Ashamed of being a Gamer?

[Lwaxy]

The groups I hang out/used to hang out with, it was probably more than 25%, talking the more serious hobbyists here (those going to conventions, marathon film nights, astronomy workshops, model train meetings, gathering monthly/weekly for trek dinners, X-phile meetups, LARPS, creative weekends etc).

The very first D&D group a friend and me started while still in school definitely had 4 geeks/nerds on spectrum and 2 mostly normal kids. My Star Trek group in London was completely Aspie save one family, including 2 dxed people. My recent SW club was slightly less so, it seems to be more like 4 out of 10, and strangely enough, the supposedly totally normal part of that group tends to show bullying tendencies which caused me and some others to leave. They had probably enough of us. The close Star Trek LARP/RPG group I went with a while ago definitely had 2 more people besides me on spectrum, too. The card and board game group meeting up a few times a year, at least 4 others (out of about 30).

In my online spectrum groups, many spectrumites also qualify as nerds/geeks. A poll on one site claimed that 90% of the users would consider themselves such.

I'd consider that a big percentage.

If you read online articles (not that I agree with all of them) regarding nerds/geeks on the rise and similar stuff, you'll see they usually do not delve too deep in but grab a Trekker/gamer/computer programmer as a nerd/geek example because, according to one writer who answered my inquiry about that, those areas spectrumites are more accepted and it is often within their special interests, so it is easier to find them there.

 

[Lwaxy]

I think what the quoted poster meant was "A larger percentage of gamers are on the Autism Spectrum than the percentage of non-gamers on the Autism Spectrum.".

Yeah that'd be more accurate.

 

[nedjer]

I don't quite get what you mean by that. It is a fact that a large percentage of geeks, including gamers, are on spectrum. Most of them never need any related medication. It is just another way of being.

I agree on talking to youself being a good way to learn and cope, however I seem to do it too loud, which is why I get the occasional "shut up" when the others around me want their peace and quiet. Most of the time, I don't even notice I'm doing it.

I don't care how people look btw, most of the time I won't even notice. I'm faceblind and often even forget hair or skin color (seriously) never mind what anyone was wearing unless it is a costume. I remember smells and sounds though.

I fully accept that's your experience and view, but the science seems to say otherwise and it sounded odd as not roleplaying is considered a 'marker'/ potential diagnostic for the autistic spectrum:

"Lack of imagination and creative play - such as not enjoying or taking part in role-play games. They may also find it difficult to grapple with abstract ideas. There may be overriding obsessions with objects, interests or routines, which tend to interfere further with building social relationships (this is known as stereotyped or repetitive behaviour)."

By medicalisation I mean the process where slightly unusual, mildly eccentric, 'different' or minority behaviours are culturally re-defined in terms of medical conditions, mental health problems and the 'need' for pharmaceutical interventions. It's a tactic particularly well-known at present for attacking gay people on the grounds they're supposedly 'ill' or 'requiring medical treatment'.

 

[catsclaw227]

The groups I hang out/used to hang out with, it was probably more than 25%, talking the more serious hobbyists here (those going to conventions, marathon film nights, astronomy workshops, model train meetings, gathering monthly/weekly for trek dinners, X-phile meetups, LARPS, creative weekends etc).

The very first D&D group a friend and me started while still in school definitely had 4 geeks/nerds on spectrum and 2 mostly normal kids. My Star Trek group in London was completely Aspie save one family, including 2 dxed people. My recent SW club was slightly less so, it seems to be more like 4 out of 10, and strangely enough, the supposedly totally normal part of that group tends to show bullying tendencies which caused me and some others to leave. They had probably enough of us. The close Star Trek LARP/RPG group I went with a while ago definitely had 2 more people besides me on spectrum, too. The card and board game group meeting up a few times a year, at least 4 others (out of about 30).

This may very well be your experience, I understand. If I recall, you said you consider yourself as having an ASD. Has it medically diagnosed, or are you guessing because you relate to the behaviors? I am definitely not judging, like I said earlier, we are concerned our daughter might have a mild Asperger's but I wonder if you see these numbers because these are the people you gravitate towards. I would also be careful not to casually diagnose someone with a mild ASD or PPD, when quite possibly they are just quirky.

In my online spectrum groups, many spectrumites also qualify as nerds/geeks. A poll on one site claimed that 90% of the users would consider themselves such.

I'd consider that a big percentage.

I assume you mean that 90% of your spectrumite friends in the group consider themselves geeks/nerds. Not the other way around, right?

If you read online articles (not that I agree with all of them) regarding nerds/geeks on the rise and similar stuff, you'll see they usually do not delve too deep in but grab a Trekker/gamer/computer programmer as a nerd/geek example because, according to one writer who answered my inquiry about that, those areas spectrumites are more accepted and it is often within their special interests, so it is easier to find them there.

What do you mean by "delve too deep"? I am a computer programmer and a gamer, I chat on message boards about games and I do cons. So are many of my friends. But none of us are spectrumites, as you describe. IME, 25% would be WAAAAY off, maybe 0.5% or so, and even just maybe.

I fully accept that's your experience and view, but the science seems to say otherwise and it sounded odd as not roleplaying is considered a 'marker'/ potential diagnostic for the autistic spectrum:

"Lack of imagination and creative play - such as not enjoying or taking part in role-play games. They may also find it difficult to grapple with abstract ideas. There may be overriding obsessions with objects, interests or routines, which tend to interfere further with building social relationships (this is known as stereotyped or repetitive behaviour)."

By medicalisation I mean the process where slightly unusual, mildly eccentric, 'different' or minority behaviours are culturally re-defined in terms of medical conditions, mental health problems and the 'need' for pharmaceutical interventions. It's a tactic particularly well-known at present for attacking gay people on the grounds they're supposedly 'ill' or 'requiring medical treatment'.

This has been my understanding as well. Not that ASDs are full blown Autism. They aren't but even someone with Asperger's is considered to be relatively antisocial and has difficulty communicating.

The symptoms of Asperger's syndrome vary and can range from mild to severe. Common symptoms include:

• Problems with social skills: Children with Asperger's syndrome generally have difficulty interacting with others and often are awkward in social situations. They generally do not make friends easily.
• Eccentric or repetitive behaviors: Children with this condition may develop odd, repetitive movements, such as hand wringing or finger twisting.
• Unusual preoccupations or rituals: A child with Asperger's syndrome may develop rituals that he or she refuses to alter, such as getting dressed in a specific order.
• Communication difficulties: People with Asperger's syndrome may not make eye contact when speaking with someone. They may have trouble using facial expressions and gestures, and understanding body language. They also tend to have problems understanding language in context.
• Limited range of interests: A child with Asperger's syndrome may develop an intense, almost obsessive, interest in a few areas, such as sports schedules, weather, or maps.

 

[catsclaw227]

Anyway, I apologize for going off topic.

I do have a friend, though that won't tell his parents that he still play's D&D even though he's been doing it for 30 years. His dad just gives him grief over it.

 

[Lwaxy]

I fully accept that's your experience and view, but the science seems to say otherwise and it sounded odd as not roleplaying is considered a 'marker'/ potential diagnostic for the autistic spectrum:

That is a wrong idea the medical community held for ages. It's a institutionalized lie, as we like to call it. What those professionals define as role play, as in playing family or doctor and such when you are a child, indeed holds little interest for many spectrumites. I remember getting totally bored with it. Other sorts of role play are just done differently, as in repeated always in the same manner so this tends to be classified as OCD or other repetitive behavior. Yet other plays aren't even seen as such because they just happen in the mind.


The problem is, until recently, as in the last decade, no one had thought to ask us what we think and feel and why we do things the way we do. There are so many misconceptions, I often can't help but laugh. But that'd go way off topic.

 

[Lwaxy]

This may very well be your experience, I understand. If I recall, you said you consider yourself as having an ASD. Has it medically diagnosed, or are you guessing because you relate to the behaviors? I am definitely not judging, like I said earlier, we are concerned our daughter might have a mild Asperger's but I wonder if you see these numbers because these are the people you gravitate towards. I would also be careful not to casually diagnose someone with a mild ASD or PPD, when quite possibly they are just quirky.

I was dxed with atypical autism as a teenager, and later reclassified as AS, but the latter is not official because the institute is only allowed to DX people under 18. Bureaucracy.

I assume you mean that 90% of your spectrumite friends in the group consider themselves geeks/nerds. Not the other way around, right?

Yup

What do you mean by "delve too deep"? I am a computer programmer and a gamer, I chat on message boards about games and I do cons. So are many of my friends. But none of us are spectrumites, as you describe. IME, 25% would be WAAAAY off, maybe 0.5% or so, and even just maybe.

You forget that most of us pretend to be normal in daily life, and manage quite well. It is at home that we fall apart. Quite a lot of Aspies are seen as "just quirky" by the outsiders, and it is only when people get to know us better or marry us that the truth comes out. I bet some of those people you only know online or just see at work are somewhere on spectrum. We don't usually advertise it, but anytime I mention it in an online group I'm a part of for a while, I get quite a few others who dare to admit being part of the spectrum. Sometimes I actually get a flood of people messaging me, even those I'd not have suspected at all.

What I meant is, those reporters could find spectrumites elsewhere, too, or concentrate on other aspects of their lives, but it is a lot more convenient to stick to the old examples. Aspie = computer nerd and Star Trek geek.

There are a other reports out there of course. I keep finding articles about autistic geeks though.

 

[theredrobedwizard]

With respect, in the current economic climate, not everyone can afford to take that attitude, at least with respect to their place of work. Obliging them means seeking a new job in a tough market.

Given a choice between "be outspoken" and "keep up with my mortgage payments", being quiet probably seems to be a pretty solid option.

That makes very good sense. On the other hand, if someone above me is griefing me about my hobbies (or denying advancement based on that), I'd probably take them to HR.

 

[catsclaw227]

...but the latter is not official because the institute is only allowed to DX people under 18. Bureaucracy.

That's lame. Is it the same in the US? I thought I read that some adults here are being DXed in their mid 20s and 30s. Maybe I misread or misunderstood the article or study; it was a couple of years ago.

You forget that most of us pretend to be normal in daily life, and manage quite well. It is at home that we fall apart.

I suppose this is the same for those diagnosed with depression or other similar bipolar disorders.

 

[nedjer]

That is a wrong idea the medical community held for ages. It's a institutionalized lie, as we like to call it. What those professionals define as role play, as in playing family or doctor and such when you are a child, indeed holds little interest for many spectrumites. I remember getting totally bored with it. Other sorts of role play are just done differently, as in repeated always in the same manner so this tends to be classified as OCD or other repetitive behavior. Yet other plays aren't even seen as such because they just happen in the mind.


The problem is, until recently, as in the last decade, no one had thought to ask us what we think and feel and why we do things the way we do. There are so many misconceptions, I often can't help but laugh. But that'd go way off topic.

Interesting I'm not going to deny your experience of gamers and autism - or that it's a topic shrouded in myth. At the same time there's a reasonable amount of decent science supporting the observation that young autistic kids find it hard to express themselves through some kinds of roleplaying.

Digging a little deeper, it may be expression through roleplaying rather than any 'lack' of imagination/ capacity to roleplay (as you say defined by doctors rather than autistics) that gives the results.

There's some work on using roleplaying to provide scripts, which make it easier for some autistic kids to explore social interactions more freely. Following from that, perhaps, the scripting offered by RPGs encourages more interesting as some autistic spectrum kids get older and find it helpful to work with increasingly elaborate scripts?