Autistic Social Gaming
Gaming is a common hyperfixation and special interest shared by members of the autistic community, but existing literature on this topic reveals a dearth of neurodiversity-affirming, gaming-positive perspectives; often, games are presented as either risk factors for social withdrawal or tools for neurotypical-normative social skills training. This multi-sited subproject complexifies these premises with ethnographic accounts of the lived experiences of autistic gamers across the simulated worlds ofMinecraft,Roblox, and tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs). Sociolinguistic research methods reveal how these online realms cultivate a sense of community among autistic players, through which they can explore new modes of communication, relationships, and identities.
Minecraft
Our first video game of interest,Minecraft, is a site of ongoing neurodiverse-affirming investigation by Graduate Student Director of the ALL Project, Lina Cahill—expanding on her undergraduate honors thesis “Building Belonging: An Ethnographic Exploration of Autistic Communication and Community inMinecraft.”
As a defining entry in the sandbox genre, the video gameMinecraftfeatures block-based, near-infinite, three-dimensional realms that invite players from all walks of life to break, take, and build as they please; like a bottomless bin of well-ordered LEGO bricks, this virtual playground offers a structural framework for boundless creativity.Minecraftis also similar to LEGO play in the special appeal it seems to hold for the autistic community, as evidenced by its numerous autistic- and neuroqueer-centric multiplayer servers and online forums. Alongside sessions of in-game participant observation, 12 adult Minecrafters (with more on the way) were interviewed for this project—each for between 30 minutes and several hours—all of whom self-identified as autistic. An unrestricted sample of neurodiverse perspectives is essential to addressing the core of this phenomenon: What specific affordances doesMinecraftprovide for autistic gamers, and how do autistic gamers engage with these affordances to form social connections and express themselves through the game? Along these lines, Lina argues thatMinecraftliberates its autistic players through its limitations, offering pleasant perseverations andstimmunicationsystems that, together, foster neurodiverse communities based on collaborative storytelling.
Roblox
Vivaan Kalura, veteran ALL Project team member and SSCI Catalyst Researcher, explores masking, intimacy, and autistic Identity in the virtual worldRoblox, which spans millions of user-created games appealing to individuals with varying identities.
Masking is a strategy that some autistic individuals utilize either consciously or unconsciously to suppress autistic traits to conform to neurotypical standards. While it is known to serve complex social functions in various situations, it can also be detrimental to the formation of meaningful relationships, which can lead to social isolation. This research aims to determine ifRoblox could provide autistic gamers with an authentic environment and whether or not such an environment could lead to greater success in forming meaningful relationships. Through participant-observation in this virtual environment and the analysis of social media discourse, several features indicate thatRobloxcould eliminate barriers to communication for autistic individuals. Role-based interactions in a comfortable environment could reduce uncertainty in social exchanges, games that emphasize teamwork offer players a structured social interaction with a clear purpose, avatars and emotes provide players with extensive means of expressing themselves, and community groups keep members actively involved. To confirm these preliminary observations, future research involves collecting survey and interview data on the lived experiences of autistic adults who are a part of theRobloxcommunity. Findings could revolutionize research in the field of masking in the virtual environment and potentially reduce stigma that many Autistic individuals face in the real world.
TTRPGs
Under construction.
We hope that these ethnographic accounts of imaginative subcultural worlds will breathe new life into discourses surrounding gaming and autism.