That kid reminds me of many of my former students, the ones with high IQ, trouble with social skills, limited voice modulation and a fixation with narrow subject matter. Unlike the people in the audience, I don't laugh at people like that. It's not cool.
It turns out that this kid does have Asperger's Syndrome. I'm not convinced that the laughter is mean spirited though.
This video actually got me to thinking about WoW a bit. It's interesting that almost all of the Asperger people I know (including friends of mine) are hard core into WoW. It's also interesting that almost every conversation I have with people about WoW invariably winds up on the topic of addiction and obsessive compulsive behavior.
I'm wondering if WoW is a good thing or a bad thing for people on the spectrum... If it exploits and profits off of people with certain personality characteristics, or if it is a benign outlet for those who are otherwise socially isolated.
The basic humor of the situation is that the fan knows more than the creators themselves about the fantasy world. Whether than makes the fan contemptible or admirable, naturally, depends on your point of view.
That kid reminds me of many of my former students, the ones with high IQ, trouble with social skills, limited voice modulation and a fixation with narrow subject matter. Unlike the people in the audience, I don't laugh at people like that. It's not cool.
ReplyDeleteI've worked with the same type of kids, although younger.
ReplyDeleteStill, I think the crowd were laughing because the designers were busted before a live audience. And that is a bit funny, imo.
It turns out that this kid does have Asperger's Syndrome. I'm not convinced that the laughter is mean spirited though.
ReplyDeleteThis video actually got me to thinking about WoW a bit. It's interesting that almost all of the Asperger people I know (including friends of mine) are hard core into WoW. It's also interesting that almost every conversation I have with people about WoW invariably winds up on the topic of addiction and obsessive compulsive behavior.
I'm wondering if WoW is a good thing or a bad thing for people on the spectrum... If it exploits and profits off of people with certain personality characteristics, or if it is a benign outlet for those who are otherwise socially isolated.
The basic humor of the situation is that the fan knows more than the creators themselves about the fantasy world. Whether than makes the fan contemptible or admirable, naturally, depends on your point of view.
ReplyDelete