Comment by flippantHippo | Hacker News Reader

Comment by flippantHippo | Hacker News Reader

So interesting to me how many comments here, which are intended to be critques of the game, unknowingly end up giving insights into the autistic experience. I'm not sure if this is intentional, but there's some elegance in how that's played out.

  - I don't like the choices given
  - Why did both options, make my x score drop?
  - I don't understand how this game is scored
  - I don't agree with how this game is scored
  - That's not what masking is/everybody has to do that

In my experience at least, these are the responses to the real world that are at the centre of autism - especially for those undiagnosed / late-diagnosed. Why don't I understand this thing that everyone else seems to, and nobody understands this thing that I've clearly explained 3 times now? Why is x that is so easy for everyone else so hard for me? I don't understand what I did wrong.

Games like this are never going to be perfect simulations of even a single person's experience, but are great for demonstrating that others might not experience the world in the same way as you. And the more people understand that, the more empathy and less conflict there will be in the world.

I think the point of the game is that it is almost impossible (the character is already at the end of the rope in the beginning, surprisingly realistic, since I been there), showing how hostile and random the corporate office jobs are - for anybody, but especially if you have any type of disabling factor.

But instead people complain ”But it is not a fun game :cry:”. Sigh.

If people aren't expecting an "end of the rope" simulator then it's reasonable if they get confused and object to how decisions are working out.

It's not your strawman about funness.

I think it is reasonable to expect that a game that is called ”Autism Simulator” is likely neither going to a) be easy b) very enjoyable c) make much sense. You could also complain similarly about the game called ”Paying Hospital Bills Without Money” being unfair or that ”Terminal Cancer Ward” -game is impossible to beat. Hell, why not complain that Josef K in Kafka’s trial is quite unfairly treated? I think it is fairly reasonable to expect the player to manage their expectations and consider the game more as an art piece. Otherwise you miss the point completely.

I think it's very reasonable to expect it to make sense. For an autism simulator in particular, I expect my stats to make more sense than in the average simulator.

That doesn't mean it has to be easy or even winnable, but I should be able to figure out how my choices directly affect me.

And those other games you theorize put the difficulty in the title. "Autism simulator" does not, and it says at the start that this is supposed to be a "typical work week".

Being confusing and difficult on a meta level gets in the way of learning anything at a direct level. I wouldn't call that elegant.

Perfect. So if I'm understanding you correctly, I can throw together a game with arbitrary/irritating rules that many people won't like, and I'll just call it an autism simulator.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com