By Archer Rosenkrantz
Important Note: Autism is as much of a shared experience between autistics as it is a deeply personal one. It’s almost like a jacket. It is going to fit differently on each person, look different, and people might wear it in various ways. For this reason, when I speak about autism, you are learning about my personal autism experience, not the experience of all autistics.
Special Interest: Intense fixation on a specific topic that lasts a long time or even an entire lifetime. A symptom of autism spectrum disorder.
Special interests are one of the most important aspects of my autism. My unique, personal passions that shine as special interests carve out who I am in the world. My life revolves around these incredible fascinations, as they help regulate my body and mind. They are my safe place, and the place where my brain lights up with serotonin. My special interests, light a fire within my heart, the tendrils of flame igniting every aspect of my life. They are the lens in which I view the world. My special interests feel like joy in every capacity.
Video games have been my central special interest since I first played Starcraft at the age of eight. Everything about it captivated me from the world to the gameplay to the characters. Pretty soon it was one of the only things I consistently thought about and engaged with every single day. I struggled to connect with other kids because nobody knew the game and it was one of the only things I wanted to talk about. Diving into the world of Starcraft was exciting, and I did so through books and videos on top of the game. Eventually my love for Starcraft bled into a passionate love for video games as an entertainment medium. I read every piece of video game publication I could get my hands on as I found my happy place within learning about and engaging with video games.
I am twenty-three years old now, and there isn’t a day that goes by without gaming involved. If I can’t sit in front of a screen, I listen to gaming podcasts on the way to work and read gaming publications during my breaks. I have quite a few special interests besides gaming that have ebbed and flowed throughout my life. I am obsessed with certain comic books, artists, toys, and hobbies. It is difficult to ground myself as an autistic person in a world created for neurotypicals. I struggle with emotional regulation and socializing in a huge way. My special interests help ground me, focus me, and keep me doing okay.
Connecting with others has always been a challenge for me. I’m awkward in my own special autistic way. I struggle with small talk and the social cues of most interactions with people I don’t know very well. My brain thrives on structure, and a lot of social opportunities lack this. This is the same reason I don’t like parties unless we are playing a game all night, because games have structure and “hanging out” doesn’t. Small talk has no structure, it’s like the wild west of talking. It feels like a big awkward wall stands between myself and others I’d like to have relationships with. It crumbles and collapses the second a person brings up a shared interest. If they like video games, conversation becomes effortless. We can talk about what games we like, what we are playing, and the immersive worlds we engage with. Structure, familiarity…my brain likes games…let’s talk about that!
Did you know that the failure of E.T. The Video Game in 1982 almost destroyed home gaming? How about that Birdo from Super Mario Bros 2 made history in 1988 by being the first transgender video game character? One of my favorite things to do is share video game facts and history. When autistic people start unloading all of their favorite information about a special interest, it is often called “info dumping.” This oversharing of knowledge can go on for hours, or as long as the other person will listen. Infodumping is one of the ways I cope with extreme emotion as an adult. I’ve found that talking about my favorite things can be regulating, grounding, and a healthy distraction. Although, sometimes it just happens during conversation because it is fun. Some people might find it offputting, and a lot of autistics including myself struggle when knowing when it is okay or not. I am lucky enough to have found some special people who like to listen and make it safe for me to info dump. Finding people who will listen and even enjoy engaging in my special interests with me is extremely important for me. My best relationships are formed with these people. Life’s greatest pleasure is sharing special interests with another autistic, and letting each other info dump for hours.
I have found that I struggle to find motivation and energy when tasks aren’t connected to my special interests. For this reason, I make sure that how I support myself financially involves them. Improv is another one of my big special interests. I am an absolute nerd about it, and I’ve read every improv book ever written. I’ve performed hundreds of improv shows, spent thousands of hours improvising, and I even get to teach improv classes! My intense knowledge of the subject has made me a passionate teacher, as teaching allows me to info dump on people who are paying money for that knowledge. It’s the perfect job for my autistic brain! On top of that, I’ve found a bunch of wonderful improv jobs because people that can engage an audience without a script can be valuable when creating entertainment experiences. My autism becomes the star when I am improvising. My natural awkwardness combined with my autistic candidness and struggle with sarcasm highlight situational irony and behavioral comedy in a way that is unique to me. I can follow the structure of an improv set in a way my brain loves as my autism becomes my biggest strength. My lack of a complete social filter is something I can bend to make people laugh…I just love improv! Plus, there are so many wonderful autistics in the improv world to info dump with! I think I started info dumping and getting off track a little (haha!). Finding ways to tie my special interests into my everyday life is essential for me. I believe that this is how autistics can thrive in the work environment, when most work environments aren’t accessible for us.
My special interests are my lifeline. They are the blood that runs through my veins. Video games make me insanely happy when nothing else does, and it’s one of the things that makes my autism feel incredible. Special interests bring autistic joy. Autistic joy is a feeling like no other.
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Archer’s Video Game Recommendation List for Non-Gamers:
Animal Crossing New Horizons
Life is Strange
Firewatch
Overcooked
Portal and Portal 2
Telltale’s The Walking Dead
Untitled Goose Game
It Takes Two
Katamari Damancy
Papers Please
What Remains of Edith Finch
The Stanley Parable
For Gamers:
The Beginner’s Guide
Slay the Spire
Undertale (My favorite of all Time)
Hades
Pony Island
Disco Elysium
Persona 5 Royal (Second favorite of all time)