At least on the Linux and Mac laptops I tried on, using an XBox 360 controller. Investigate more.
Works on Linux using a Logitech F310 and F710 gamepad. Can't find my Steelseries.
I should get a 360 controller for testing.
I can verify that an Xbox One (wired) controller works with ggez (0.3.1) on Linux 4.11.6-1 using the default xpad kernel module. I have a few other controllers (incl. 360) that I'll test later.
I tested with a Steelseries Stratus and it works fine on a Mac.
Well nobody else has complained about this in a year so I'm closing it. :-P