Other games, like The Wandering Village underline how our location in the world impacts on us and others. Or it can be how a game like Eco establishes the connection between your actions and the other aspects of the environment. This might be how a game like Terra Nil makes the land itself a character in the experience. As she quotes, “games of environmental responsibility animate our capacity to respond, to affect and be affected, to engage with others: other species, other people, and the otherness of our own planet.” They offer a chance to consider play from an ecological perspective. The games in this list take inspiration from Alenda Chang’s Playing Nature book. These games encourage players to consider the impact of their actions on the environment, as well as their interconnectedness to the world in which they live. There are, however, many games that offer quite the reverse. It’s easy to assume that video games are all about building big cities or running successful economies. Finding a game that can be a positive experience can therefore take some time and investigation. While many autistic people are able to learn, live and work independently, some have learning differences or co-occurring health conditions that require specialist support. Then there are games that magnify this, like Factorio or Planet Coaster, by letting you create interconnect systems and tweak for the desired result.Īs Autistica helpfully highlights, every autistic person is different. Other games, like Mini Metro, Traffix or Mini Motorways offer a chance to work with systems and see how changes impact outcomes. Games like Viva Pinata, Civilization or The Sims let you play in a world where you control the variables. Sense of Control: The real world can be an overwhelming place with constant change and unpredictable situations. Then there are games like Marvel’s Spider-Man or Immortals Fenyx Rising, that allow you to adjust the difficulty as you play. Others, like Mario Kart or The Last of Us Part II let you adjust specific aspects of difficulty. Some games like Subnautica or Bad North let you set the overall difficulty. Some days they may want more of a challenge than others. Then there are games, including Rocket League, Celeste and Eagle Island, that let you adjust the overall speed of play.ĭifficulty Settings: Autistic people may prefer to tailor their experience based on how they are feeling. Other games, like Townscaper or Stardew Valley, help here by not making game tasks time-limited or requiring quick reactions.

Games like A Short Hike or Roki let you progress at your own speed, without being on the clock.

It does this by funding research, shaping policy and working with autistic people to understand their needs.Ĭognitive Pressure: Some autistic people may take time to process information and could feel pressured by time limits.

It focuses on giving autistic people the opportunity to live long, happy, healthy lives. This is a list of games we have put together with some of Autistica’s Autistica Play Ambassadors, to highlight games that have been enjoyed by autistic people.Īutistica is the UK’s national autism research charity. Many autistic people play games to have fun, relax, connect with others and build skills. It is a spectrum of developmental conditions, including Asperger’s Syndrome.

Autism affects the way people communicate and experience the world around them.

Lumino city gameplay