Special Interests and games

We are autistic and/or shiny. Special interests are a given. One thing many people do not take into consideration. We bring our special interests into games. We either do that or create our own special interests in the games. This keeps the autistic or the shiny (ADHD) interested. This is an anchor into the particular game.

An example of a video game is ARK. This game takes place in the future on a different planet. This is where you can tame animals to be your pet or companions. My husband wanted me to play this game with him. I thought I would try it out. It became available for the PC. I am particular about paying games on my PC so I gave it a try. We played online with a few friends. It has customizable characters which is always a plus. After I spawned in, I saw it. It was a moose. The face was so cute. Then our friend said "you want him?" Then she knocked him out and gave me berries to tame him. I named him Bullwinkle (don't laugh or do because it is funny). Then I was able to catch a female moose and name her Natasha. Anyone who knows the Rocky and Bullwinkle show from long ago will catch the reference. Then I had the chance to breed them and raise a baby moose. This first time Natasha had twins! But before that my husband caught a blue moose and named him Blueberry.

Easy to get hooked when you have a special interest within the game.

We also play a lot of table top games. One example is Dungeons and Dragons. When I first played, I wanted to use magic. My way of taking back control after being raised by narcisists. It was a coping mechanism. I always played an Elf Wizard. Then after playing the game for a while, I discovered fired spells. I loved how much damage they caused and how valuable they are. This is especially true when your husband's character angers two orcs who have a sword that he wants and he planned me as a trap without telling me. After this, I always have to play pyromancers (fire spell caster).

Special interests in games are a great tool for kids too. My 9 year old son recently started playing Dungeons and Dragons. He loves dragons so my husband had him be a Dragon Borne. He was not 100% dragon but he had dragon blood. He is very good at sound effects. When we were playing a game, he was able to growl and grunt. My character was the only one who understood him. It was almost like R2-D2 and C3-PO.

This should help draw in autistics in different games. Remember to allow special interests in the games. It will be a better experience for everyone.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Puzzle Piece is Hated by the Autistic Community: the history and what to use instead

Image
A hate symbol. Why is the puzzle piece a hate symbol? I get asked this a lot. They tell me to reclaim it. As a Holocaust educator, no one tells the Jewish, travelers, LBGTQ, or any other people massacred in this horrific even in history to reclaim the swastika. I am breaking down the history and what to use instead.  The HistoryThe puzzle piece logo was created in 1963 by Gerald Gasson, who was on the board of National Autistic Society in London.It was formally called the Society for Autistic Children.  It featured a crying child in the middle of it.  It symbolizes that autistic people are hard to understand.

Helen Alison from the National Autistic Society explained this by saying,"The puzzle piece is so effective because it tells us something about autism: our children are handicapped by a puzzling condition; this isolates them from normal human contact and they do not 'fit in.' The suggestion of a weeping child is a reminder that autistic people do indeed suffer from thei…
Read more

The Blue Pumpkin and Why I will Never Get One for my Children

Image
With Halloween coming up, the blue pumpkin project has surfaced online. The blue pumpkin is to make the autistic children stand out so people know that the child may not be able to say "trick or treat." It seems innocent enough but the autistic community as a whole is against this.

Blue for autism was started by Autism Speaks. The blue signifies that it is a boy's disability. They control the tragedy narrative that we are working so hard to fight. They encourage parents to grieve the child they thought they were going to have. They are still the same child .

We are a Jewish family. I never hide this fact. Holocaust education is very important, even more so as an Autistic Jew. After going through my photos of the March of the Living, a Holocaust trip I took as a child, the parallel of the Jude star came through my mind. It may seem extreme. The blue pumpkin is meant to label every autistic child as autistic. It makes them stand out.  The Jude star labeled every Jewish pe…
Read more

Quackery Exposed: Simple Spectrum Supplement

Image
Simple Spectrum Supplement is a gummy vitamin with Acetyl-l-carnitine, Choline, Coenzyme Q10, Inositol, MSM. MTHF, NAC, Larch Arabinogalactan, Bioperine, and HydroCurc.  These ingredients will be explained. It will be shown why they should not be given to children. Any person should not have a supplement unless they know their body is deficient of that particular nutrient or mineral. Having too much of a nutrient or mineral can be just as dangerous as not having enough.

One red flag was they are supported by Autism Hope Alliance and TACA. 


I started by asking the seller on their Facebook page to explain why. 



After asking these questions, they private messaged me. I think they did not want our conversation to be for public view. That's what screen shots are for! I asked basic components of a research study. 



They blocked me. I do not think they were amused. The "study" they linked me to was this:
It is not a real study report. There are many missing parts. Anyone who has been…
Read more