quite many RPGers have this particular syndrome. I've also noted that people with aspergers syndrome are fascinated by fantasy worlds of video games and places like SecondLife where they can be whatever they want, be the gods of their own little universe.
The reason for that Leo is because of our social ineptness. Most people with Aspergers (or HFA - High Functioning Autism) have a difficulty being able to connect with people at different levels for some reason or another. Think of how nervous you would be if/when you met someone important for the first time (eg. Pope, President, Donald Trump, whoever)......then swap important person for any shmoe in the room and multiply the nervousness by about 100.
Some of us are to put it bluntly, crapping ourselves over moments like that when we're introduced to new people as most asperger's people love familiarity, preferring to have set routines.
I know for myself, something as simple as my wife shifting the furniture or moving a pile of papers screws me up because the second it's not in the same place for me I have to rearrange my senses so to speak because my routine for walking to the bathroom's changed. Easy for basically anyone else, but I feel like I need a guide dog for a week afterward everytime it happens!!
We try to cover these flaws through different methods. The most basic instinct for an Asperger's person when exposed like that is to withdraw from the person we've shown our flaws to and be very quiet and subdued and don't want them near you. Even when it's people close to you. Other people lash out. Craig Nichols (lead singer of The Vines) had a very public display of previously undiagnosed Asperger's back in 2002 when they were promoting their second album, during a live performance here in Sydney that was simulcast nationwide. He went mental after being heckled and called the crowd "Sheep" and swore at them and went off the deep end. During interviews afterwards he said he was on a diet of "burgers & bongs" and had such a set routine they were the only things he had for months.
RPG's are actually one good way for an asperger's person to learn how to interact with other people. With the internet age, it's given asperger's people the ability nowadays to communicate with people better than ever before, because they don't have the pressures of being face to face or don't have to attain some standard to be accepted. And, our ability to focus and shut out any other distraction in the room allows us to be better gamers than the standard joystick jockey.
One other trait of Asperger's people......and I think I've summed it up well in this post, we can't get to the bloody point quick enough and end up writing a novel for a response!! We give all the details (eg. time of day, weather, what bus route #, what was happening to Mr.Chan's shop as you drove past) but can't give a simple 1 line blunt response.
Sorry for the novel.
I liked that. 👍
