AUTISM AND ONLINE GAMING ATHABASCA UNIVERSITY HOW ADULTS WITH HIGH FUNCTIONING AUTISM EXPERIENCE AND UNDERSTAND LEARNING IN A MMO GAME BY GAYLYNE ARCHIBALD A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF EDUCATION FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES CENTRE FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION ATHABASCA, ALBERTA JULY, 2020 © GAYLYNE ARCHIBALD AUTISM AND ONLINE GAMING ii AUTISM AND ONLINE GAMING iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my thesis supervisor, Dr. Cynthia Blodgett-Griffin for her continuous persistence, guidance, and support. I would never have gotten this far without her encouragement and our weekly chats. I am also thankful to my dear friend, Lorraine as we endured our thesis routes together. A very special acknowledgement goes to my family, my incredible daughter Taylor and my dear husband Vince for all their unconditional support they gave me throughout this journey. Finally, I must not forget the participants of my research. I thank them for their time and their shared experiences. AUTISM AND ONLINE GAMING iv Abstract This qualitative phenomenological study investigated a gap in the literature on adults with high functioning autism (HFA) and whether, or how, communication skills are strengthened or learned by playing MMORPG and MMO games. These games require players to communicate through: team playing, collaborating, trading, strategizing, socializing, competition, overcoming obstacles, and building empires. In the gaming culture, however, when players do not communicate effectively while playing, they are often ignored or excluded from group play. Through multiple perspectives from adults with HFA, four key themes emerged: transfer of information focused on the why, how, and who HFA gamers interacted with; description of game players involved real players and non-player characters; dislikes involved the gaming industry and other gamers; and self-barriers demonstrated self-awareness of the participants’ own deficits due to their autism. Overall findings report that adults with HFA who played MMORPGs and MMO games strengthened their communication skills. Keywords: autism, high functioning autism, adults with HFA, online gaming, MMO, learning, communication AUTISM AND ONLINE GAMING v Table of Contents Approval Page..........................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements................................................................................................iii Abstract....................................................................................................................iv Table of Contents......................................................................................................v List of Figures...........................................................................................................x Chapter 1. Introduction........................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem .........................................................................................5 Research Questions ...................................................................................................6 Significance of the Study ..........................................................................................7 Validity .....................................................................................................................8 Definition of Terms ..................................................................................................9 Limitations ..............................................................................................................11 Delimitations ..........................................................................................................12 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................13 Chapter 2. Review of Literature .........................................................................................14 Introduction ............................................................................................................14 Inspiration for this Study ........................................................................................14 Terminology and Labels. ........................................................................................15 What is Autism, Really? .........................................................................................16 Communication Skill-building ...............................................................................18 Assistive Online Technology ..................................................................................20 Virtual Learning .....................................................................................................21 Online Gaming .......................................................................................................21 Online Game Development ....................................................................................24 Chapter 3. Methodology ....................................................................................................29 Introduction ............................................................................................................29 Phenomenology ......................................................................................................29 Descriptive Phenomenology .................................................................................. 31 Role of the Researcher ............................................................................................32 Bracketing ...............................................................................................................33 Preliminary Inquiry .................................................................................................35 Data Collection .......................................................................................................39 Game Selection ...................................................................................................... 39 Recruitment ........................................................................................................... 41 Description of the Participants .............................................................................. 42 Data Analysis ..........................................................................................................49 Rigor .......................................................................................................................50 Ethical Considerations ............................................................................................51 Confidentiality ....................................................................................................... 51 Reflection ................................................................................................................53 Summary .................................................................................................................54 AUTISM AND ONLINE GAMING vi Chapter 4. Results ..............................................................................................................56 Introduction ............................................................................................................56 Theme 1: Transfer of Information ........................................................................ 58 Theme 2: Description of Game Players ................................................................ 63 Theme 3: Dislikes ................................................................................................. 66 Theme 4: Self-Barriers ......................................................................................... 71 Word Visualization .................................................................................................73 Reflection ................................................................................................................75 Self-Awareness vs Preoccupation ..........................................................................76 Attraction to Online Gaming ..................................................................................78 Socialization .......................................................................................................... 79 Competition ........................................................................................................... 79 Soothe Personal Autistic Traits ............................................................................. 80 Gender Differences (Binary) ..................................................................................81 Gender Fluidity .......................................................................................................84 Requirements for Target Audiences .......................................................................85 Reflection ................................................................................................................86 Summary .................................................................................................................87 Chapter 5. Conclusion ........................................................................................................89 Introduction ............................................................................................................89