Learning to play the neuroqueer way.
Eurogamer is once again marking Pride with another week of features celebrating the intersection of LGBTQIA+ culture and gaming.
This article is about coming out, though not in the way you might expect.
Autism and queerness have an entwined history.
This is partly because of thehigh proportion of autistic people who identify as LGBTQIA+.
This work has increasingly come to be discussed in terms ofneuroqueering.
At a personal level, my autism feels closely linked to both my transness and my bisexuality.
Gaming has really helped with this.
Stimming hands are quieted.
Fine motor skills are honed.
Conversational turn-taking is mastered.
I am interested in gaming not as corrective and “cure”, but asa tool for unmasking.
In fact, it had only worked so well because we had all been free to be completely ourselves.
For a history of autism and autistic culture, pick up Steve Silberman’sNeuroTribes(2015).
For resources and discussion on gaming and neurodivergence, have a look atAccessible Gaming Quarterly.
TheNational Autistic Societyoffers a rich array of information on and support with autism from a neuro-affirmative standpoint.
