A recent study has revealed why many people on the autism spectrum turn to video games as a hobby. New findings suggest that individuals with autism spectrum conditions may play video games to escape reality, specifically to escape self-repression when experiencing negative moods and escape self-expansion when experiencing positive moods.
Studies that appear in the journal computers in human behaviorAdding to existing knowledge about the purpose of video games for people with autism.
The authors of the new study define escapism as “an act of shifting the focus of attention from an unpleasant reality to one that is unreal and pleasant.” This research examines two types of escape, self-suppression and self-expansion.
The suppressive escape style refers to “engaging in activities, including playing games, to suppress negative emotions, considered a strategy to avoid the discomfort associated with negative influences (Stenseng et al. , 2012And 2021). “Self-expanding flight” facilitates harmonious autonomy, competence, relationships… and autonomous participation.
Research has found that those with autism spectrum conditions appear to be attracted to video games as an opportunity for escape and an opportunity for control. In addition, playing video games can serve as an interactive interpersonal exercise when those with autism spectrum conditions play cooperatively. Anna Peskovska and colleagues aimed to investigate positive and negative motivations for video games in individuals with autism spectrum conditions.
Participants were recruited from the neurodiversity society in Poland. Participants were required to be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, be over 18 years of age and play video games for at least one hour per week. One hundred and eighty nine people met the criteria and agreed to participate.
Participants measured escape, play motivation, autistic exhaustion, affective outcome (a measure of typical mood), and hedonic tone (ability to experience joy). Statistical analysis of this data revealed that those with high levels of negative affect or autistic burnout were more likely to play video games for self-depressing reasons. In addition, repetitive behaviors, decreased cognitive and motor functioning, failure to care for oneself, and behaviors aimed at avoiding emotions are all associated with self-suppressing motivation to play games.
Those who score high on a measure of hedonic pitch (or how well they can experience joy) tend to report that self-expansion is the reason behind their video game endeavors. Self-expansion as a video game motivator is also related to the desire to master.
Recognized limitations include the lack of a control group. Thus, we cannot conclude that these findings are unique to playing on the spectrum or autism conditions. In addition, the study included more women (105) than men (50) or non-binary people (34), and thus, we were unable to know whether gender had an effect on the results.
Despite these concerns, the research team feels their work has been a meaningful addition to what is known about motivation to play games and autism spectrum conditions. Understanding what might motivate someone with autism to spend time with video games can help practitioners determine whether games are used to overcome challenges that can be overcome and overcome in a therapeutic setting.
learn,”Determinants of escapism in adult video gamers with autism spectrum conditions: The role of influence, autistic exhaustion, and play motivation.Written by Anna Peskovska, Thomas Jusior, Francesek Stefanik, and Barbara Wiszek.
