Autism and Gaming

            I have noticed that I start a good number of these blogs with “you’ve all heard people say this crap about video games and how they’re bad.” Which is sad, because that means a ton of people are saying why video games suck. That is not fun at all. So once again, I’m going to start with that, and defend the point people attack. This time around, it’s the negative stereotype that playing videogames will hurt people’s abilities to connect and communicate with others. Honestly, this idea is utter bunk, and I will prove it, using the most extreme example I can: Autism. Surprise, games help kids with Autism, and in more ways than one.

            In this article, they discuss how MMO’s can help those with autism in several ways. The first of which being it starts by making you interact with others. Whether it be a raid, dungeon, instance, many of the game modes require you to have other people in your party. These missions are designed to be impossible for someone to solo. So that means you have to find other people to go along with. That means communication. Knowing what we know about autistic individuals, this is not really what their first instinct would be in any situation. Quite the opposite in fact. But these games incentivize communication and team work. While these missions are harder and require a team, they always give better gear and rewards. Not only do these games get the players to work together, it’s also teaching them social skills. As stated in the aforementioned article, “It is believed that if those with communicative disabilities play World of Warcraft on a frequent basis with the support of the community, they can help develop competency in social interaction. It makes sense if you think about it. It allows these individuals to communicate with other people in a nonthreatening situation. Unlike a real life social setting, the ASD individual can choose to walk away at any point. Chances are, they wouldn’t need to, as the threat of other people isn’t a present “danger”. It will help these individuals to become more comfortable interacting with other people. Think of this as a stepping stone. Also, anyone, not just those with Autism Spectrum Disorders, can benefit from online gaming. Socially awkward, or just uncomfortable around people, these things will still apply.

            Other than online gaming, other games are being used to help autistic children. In fact, video games are being developed for the sole purpose of helping autistic children. There is an awesome article on GameSpot (one of the biggest gaming blogs on the wonderful world of the interwebs), on the subject that can be found right here. This game, called Social Clues, was designed by engineering and design students at the University of Southern California. These 35 students say this as a golden opportunity to teach these children social norms and interactions. The game is framed loosely as a detective style game. You choose one of two characters, either communiKATE or particiPETE,  and your toy is missing. You have to interact with NPC (non player character) children to try and locate the toy.  The students behind this game have brilliantly made sure that the kids playing actually have to follow interactional norms to progress. For example, apparently you have to drag the arrow so your character maintains eye contact with whoever you are talking to. Additionally, you have to try and gauge how the NPC’s are feeling based on context and conversational cues. Do you see how awesome this is? If they actually make this game fun, it will teach autistic children how to interact with people, all encased in an activity they will enjoy. It’s pretty brilliant, I think. The article attached has a bit more information on “Social Clues”; I think it is highly worth the read.

            Now that you’ve all had a chance to see some articles on the matter, here are some personal anecdotes. In this blog on Parents.com, one mother lists some of the ways that video games have helped her son. All six of the impacts that gaming have had on her young son are improvements to areas in which he struggled. Of these, she lists communication, hand-eye coordination, concentration, age-appropriate interests, and surprisingly enough, improved his confidence and imagination. You can read all about it right here, and I highly suggest you do. It is really cool to see how one woman has seen her son improve just by playing games.

            Also, most of you probably didn’t know this, but for a year I had an autistic roommate. He had Asperger's and ADHD, among other things, so he was a bit of a handful. It was his first year living away from home, so it was a bit change. He was a great kid with a heart of gold, but not the most functional human being I’ve ever met. It was understandable though, as growing up his mother helped him with damn near everything. Thankfully, we were able to bond over video games, specifically his Xbox 360. If it wasn’t for that beautiful console, I don’t know what I would’ve done. For the most part, I used the Xbox as an incentive. Since there were 3 guys living in a 2 bedroom apartment, I lived in the living room, with my futon serving as the couch. That means to play Xbox, my roommate had to either sit on my futon or the floor. As such, I got to enforce some extra rules to help him along. Sometimes he would forget to shower, so I made the rule that bathing was required before sitting on the futon. He agreed this was a reasonable request, so it helped him get into a routine of showering immediately after work. Other times, I would offer to play co-op with him, if he cleaned his dishes, finished his laundry, etc. It worked wonders. By the time Winter came around, he would clean up more, get his laundry done, make better meals, and was just a more functional person just from using games as an incentive. If it wasn’t for those games, it would have been much harder to teach him.

            I hope this has shown at least some of you how well games can be used to positively impact those with certain disabilities. The key is to use anything in moderation. Too much of a good thing can still be bad. 

Gaming and Careers, but Not the Ones You Would Expect

So we have all heard things like “video games will never get you anywhere”, “games are never going to help you in real life”, or that they are just a monumental waste of time. My stepdad is among those people, though I can’t really fault him on that. But to those people I say poppycock!

            It’s true! Video games are used in the flight industry, medical field, and armed forces on a daily basis! In many cases, it is a requirement for advancement, and continued employment in these fields. You even have to go so far as to pass a certain number of “missions” in these games to obtain certifications necessary in these fields. Still don’t believe me? That could be due to nomenclature. All three of these industries use video games in the form of simulators. For those of you saying “yeah, well that’s different, simulators aren’t games”, I ask how so? Is a virtual simulation not just a fancy video game with a goal in mind? You use a variety of controls in a virtual setting to try and accomplish something, and you have to pass each objective to progress. That sounds an awful lot like videogames to me. So let’s go into a little more detail.

            First field we will look at medicine and the use of simulators for surgeons. To start, it makes sense to have some method of practicing one’s skills, no matter what kind of surgeon you are. Seeing as there are tons of specialties for surgeons, it makes sense that there are just as many types of simulators. This article goes into detail about some of these simulators. Basically, the article goes on to talk about how the introduction of simulators made a huge impact in the training of surgeons. Only having been introduced roughly 15 years ago, things were much different before. Dr. Robert M. Sweet, one doctor helping to create these simulators, went on to state that before the simulations, the only way to learn how to do a procedure was to study out of a book, and watch your mentor perform the surgery. Having grown up with video games, Sweet thought, “well, this could make things a bit easier”. Now doctors can run a close approximation of an upcoming procedure to familiarize themselves without, ya know, having to cut a dude open on their first attempt. Basically, they get a practice run, without fear of causing permanent damage. There is even more info about surgeons and simulators that you can read right here.

            The second field that uses these simulation games is the United States Armed Forces. That’s right, the Army is using video games as part of their training for some units. Think “Ender’s Game”, but without actually going to war with an insectile alien race. In a nutshell, they have games that are like a much more realistic version of Battlefield or Call of Duty, to help train soldiers. With these games, they can run various scenarios that a soldier may encounter in the field. The idea is that by encountering these situations before actually in the field, they will be able to determine the best course of action and how to best respond to whatever situation may arise. They have simulations to learn how to confront various conflicts, as well as other aspects as to how war might affect the soldiers, both on and off the field. In this article, they discuss how they also use these simulators to help veterans cope with PTSD. It also is to help them adapt to life after service, by allowing the veterans to play as social workers, and spouses, to gain a different perspective. Plus, besides just being good for training, having the games on base actually boosts morale. Theres a ton more information to be found right here.

This article talks about two of the simulators used prominently, being Full Spectrum Warrior, and America’s Army, respectively. Not only is America’s Army used as a teaching tool, it was also intended to help with recruiting, by giving civilians a more accurate look what life in the armed services was actually like, rather than basing their judgment on the usual media, like how it is portrayed in movies and on television. It also helps to present the core values of the US Army, such as loyalty, duty, respect, honor, service, and selflessness. The other game, Full Spectrum Warrior, was designed specifically for the US Army. This game is squad based, so rather than just being a soldier on a battlefield, it puts extra emphasis on filling one’s role in a unit, and that the unit is most successful when everyone works together. While they do not focus so much on having the best graphics, this game is substantially more realistic in regards to urban combat, and on actual military tactics. This one is more of a teaching tool than the other.

The last field that regularly uses video games to train probably will not come as a surprise to you, and that is the field of aviation. We have all known about flight simulators for years, and they are incredibly popular commercially, as well as in training pilots. It just makes sense to let someone practice flying virtually than to let them take a multimillion dollar piece of equipment, that if used improperly, could cost a ton of money, and more importantly, could cost lives. In fact, flights schools require a trainee to log a certain number of hours in the simulator, as well as receive certifications saying they are ready before they are even let in a cockpit, which is probably a good thing. It would be a real bummer if you crashed your first time flying. So it’s a good thing these simulators are in place.

So like I said, there are tons of ways in which video games can actually a career. Not to mention, I heard a study a few years ago that said kids who played video games had higher hand eye coordination levels. This made them ideal surgeons and pilots. Sound familiar? The thing is to make sure that you don’t get carried away with the games, and play at the expense of everything else. You can’t devote all your potential to this pastime. Unless of course, you are planning one of these three fields and are also working your buns off. In which case, best of luck.

           

            

Alternatives to Mature

            Alrighty kids, this week we are going to expand on something we talked about a few weeks ago. First, let us look at some of the big cross-console blockbuster titles. Some of the most popular games and franchises are Assassin’s Creed, Battlefield, Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto. Now class, what do all of these games have in common? Come on, I know you guys know the answer. The main that that all of these best sellers have in common is that each and every one of them is rated M.

            Looking at many of the other best sellers, such as Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect, Left 4 Dead, Saint’s Row, BioShock, Hitman, and so many others all are rated M. This is a trend that has been going on for years. With the exception of racing and sports games, it almost seems that any best seller not in those genres is rated M. While there are always the tried and true family franchises, such as Mario, Legend of Zelda, and the newer Little Big Planet, the problem here is they are all console exclusive games. Little Big Planet is a Sony exclusive, whereas any Zelda or Mario game belong to Nintendo. It is largely for this reason that if you are looking for a console for a younger audience, most video game retailers will recommend the current Nintendo console over Microsoft’s current Xbox iteration. So what alternatives are left for those who have already purchased a console?

            Part of the problem lies in the genre of these games. Other than sports and racing, some of the most popular games are First Person Shooters, or FPS, and occasionally Action/RPG. And seeing as many of these games are targeted at consumers of college age and above, that leaves fewer developers focusing on games for other demographics. Though the largest percentage of video game players are college males and above, that still leaves thousands upon thousands of players without games tailored to their age demographic. This also leaves out those who do not enjoy these violent games as much.

            The fact that so many big title blockbuster games are rated M is part of the reason that we have so many juveniles playing games not intended for their age group. While there are a good number of more age appropriate titles released each year, they are usually not put out by these big name developers. This leads to these rated M blockbusters getting more attention from reviewers, as well as much more money is poured into advertising. If you put on a channel that will run commercials for video games, I would estimate at least 3/5 games are rated M. The good news is that more developers are noticing the underage audiences playing their games, and are adding features to tone down the content. For example, there are several FPS games that have a language and gore filter that can be toggled from the options menu. That way, you can still have all the fun of your war shooter, without the added graphic language and blood.

            Despite the large number of Mature games on the market, there is still hope for finding family friendly, or at least Teen rated games. The only issue is it requires more effort on the part of the consumer to try and find these games, as they are not advertised as thoroughly as some of the more Mature alternatives. To try and help out, here are some decent E and T alternatives to popular M rated games.

            For the FPS crowd, they usually play games like Battlefield, Halo, and Call of Duty. These games are noted for their violence, blood, and occasionally language. Luckily, Bungie, the studio behind the original Halo franchise, decided to tackle a wider audience with their latest shooter, Destiny. For those of you who haven’t heard much about this game, Destiny is an online oriented first person shooter, in which you play as a Guardian in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic setting. Mankind has seen its rise and subsequent fall from glory, and it is your task to stave off the Darkness, which are extra-terrestrial enemies who are not particularly fond of mankind. This game is great because it takes this widely popular genre to a younger audience, without sacrificing gameplay or complexity. It is every bit as challenging and fun as Call of Duty, and Halo.  Even better, it is available on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

            An even more family friendly shooter game is available on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One called Plants VS Zombies: Garden Warfare. This game takes the online deathmatch format, in which two teams compete to see who can get the most kills, but makes it silly and whimsical. You decide whether you want to play as a plant, like a sunflower shooting seeds, or a zombie, which would you a pesticide sprayer as a gun. Each faction has different choices as to play style, weapons, and class. The awesome thing about this game is that while it is silly and childish, I have heard it is still loads of fun, even from veteran FPS gamers.

            For those of you who like the stealth action/adventure/RPG games like Assassin’s Creed, Warner Brothers has a phenomenal alternative. Rocksteady studios have a franchise based on the globally popular comic book character Batman. Seeing that all the previous Batman games were pretty terrible, Rocksteady set out to make the best Batman game ever made. A few years ago, they succeeded with Batman: Arkham Asylum. In this game you play as the Caped Crusader to combat the capture of the insane asylum, which has been taken over by the inmates. This game combines sneaking aspects, some puzzles, and combo based combat sequences that rival Assassin’s Creed with every turn. After Asylum takes place, there is also Batman: Arkham City, in which a section of Gotham has been walled off and converted into a megaprison. In this sequel, Batman goes in undercover to investigate some shady rumors and possible gang uprising within the walls. Both of the games are fantastic, and are available on both PS3 and Xbox 360. A next generation sequel to Arkham City, called Arkham Knight, will be available early next spring on Xbox One and PS4.

            So while Mature games dominate a large portion of big name titles, there are still excellent alternatives available for both Sony and PlayStation, without sacrificing the quality of the game. These games are just as good as any other blockbuster, and you can play them with your kids. What’s not to like?