Is it hard for Aspies to be part of the gaming community?

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I have Aspergers and I love playing video games, but I find it very difficult to be around other NT gamers on the internet. I can't really understand why because I try my hardest to be friendly when discussing my favorite games on forums, but I seem to bring out the worst in other gamers who are always openly rude to me. I think maybe it's because NTs take gaming to a more extreme level than I do. They seem to play games and discuss them as a way of showing a social status where I play them simply to have fun and escape in my own fantasy world.

Do other aspie gamers here feel that way?

I usually can't stand gamer communities or gameserver regulars, they are so immature, rude, annoying and never serious.
I can't get to know anyone because I can't make friends.
Everyone always misunderstands me.
I can't stand voice chat because I can't "understand" (thread: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt164892.html ) half of it and I'm trying to focus on the game sounds, I always mute everyone on all games or else I just get annoyed.
And the list goes on..

So I guess I'm not the only one. I really could never figure out how gamers could be so civil to each other when discussing a game, but the moment I try to talk I get a lot of rude comments that make me feel like I'm being a bad person. No matter how hard I try to be nice or talk in the ways other gamers do they never accept me. I guess it is because of my Aspergers that they can sense that something about me makes me different from them.

Luckily I do have one really good friend who loved video games as much as I do, so when I feel the need to really discuss a game I like I can always talk to him. I think he must have aspergers too because he's very similar to me in his social awkardness and obsessive behavior, but I don't think he ever got the chance to be diagnosed because of his severe disability.

Just let the NT gamers type away at their keyboards while you go around and do some killing. Let them waste time trying to be immature bullies while you win.

I'd imagine gamers both Aspie and NT feel just as you do. There's a lot of fine people who are gamers, but an awful lot of poorly adjusted, infantile freaks who are into gaming too. On other forums I read how people shut off their head set when they play, just so they can play without listening to the endless flow of trash talk and insults. I don't game online at all, and that's one of the reasons.

Yeah I choose not to game online too not only because I think games are more enjoyable by yourself but also because I hear about the nastiness that comes from people who game online, like the trash talking and the jerks who get their teammates killed on purposes.

It kind of irritates me that a lot of games these days are trying to be where you can only enjoy the game fully online, and some games that would have been better off one-player like Resident Evil 5 get ruined when the developers decide to inlcude online co-op at the last minute. It's just a cheap way of trying to make the game more successful to make money.

It really depends on the game. I find that whenever you're playing a "Hardcore" title, that's when you'll usually run into this problem. Niche genres are usually nicer, though some may be elitist.

But I never play the hardcore titles like Metal Gear Solid or Halo. I've always enjoyed the smaller games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Fable and even those fanbases are filled with a lot of jerks who never seem to give me a chance and are always being rude to me whenever I try and discuss a game. It's not even just the elitist aspect of the fans, I just think that they can sense something about me from the way I post and so they automatically show contempt for me even though I'm just as much of a game fan as they are.

This may be strange, but I'd really consider Metal Gear Solid is more of a niche title as a stealth game (though it is the most mainstream of the stealth games). There will always be jerks and one thing I that may be true is that it seems that attacks on autistics are more because of autistics upsetting more easily. The thing is to realize that jerks aren't targeting YOU but merely the target who reacts the most. This just happens to be you, but it is not who you ARE. Dwelling on these subjects never helps anyone. As I always say, "Let bygones be bygones, and let Qui-Gons be Qui-Gons". (Star Wars reference)

I don't think it's really that simple, I think hardcore gamers just have a tendacy to be internet bullies and because Aspies give off a strong vibe of something being unusual about themselves even on the internet, that they sense that about us and that is why they seem to target us when it comes to internet bullying. I know because I visit many smaller forums dedicated to certain games I like and all the members can be very friendly and civil to each other, but the moment somebody likes me makes a post that comes across as "off" even if it's not breaking forums rules we get a lot of downright nasty replies. I've had my fair share of "stfu" posts just for wanting to discuss a character or theme in a game that I found interesting, yet other gamers discuss those things all the time in friendly words.

I really think that gaming has become more about social status than about simply enjoying the game. Music is the same way which is why I tell people I have no interest in music (even though I secretly do). At least there's movies and TV shows which are free for anybody to enjoy and openly discuss.

Both my gamer tags on my PS3 and my Xbox 360 refer to my Aspergers, and people often ask me if it's a disease.

The good news in such a situation is that you can shoot them.

They tend to be that way in real life too, I noticed. They get all pumped up on their first person shooters and think they're real life tough guys.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF7gn8tK0bg[/youtube]

OK, that seriously made me rofl.