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Retro Attic Gamer's Profile
Anne Sandberg
Date: March 14, 2002.
Age : older than dirt
Location : Playa Del Rey, CA (USA)
Link : Retro Attic Index
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INTERVIEW BY PHOENIX GENESIS EDITOR
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PG: Who inducted you into the world of gaming?
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Several years ago, my autistic son Paul was introduced to the Playstation
by his recreational therapist Jeff. Jeff felt that video games could be
beneficial to Paul in that they would sharpen his motor skills and
hand and eye coordination.
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PG: What was your attitude toward gaming prior to this time?
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I always thought Nintendo was an evil destroyer of children's minds that
turned them into mindless robots, but Jeff taught me otherwise.
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PG: Why did you feel so much animosity against gaming?
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Well, to begin with, our family vehemently boycotts television watching,
although we do watch videos and DVD movies. I felt that playing games
was also a passive viewing experience. However, now I realize that
playing video games is a very mentally engaging activity. (Laughs!)
We still don't watch TV, but now we own an XBox, a PSX, and a PS2!
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PG: What games do you prefer for your son Paul?
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3D Platformers such as Crash Bandicoot, Jax and Daxter, Spyro the Dragon,
Frogger, Rayman, and all the Disney games such as Winnie the Pooh.
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PG: What advice to you have for other parents of special
needs children in regards to gaming?
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To actively be involved with your child in his gaming experience.
For example, if an autistic child is left alone to play his game,
he will tend to perseverate (i.e., "stim") and have his playable
character die over and over again or he will play the same areas of
the game over and over without progressing to new levels.
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PG: How do you overcome this problem?
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Both our video game therapist, Des, and his older brother, Christian,
spend much time observing Paul's gaming behavior patterns and game testing
new levels well in advance of Paul's play sessions. Together, they will
create various game saves so that Paul will have specific objectives to
accomplish during a session.
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PG: Can you give us a specific example?
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Yes! Jak and Daxter is the perfect game for this. In one session, Paul
drove the rocket over the fire canyon, chased gophers down a hole,
solved the rotating platforms in the underwater lab level, herded
cattle into a pen, and caught fish with a net.
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PG: Have you had any bad gaming experiences with Paul?
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The bloody games are awful because Paul was upset by the blood. For
him that's really being hurt. An example is Tony Hawk 2x for the XBox.
Also, some of the fighting games disturbed him. He's a very gentle
soul, so platformers are just better overall. I suggest to other
parents to carefully research the games they buy before purchasing
them.
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PG: Are there any other side benefits to allowing your
children to play video games?
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Yes. Turn taking! Because both my sons wanted to grab the controller
and dominate the gameplay, but now they have learned to share and to
take turns helping each other solve difficult sections of the games.
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PG: What exactly is the Phoenix Genesis Online eLearning Primer?
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An offshoot of the regular gaming experience we initially set up for Paul.
Since I realized that Paul was a visual non-linear learner, we decided to
scour the web for free online learning games which would be interactive
and stimulating, much like his video game experience. Since my son's
attention span is limited to short bursts of time, it would be easier to
create a page with direct links to the games rather than trying to type
in each URL and wait for the webpages to load. We wanted Paul to feel that
this eLearning Primer was his special portal into his online gaming world.
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PG: What games are you anticipating buying?
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Perhaps the Crash and Spyro games for GameBoy Advance.
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Anne Sandberg is an autism advocate.
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