Using Popular Computer Games to Teach Social Skills

Video games are a hugely popular source of entertainment for children, teenagers, and adults alike. As technology improves, the complexity of computer games has increased exponentially. Remember Atari Games like Asteroids, where the only objective was to keep your ship in space by shooting at various sized rocks? Now some games are nearly as complex as real life, and in fact, virtual environments aim to mimic real life situations. Capitalizing on this, new computer software programs have been developed to address the core feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD): social skills deficits. These games include:

• Mind Reading: The Interactive Guide to Emotions
• Fun with Feelings
• Face Say

However, there are other games – commercially available, developed for fun and entertainment, not as a therapeutic tool – that mimic reality and require lots of sophisticated social skills to be successful. The question arises: might popular virtual reality games be a ready-made method of teaching social skills to individuals with ASD?

Why Computer Games?

Many individuals with ASD enjoy playing computer games. They typically excel in technological areas, both because they have strengths in mathematics and computing and because they are often more comfortable with computers than people. Individuals with ASD are often highly visual, and may respond better to actually seeing social situations played out as opposed to simply talking about them.

However, there is no evidence that simply playing computer games alone will increase social skills. Researchers have pointed out the danger individuals with ASD face of becoming too comfortable in the virtual world, becoming a “computer addict,” and cutting themselves off even further from the real, social world. Therefore, social skills training should take place with a facilitator (a counselor or therapist) who can prompt the individual to recognize social events and reactions, generalize virtual reality situations to real life, and process game play on an ongoing basis.

Pros

There are several arguments in support of using computer games for social skills training. Computer games:

• Are Highly Motivating – Computer games are fun. People are highly motivated to play games, and therefore highly motivated to participate in therapy.
• Provide A Safe Environment – Social situations are highly stressful for individuals with ASD. In a virtual reality environment, social skills can be practiced without any fear of negative social repercussions.
• Are Consistent and Patient – An individual can practice the same situation on a computer as many times as necessary. Unlike people, computers don’t get frustrated or bored.

Cons

Computer games should be a used as a part of a comprehensive therapy plan; they should not be used in isolation. And as previously mentioned, computer games are only useful if a facilitator is available to shape and scaffold the learning experience for the user. When using computer games as a social skills intervention, therapists should be wary of:

• Repetitive behavior – Computer games could become a restricted interest or game play could become rigid and repetitive.
• Not connecting game situations to real-life situations
• Becoming overly reliant on the technology at the expense of real world interaction

Socially-Themed Computer Games

Sims

Early research indicates that The Sims, a simulation game in which players create characters who navigate a slew of real life activities such as finding a job, maintaining a home, and forming romantic relationships, has strong therapeutic potential to assist with self-awareness and exploration of social issues. If you create a character who has goals and personality characteristics similar to your own, the issues you face in your real life will be reflected in the life of your character.

The Sims has been used clinically as a social and vocational rehabilitation tool with adults with ASD. One Rehabilitation Specialist used Sims with several adults with ASD to help them:

1. Gain self-awareness, and
2. Practice social skills

Player 1

Player 1 found that his character seemed to elicit negative reactions from other characters. He discovered he needed to experiment with different behaviors, such as telling jokes, chatting, inviting someone to watch TV, etc., in order to find activities that would result in positive reactions from other characters.

Player 2

Player 2 had difficulty with the organization and planning aspects of being social. When her hunger and fun needs were both low, she would have the character start eating, then interrupt the character to do something fun. When hunger and energy were both low, she would have the character start cooking, then have the character go to sleep while food was still in the oven, and her kitchen would catch on fire.

She had good ideas about keeping the social need high while also working on hunger and fun needs by inviting other characters over and then eating or playing with them, but in practice she was not able to coordinate working toward more than one need at a time. She would get distracted by getting dressed for her company, rather than eating or sleeping. Player 2 commented that the problems with focus are similar to problems she has in real life.

Second life

Another simulation game with therapeutic potential is Second Life, an online 3-D virtual world created entirely by its residents. To participate in Second Life, a user must first create an avatar. Then, the user can explore the world, meet other people, buy land, create anything from clothing to buildings, and participate in the marketplace where items are bought and sold for real US dollars. Because Second Life has the capacity for real-time interaction between peers, several support groups have already sprung up, including an innovative online community for people dealing with Asperger’s Syndrome and autism. Real time communication between a therapist and client is also possible when using Second Life, which lends itself well to social role-playing.

Conclusion

Computer games such as Sims and Second Life have potential to help individuals with ASD improve their social skills. A counselor using games as therapy should be aware of the potential drawbacks, and be available to help sort out game outcomes and connect virtual characters to real life situations. As technology improves and games become increasingly life-like, more and more research investigating the best ways of using game technology with individuals with ASD will be conducted. Computer games that use virtual environments offer a new and exciting perspective on social skills training – a way of learning that is fun and effective? It doesn’t get any better.