Revisiting Autism and Gaming
Revisiting Autism and Gaming
Gamers
My son played in his first gaming tournament on Saturday.
What was the experience like?
On the one hand, I was rooting for him and wanted him to do well. He’s new at this type of competition. He loves playing the game and wants to compete.
But, he’s going up against very experienced, world class players. This tournament boasted the top five players in the Smash Bros. universe.
And, honestly, I’m conflicted about how good I want him to become at gaming. To become this “world class” type of competitor requires hours upon hours playing this game.
That means hours upon hours committed to one thing—not uncommon for people on the autism spectrum.
But, when you play in the gamer world, it means not interacting with people.
It means being focused on a screen with a controller in your hand.
For hour after hour.
What do I tell my son?
First of all, I do have to point out that he was partnered with a buddy from his swim team. This buddy is more experienced than my son, but really enjoys being his mentor.
That’s certainly a positive. He has this friend whom he shares a common interest.
In regards to obsessions: Whether my son has autism or not, I have always tried to preach balance.
Yes, he has a habit of being obsessed, it is related to his autism. In the past, it’s been fire trucks, cars, airplanes, power poles, the Titanic, Monopoly, chess, the list goes on and on.
Balance
However, even when he’s been obsessed in the past, I have always tried to insert other opportunities to help balance his obsessions. He had soccer and baseball, swimming and traveling.
When gamers learn to play, and do it well, they put in hours upon hours in front of a computer game. I get the concept, you have to practice, a lot.
Kids with autism get obsessive and take that notion to the extreme.
Was there anything else about the experience?
Well, my son did learn the hard way that he’s used to playing this game in a quieter environment with only one or two other players, and without other games happening right next to him that may be distracting.
Even though he lost all of his matches, he practiced a lot. Which I felt was good since it gave him the opportunity to get used to playing in this facility and around a lot of other players.
I also was able to observe that this tournament had a lot of “spectrum.” Besides being a bit distracted when he was playing, I did believe my son felt right at home.
He had no problem talking to people there. My child recognized some top players. He approached them and began appropriate conversations.
This was a happy place for him.
Were there any downsides?
Because my son is new to these tournaments, he does have to commit to a learning curve. He learned, for example, that it is considered “appropriate” and “expected” to fist bump the player you’re playing against before and after a game.
A few times my son didn’t notice that the other player was offering their fist.
Also, my son approached a higher ranked player immediately after that player had lost a match and tried to talk to him.
That was a no-no.
He has some rules of etiquette that he has to learn.
Overall, how was the experience?
My son was happy to be there. He was with a buddy from his swim team, they were partners during the doubles portion of the tournament.
The day was fun and he wants to go again.
He wants to get better at Smash Bros. yet I’m secretly hoping not too good. That would take away from being balanced.
However, I’m happy when he’s happy. Revisiting Autism and Gaming
Here’s an article that discussing the positive benefits of computers and game playing for children with autism, plus adding a warning about overuse:
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