Truth be told, this article started out as an article about Satoshi Tajiri, but after doing some research focusing on autistic developers, I realized that autism isn't really discussed much in the games industry. I noticed that. In fact, some developers actively avoid mentioning autism because many gamers still use it as an insult.
In writing this article, I wanted to dispel this prejudice even a little. After all, neurodivergence is nothing to be ashamed of in any form, and it's not something anyone can prevent. After all, if you can't do anything about the fact that your brain is simply wired that way, it's not a disease.
So let's start with the original focus of my article: Satoshi Tajiri.
Everyone has probably heard of Satoshi Tajiri, and after all, it's no wonder why he is the author of the following works. Pokemon. Pokemon is a series that defined many childhoods, and I remember it being a way for me to bond with not only my family but also my friends. However, the common belief is that Satoshi Tajiri is autistic, and when I researched it, I found that he was on the autism spectrum because his hobby was collecting insects. Turns out it's just a popular belief.
Naturally, this was a blow to the original highlight of my article. But that brings me to another point. To ease my disappointment, I thought I'd do some research on other autistic developers. It all started with rumors, and some people thought that Hidetaka Miyazaki (of From Software) might be autistic. I haven't been able to confirm this, so I'm going to assume it's not true unless proven otherwise.
As I looked around, I found that very few developers were open about things like neurodivergence. After all, if you've ever been on the internet, you've probably heard someone called autistic as an insult. Personally, while researching this article, I realized that although games are a great outlet for children and adults with autism, they aren't always the friendliest spaces. That's it.
It's no wonder so many people assume that being autistic means they're inherently good at technology or math. In general, this leads to the idea of ”mysterious beings”, which is actually a myth and a stereotype that is equally harmful to autistic people. As someone with a family history of the autism spectrum (and awaiting diagnosis), it is more Harmful.
While this started out as an article celebrating autism in gaming, we decided to instead focus on raising awareness of the issue and keeping an open mind. Ultimately, I realized that the only way to break through the stigma around this issue is to be open about how misunderstandings are more harmful than outright hostility.
So today, let's think about ways we can be more open about autism in the gaming world, create an environment that's welcoming to all (and stop the internet from using autism as an insult). If you can quit, that's great).
