a software engineer as well. Take it slow, we'll get back. Also, I just bought a moonlander today and I can't wait to get it.

[@Diangos]

Thank you for making this video. It really struck a chord in me and as a result I will probably invest some time in learning more about keyboards to eventually make one perfectly suited to my needs.

[@verysquishy3904]

dude. congratulations on pushing through and learning to properly listen to your body. i’m doing a bit of research on the moonlander currently because i’ve realised that i don’t have to just put up with the incompatibility between normal keyboards and the ways dystonia (a neurological muscular disorder) causes my arms, wrists, and shoulders to behave. this video has sold me. thank you so much for sharing your story ❤️❤️

[@VasuJaganath]

I got both RSI and CTS in both hands. This video hits hard, It is very difficult to be patient and heal.

[@drewhulburt766]

Amazing Video! This is a gem truly and great motivation for me. I am at the start this journey and still in the beginning steps of learning a new layout. I know it will be worth it though.

[@SemagGames]

Good luck! Been using it for a year now, it's worth it!

[@KeithSheppard]

This is just an excellent video. I honestly think you are helping people a lot more than you know by sharing your experience. I'm glad that you found the tools to help you out. Personally I'm on the fence between this keyboard and the ultimate hacking keyboard. They both seem like very high-quality customizable boards with a lot of ergonomics in common.

[@SemagGames]

Thank you! If I were you, I would probably wait for January 2022 and go for the Keyboardio Model 100. Its ergonomics (and especially thumb cluster) seems like a major improvement over i.e. the Moonlander.

[@SlowMtbRider]

Nice story, I am way older than you but also a gamer and a game developper. I now type faster than ever using my Moonlander. It tooks me one month and some proper training like you did. It's a pleasure to put my hand on this keyboard EVERY time I start to type. Next chapter of this journey is to reveive the sculpted blank keycaps wich could (we'll see) add an additional benefit to this keyboard. Something amazing is the ability to get rid of the right part when playing FPS, it frees a lot of space for mouse (I use a very low sensistivity), I developped the habit to play FPS using the numpad with regular 100% keyboards but now I have the best of all words : good typing experience, best gaming keyboard ever... with my proper optimized firmware to make it comparable to a Corsair 1000Hz gaming keyboard.

[@JaphethAwah]

Wow your story somewhat like mine on keyboards except I didn't have any real RSI because immediately I started to feel discomfort for typing long hours, I immediately started research on what to do, I got the ZSA ergodox ez in 2020 and immediately learned colemak, on qwerty I was about 100wps, today my highest on colemak is 125wpm. Wish u the best mate, continue to do what u love.

[@j.six3]

I had issues with using mice. I tried many different kinds. Then I switched to touchpads and oh man, what difference! Glad you found your cure!! Learning curve was about 1 to 2 weeks until I was proficient, after using mice since 2003..

[@MaiseNow]

Thank you so much for sharing this personal healing journey of yours. I'm on track to develop an RSI and want to nip it in the bud before it incapacitates me, so I'm doing some research on ergo split keyboards. And I've considered other keyboard layouts, even. Seeing that someone else did what I want to do -- get a Moonlander with Colemak layout, cold turkey, starting over....is heartening. In my prime I had a QWERTY WPM of about 120. Now I'm down to about 89 at a moderate pace, and 101-103 if I really go fast. And it hurts my wrists. I think I'm going to do this too. Cheers, hope you're well. xx

[@cookiesandstreams]

hey man! an rsi shoved me towards this board too. cannot say enough good things about it. I used a keyboard for work and pleasure for many years and eventually that catches up to anyone. the price was hard to swallow, but like you said it's an investment in your health. anyone with high exposure to keyboards would do themselves a favor by paying attention to ergonomics to the best of their ability, the sooner the better. I hope true split ergo keyboards become more inexpensive in the future. when they begin to hit that $40 - $50 mark off the shelf is when I think they'll see more adoption. thanks for this video. happy moonlanding.

[@julianpieropan4771]

I use a ZSA Moonlander too and i confirm these keyboards are wonderful. What is impressive in your journey is the way you overcame your difficulties ! I really admire guys like you. So i'm gonna try the game you realized too. It seems to be very interesting :)

[@revolutionar267]

Do you type faster with it, compared to regular keyboards ?

[@julianpieropan4771]

@@revolutionar267 Yes i do. With a regular keyboard, i type 25 words per minute. With a moonlander, i type between 50 and 60 words per minute without any intensive training.

[@revolutionar267]

@@julianpieropan4771 Do you regret that decision, to leave the regular keyboard standard ? And is it possible to customize the buttons, for example change the "z" button with "y" button ? So in the corner left would be y and on the top, rigth to "t" should be "z". Is that possible ? Thank you. And do you recommend this new split layout ?

[@WorstDeveloper]

I've had pain in my hands and wrists for several years now. I've invested thousands of dollars into ergonomic equipment. I've followed every exercise routine you can think of. I've visited doctors and occupational therapists, none of them could find a problem with me. I work as a developer, and I feel utterly screwed. I love programming, but I don't know for how much longer I can take it. I can barely program for 5 minutes without feeling pain. :(

[@danielchesney5157]

I'm currently experiencing it because of art overwork. I've been following a stretching program from Sharon J. Butler that you can find here: www.selfcare4rsi.com/ and it's been helping in a way that the other things haven't. Things are still hard but I'm definitely improving one wiggly stretch at a time. Hope it helps you as much as it's helped me.

[@xxxIZKYxxx]

Thank you for putting this important message out there. Most people just don’t have any idea how dangerous it is to do computer work using non ergonomic equipment, and this must change, now.

[@SemagGames]

I agree. I wish schools brought more attention to this so we wouldn't end up spending so much time and money treating injured people who were unaware, like myself.

[@ianstuartgraemecallender7897]

Hi I am inspired by your video message in the story to be eventually to use ergonomic keyboard. I too have recently ordered a moonlander and about to get a customed to the keyboard. To avoid injuries mentioned in the video. I hope you are better than usual. Ian

[@SemagGames]

Thank you! Still using the Moonlander to this day and I don't really have any RSI problems anymore!

[@__improwise__]

Thanks for a nice and honest video. Wish you the best of luck.

[@strictnonconformist7369]

Back before I was introduced to climbing in July 2016 at the age of 45, I knew I had issues with RSI even before the age of 25, and thought it was just carpal tunnel syndrome, and wore wrist braces at times, certainly at night, even though for regular work hours I used a Microsoft Ergonomic keyboard. My regular doctor had suggested it was carpal tunnel syndrome and I should wear the wrist braces while I slept. Note: I started with computers at about the age of 10 and have been using computer keyboards ever since for a living. I've never had a typing class, despite best efforts to take one in junior high and high school in the 80s, as the school system had other plans for my time. When I started climbing in 2016, that made it abundantly clear how messed-up I was and literally bent out of shape due to decades of poor posture of shoulders and wrists, with admittedly, an important part being it took me until 1996 to really get fairly proper touch-typing, though I suspect if I pay close attention, it's not a pure proper touch-typing, I just have good enough muscle memory after so many decades as a developer/writer for typing, despite a bit of motor planning issues/dyslexia/poor fine/gross motor coordination. I tell you about the climbing, because in many ways, it's more or less something that balances out the regular movements of sitting and typing, and that's why it got to be agonizing after enough climbing each session that I needed to alternate heat and ice, until I went through physical therapy for my shoulders. It wasn't really (I think) technically carpal tunnel syndrome, but more nerve impingement up in my shoulders, though I conceded it's entirely possible I had a combination of both, because as I type this on an iPad Pro with the qwerty Apple keyboard, my wrists are still bent horribly, as I have sufficiently wide shoulders that it's more common than not that I won't be in neutral positions. I also mentioned climbing as an important counterbalance for your needs for remaining a viable employable developer, or really, anyone that needs to use keyboards, or just repetitive movements with your arms of certain types: for every thing that you do that bends you in one way, you need to balance it out with something that bends you the other way, whatever that is, to a proper amount of stretching/bending, so you don't get too unbalanced. Perhaps that's climbing, perhaps something else, you'll need to figure that one out, but you need to do that for your long-term health and ability to not be on the permanently-disabled list. This isn't an option to avoid. Consult a physical therapist for exercises and movements to counterbalance what you do when typing all the time, besides perhaps getting in-person consultations for verifying the proper setup of your work environment: spend a little money on copays and consultations now, far cheaper than the price of being disabled and in pain. Yes, early this year I bought an Ergodox EZ Glow, and I'm working on getting it to my objectives for layouts, in particular, with removing as many ways of chording as I can reasonably figure out. Frustratingly, Zsa's Oryx online configurator tool doesn't currently allow you to copy/paste individual keys or just even individual layers from even your own keyboard layouts, let alone other user's layouts: I'm going to submit a feature request for that, because I see many other keyboard layouts with layers that appear to be great painstakingly-developed layers, that the rest of the layers I don't want to work with.

[@CrispyCircuits]

I am waiting for my moonlander to arrive. That mouse advice was great! I use both a Logitech MX Ergo Plus thumb trackball on the right and an ergonomic shaped regular mouse on my left side. I started using a lefty mouse after I had shoulder surgery on my right side. I have kept on using both sides.

[@jjpp1993]

I’m almost a year in with this keyboar comming from laptop and apple’s magic keyboard. It has been a game changer, I can safely say this is the year I’ve written the most code in my life. But, yeah, its all about getting through those learning curves

[@3nertia]

Thank you for sharing your story! I really wish I could afford a similar keyboard (though there are some changes I'd like to make) but I fell into depression for over a decade after my best friend died and now I'm in too poor of health to do anything about it. I cannot make enough money fast enough to get anywhere (due to my health) :(

[@caramelushca]

I related to this on so many levels. Thank you for this video!

[@AquaYEE]

I salute you, brave one

[@gusslx]

I play piano and guitar, I love to lift weights at the gym, I am a cs graduate so I type a lot. My worst nightmare is to lose hand mobility. I could manage being paraplegic, or even blind or deaf, but the sole thought of not being able to use my hands terrifies me. I don't have any symptoms of RSI but already switched to Colemak a year ago and considering buying a Voyager (also by ZSA). I wish you all the best bro! It surely takes a lot of bravery to overcome this!

[@DmitryRomanov]

I wish you to recover fully and enjoy the coding even more ❤

[@seancha4478]

Very amazing story! I'm glad that you recovered well. I have learned colemak-dh mod and I have been looking at split keyboards like the moonlander keyboard. I'll take a look at your game now^

[@mtk3668]

as someone who also still suffers from RSI and went on a journey to find a more ergonomic keyboard, i really appreciated this video. im using the dygma raise myself as i found it hard to let go of the nordic layout. they released the tenting kit a few months a go and i picked it up as soon as possible. its very scary when you suddenly lose the ability to spend time doing something that you enjoy, especially when so much we do nowadays relies on using a computer. The keyboard has helped and i hope things continue to improve for all of us who suffers from this. great video!

[@JonathanFreites]

The YT algorithm works in mysterious ways, so I dont know how I stump with this video, but I'm happy for it. Wonderful story, powerful message. Hopefully you are much better now!

[@iyar220]

Thank you. I was questioning if getting a moonlander was the right choice, as i read that some people never got back to their typing speed But now thinking about what i have to gain here, a life where i can avoid RSI, I am grateful that i purchased it.

[@raiguard]

I have a Keychron K3, and I made the mistake of buying it for its looks rather than its comfort. I put up with the low-profile switches and wooden wrist rest because it looked so nice. Then, I lifted a printer and injured my shoulders, causing me to develop RSI-like symptoms in my hands for a few weeks. Typing on that keyboard felt like torture. My fingers felt like they were literally being slammed against a brick wall every time I pressed a key, and I became acutely aware of how uncomfortable the wrist rest was. I went to physical therapy and my shoulders healed, and the RSI symptoms went away, but the mental scar remains. I purchased a moonlander a few weeks ago, but immediately determined that it was too large for my smaller-than-average hands. I returned it today and ordered the parts to custom build a Lily58. I haven't yet decided if I want to switch away from qwerty, but I'll probably end up doing that in the near future. Thank you for sharing your story. There are tons of people like me who didn't take RSI seriously, and it took me actually experiencing the symptoms to understand just how bad it can be.

[@hyperoson]

amazing video, really enjoyed your narration style! I am also considering getting an ergo keyboard, as much as I love how my custom 65% mech feels and looks, I do not want to be the victim of RSI and I want something more comfortable and optimized (also will try my best to switch to Colemak-DH)

[@anderdrache8504]

I also love coding and game development and also felt some pain when typing for an extended amount of time, but nothing serious (yet). A few months ago I also decided to buy the moonlander and switch to Colemak DH like you, maybe I dodged a big bullet there! I can also recommend the keyboard/layout, it's much more fun and less straining to type. Hope you feel better now!

[@rym36]

Glad you can work pain-conscious now! It's great that you're putting your health first and listening to signs. We're all fans of the game you're making but more importantly is you. Your health goes above the game or work, and i'm sure all of us agree.

[@santiagocoria]

I've found a little excessive the sad in your telling, Like enjoying it, but the story is good. I get here because I´m investigating this kind of split keyboards here in Argentina (not really easy to access, and a expensive like to buy and then regret if you don't feel confort). But what you said about using the mouse far to the right is exactly what I'm experiencing right now and I wasn't aware!! Thanks for sharing your experience!! And I really hope you feel better!

[@hubenbu]

Congratulations, happy for you.

[@typoerror177]

great video. The ergodox EZ + Colemak keyboard saved my coding career also. If your job requires a lot of typing, consider a split keyboard!

[@dereklomax161]

I too have been saved by the Moonlander. Computer usage and musical instruments can wreak havoc on hands and wrists. Listening to your body and being ergonomic is key like you mentioned.

[@VoiceKulaka]

more power to you, man!

[@AhmedNadeem12]

Very nice video, felt very emotional and personal. Very inspirational. In my university days i somehow got by with typing on a laptop keyboard with very bad ergonomics. As soon as i started my job as a software developer the wrist pain started to set in. I eventually bought a microsoft ergonomic sculp keyboard and mouse. The pain went way. After two years it broke down and i wanted to buy a new one. I thought to myself okay now this wrist pain is not a problem anymore i should buy a nice mechanical keyboard and forget about ergonomics. As soon as i got it only a week after working on it the pains started again. I tried wrist supports to taking frequent breaks but the pain wouldn't go away. That's when i started to research into split mechanical keyboard after much work i decided to go for the helidox corne 42 key split keyboard. Now i was thinking i had just shelled out around 100 dollars and should i spend again or is it going to be more money wasted. But i juat went for it and after the same typing hurdles you are going theough i am glad to say that the pain has vanished. I still take breaks and everything so it does not come back to haunt me

[@xpressionart]

Storytelling lvl: LOTR. what an emotional journey, this should be made into a film

[@bassic6959]

awesome video, i also use colmak dh and love it, same experience with it being hard to learn but its so helpful

[@christmascretin]

good to see your doing fine man!

[@macuxi2462]

Hey Pattrigue (did I spell this right? sorry if its wrong lol)! Renato from the colemak discord server here. Just wanted to say that this video is amazing, I loved every minute of it, and that game looks amazing! I am not much of a platform type of guy but that video sold me on it hahahaha. Absolutely a joy to watch, keep going at it!

[@smudge9603]

Hi renato

[@macuxi2462]

@@smudge9603 Hi Smudge

[@shana_sakai]

Thank you so much for this video!

[@gazehound]

This is so cool. I love the addition of switching to Colemak.

[@Burgo361]

I'm learning colemak and researching different keyboard options at the moment because the pain has really started to slow me down, thanks for making this video I'm more sure that I am on the right track now, going from 120ish wpm down to 20ish wpm sucks so much but if it can help me keep coding it will be worth it. Also I made the mistake of trying to use wrist rests to keep my wrists level took me a while to realise that I was pressing my wrists down and causing a new problem, this comment took forever to write lol

[@ness-ee]

This exact thing happened to me at the exact same time. I am lucky enough to be nearer the end of my career than at the beginning, so the cost of a Moonlander wasn’t prohibitive. I ordered one as soon as I knew what the pain was. Within a week of using the Moonlander the pain had gone, despite still using an Apple Magic Mouse, though I did order a trackpad. For me the main cause of strain on a regular keyboard was the symbols. Putting those on a layer was a quick win. At the time I looked into Dvorak, but was totally unaware of Colemak. I stuck with QWERTY. Years later my hands were feeling strained again so I’ve gone Colemak-DH and have a ZSA Voyager mounted onto my chair’s armrests, for that full cold turkey experience. I’m back to 10 wpm, but strictly touch typing; no looking. It’s SO comfortable!

[@_vsnwprintf_s_l]

i was just looking for some sound tests as i'm waiting for my own moonlander to arrive - my body is only unhappy after very long typing sessions but i wanted to take care of myself considering i intend to write software for probably the rest of my life. found this lovely story instead, shed a tear. very happy for you!! incidentally ive also been trying dhm on my staggered keyboard and intended to continue learning on my moonlander so i feel validated in my layout choice hahaha

[@eboatwright_]

I'm glad you're feeling better. :) Keep making awesome stuff! :D

[@Room3102]

Inspiring video. I'm going through an RSI on both hands myself and I got a K860 (my father gave me one too lol). Just beginning a new career as a software engineer (which I'm very excited about) and I have tried a variety of different mice and bought an electric desk (for standing and setting usage). K860 seems fine for me for the moment. I was considering buying an eye tracker (my friend has one and loves it), but I currently haven't found one for Mac. Also, having short breaks throughout the day and will start physiotherapy. Alternative nice techs that you may want to try: - Serenade (code by voice) - SmyleMouse (use your hand and smile as a mouse) - FootPedals

[@sulaimation6253]

truly inspiring

[@highlyevolved4977]

Thanks for sharing this. I’m on a similar journey myself :) oh and your game looks great btw! I might give it a try!

[@Whipster-Old]

Very similar to my story. I bought a Maltron, which almost made me cry. I was able to continue my career. I still struggle with the mousewheel, but I bought an MX Master which was an enormous help. I now make custom keyboards as a hobby.

[@kakkoiij]

I have the same issue, and I wrap my fingers in coband wraps when I use the keyboard. It removes a lot of the pain. I recommend it.

[@dirtywhitellama]

I've gone through phases in my life of bad hand and wrist pain, although it sounds like not as bad as yours. Sometimes I still do. Clean diet and minimal (ideally no) sugar helps a lot. I also just ordered my Moonlander a couple days ago. I don't think it will fix all the ergonomic problems with my desk at work, but it's a start.

[@anthonymikinka]

I have started to listen to my body about a year ago now, so glad I did. I will spend any amount of money for my health

[@vwvw]

"Now I listen." Ironically, I am quite literally doing that. I had never even heard of tinnitus until a year ago. Unfortunately for me, the ringing after listening to music too loud became permanent. I will never, for the rest of my lifetime hear complete silence ever again. A trivial problem compared to yours, but I just thought I would share.

[@lexievv]

Have tinnitus too. Imo it's not worse or less bad than rsi. Both absolutely suck.

[@marekchudy8893]

Thank you and best regards

[@readifdumb]

I'm exactly in your position now. I am on the edge of my seat before clicking the buy button, and I just want to let you know that I think I'm going to do it because of your video. I may not be diagnosed with RSI, but my shoulder, neck, and nerves in my hand are terrible right now. My osteopath offsets the pain by working on my shoulder, so I don't think it's unfixable. I've been using a controller, doing yoga, using a vertical mouse, using carpal tunnel gloves, straightning my back, taking different pills, changed my desk, chair, and bed - I have done so much in the name of fixing this. I am luckily only 2 years down the line with this problem, and I see a pathway now thanks to my osteopath and this keyboard. I was hesistant, but I think it's time - no matter the cost. Thank you again, you don't know how much this means to me. I will make sure to update you or anyone following my journey if I can remember to come back here months down the line.

[@SemagGames]

Good luck! Remember that taking prolonged breaks, working out, and exercising are all super important when recovering! I hope you manage to recover from your injury as I did.

[@jesseekkerd]

@@SemagGames Hi Patt, thank you for making this video. I had quite an emotional response because I am currently going through what you described in this video and, at times, felt as if you were narrating my current experience. If you wouldn't mind sharing; Have you fully recovered, and if not, what are the significant differences between your ability to type before your injury and now? How much of your recovery would you attribute to switching to Colemak and the Moonlander? Thanks in advance!

[@gabrielsparda5994]

Thank you for that, I'have 27 years old, and alwared feel some pain in my wrist with wrong use of mx anywhere 2s, i bought the mx master 3 and the shape make me to use the mouse in the right way... but the real messsage is that, try to stay away more from the computer and live the life out there, i know that work on code make us happy and proud, but someday you gonna miss that time that you spend as much on the computer... try to make the heath balance between work/study and your life and heath... stop with the energy drinks try to live heath to enjoy your gains from hard work, don't miss your life...

[@debelopguy]

well done gamer!!

[@Xenro66]

For once, the algorithm is showing me good stuff. Meta aside, I'm blown away and moved by your unfortunate journey, and would like to share my own if that's ok ^-^ I've never had good typing habits, not utilising proper technique, not using the home row, and now it's catching up with me... I started noticing some pain a few months ago after writing a long document, but thought nothing of it, just passing it off as being tired... But it happened again... And again... Not to the point of burning from RSI, but enough to reflect on how I typed. I knew of alternate layouts, Dvorak being the most famous, but until 2 weeks ago, I never knew Colemak existed. After considering switching for a while and researching on technique, I went cold turkey 5 days ago. I audibly exclaimed hearing you mention switching to Colemak, and relate *HARD* to the issues of speed and temptation to go back, but this is done out of necessity. Many of my fingers are very weak due to poor habits, technique, and underutilisation, so I'm getting tired from typing much faster and get mentally burnt and frustrated at all my mistakes and slow typing speed... But every day I'm improving and my pain has drastically reduced, though my weak fingers feel fatigued. I know in time I'll thank my past self for taking the plunge. Maybe someday I'll graduate to a matrix split keyboard or use anything outside the vanilla UK Colemak layout (w/ caps backspace of course lmao). Thank you for making this video. P.S: It took 21 minutes and 30 seconds to write this comment. P.P.S: GL on future game development! :3

[@SemagGames]

Thank you for the kinds words and good luck on your typing journey! It's well worth it in the end, trust me :)

[@jhonasn]

this history is very inspiring, thanks for sharing

[@m4rt_]

I received mine yesterday, do you have any guides for converting it to colemak? (Written on the ZSA Moonlander)

[@NathanHedglin]

You can make a mouse layer for the Moonlander too. I use that instead of a mouse.

[@MAGAIVER]

I went thru something kinda similar, I'm decades long cyclist and had to deal with a broken knee last year. Stuck at home unable to do anything without help and not able to ride my bikes, it was bad, but with time lots of exercise and perseverance I got back on the bike. And I too had a shoulder issue that I developed while working with a full size keyboard and reaching for the mouse or graphics tablet. I fixed that by moving to a much smaller 47 key ortholinear keyboard, the KPrepublic BM40. I also moved to colemak but not the DH version as the regular colemak layout is better for typing in Portuguese my main language. I wish more people gave ortholinear keyboards and colemak a fair try as I believe QWERTY staggered keyboards and simply bad and we stick too them because we are too lazy to do something abou it.

[@UNSCPILOT]

A friend of mine is working on putting together a 3D printable split keyboard with a trackball built into the right half, once he's finished the hardware design I'm planning to start building my own to try and help give some input on fine tuning the firmware for it, I haven't reached the point of noticeable RSI yet but I'm eager to avoid it if I can, and my typing speed has never been super fast so I'm not too worried about a slow start, might need to build a lap-desk to go with it though because I use my PC from a reclined position well away from a desk, or in other words, my PC is set up around my bed, for comfort... because apparently I'm some kind of lazy brat who's opposed to desks. On the plus side though I have more room for VR games to keep me active and give me strong reasons to keep my room clean Hope your injury continues to improve and you can adapt to your new keyboard readily in time!

[@yuhari6543]

I could relate to your description of fiery pain in your fingers; that was exactly what I felt in my pinky and ring fingers. Turns out both of them are connected to the ulnar nerve and the ache I had in my upper arm and elbow was caused by the same thing that made those two fingers burn: ulnar nerve entrapment, also known as cubital tunnel syndrome. Luckily, I am entirely pain free now, thanks to sleeping with elbow splints to keep my elbows straight (and therefore not aggravate the ulnar nerve) and my Kinesis Advantage 2 keyboard. Kinesis recently released their Kinesis Advantage 360, with a new split design! I use a Kensington trackball in the center of my keyboard, to eliminate wrist movement. Hopefully you have been cured since making this video, but if not, maybe consider the foregoing and see if it may help you too. :D

[@Noname304y2u2]

Eh man good story and an important one. I use to work in a callcenter and loads of people there always complained about there backs and joints. A lot of them smoked to much or were always in a bad mood and I'm fairly sure a lot of the cause was bad ergonomics. I believe chronic pain and inflammation shortens lives and deminishes life quality.

[@DavidPoza1987]

very inspiring story, dude!

[@Jomunchkin]

Wow, That must’ve been the hardest thing to get through. It sounds must have been so frustrating to not being able to do anything without pain. There is so many things you do with your hands like eat, grabbing things, playing games, open things like doors, writing, lifting things, and so much more. Glad that you were able to recover and do what you love!

[@pogostar1878]

Found your channel because I was looking for dialogue tutorials in Unity, but I had to stop because my hands were starting to really bother me while typing. After watching this, it sounds like I made the right decision, thank you for being so open about your experience with this, and I hope you continue to recover well! (Also that mouse tip is a lifesaver!)

[@nickgoogle4525]

In one of the shots at the end one sees that you lay your hand on the wrist rest and the hand is angled upwards. I think that contributes to your problems. I always type with floating hands with a split keyboard and never had problems, even when typing all day long. When you do a use a wrist rest I think it should be higher, so that your arm and hand are more or less in a a line -- but still I wonder if it's not better to use the "rest" for resting the hand between typing, but not while typing. I just bought a Model 100 from keyboardio. It has a more aggressive staggering compared to the Moonlander. I think the M100 is better in that regard, as well with better layed out thumb keys and a palm key. No long term experience so far although with it, but I guess it will be work out good.

[@XRelabs]

thank you a million, this is very helpful, i started to have pain recently , slightly and i knew i needed to change the keyboard , the mouse already i have one , but the keyboard when i touch it , my forearm starts to pain slightly , i can stay at the keyboard more than a minute and the pain starts again, thank you very much for such video, all you points and experiences are so helpfull , wish you a good full fast healing and the success in your work. many many thanks 🥰