Aspberger's Syndrome and Video Games

Spock has been diagnosed as having high functioning autism/Asberger's Syndrome which means:
He tends to think logically
Most of the time, as far as he is concerned, he is right and you are wrong.
He is on average about as compliant as a bad tempered mule.
He obsessess over things. One thing. It used to be Legos. Now it is MineCraft
Social Skills are not his strong point. He has trouble seeing the other person's point of view. The pattern for friends has been that they come over once or twice and then never come back again.

It also means:
He is not all that concerned about what people think so negative peer pressure is not much of a factor for him.
He can easily be at the top of the field in whatever he is obsessed over. Right now few can equal his skills at MineCraft.
He can jump straight to the solution of a complicated math problem that it would take me three pages of notes to get to.
He can build just about anything and figure out complex problems in very creative ways.
He is determined and is not easily dissuaded from pursuing his objectives. 

Quite a few years ago now I bought a PlayStation 2 for him. Video games play into his obsessive nature and have not been a good thing. Since the day I brought that cursed device home we have had fights over video games.

MineCraft has replaced Legos as the latest obsession. If he can't play MineCraft, he will spend hours watching videos about MineCraft. Listening to music about MineCraft.  All talk is of MineCraft. All research is on MineCraft.

MineCraft is not a bad thing but MineCraft 24-7 is not healthy.

My original thoughts were that video games were something he would have to live with and that he needed to learn to manage them in moderation. The trouble with that logic is that with boys and video games there is no moderation that is not forced. I've wasted many hours on them myself as an adult so expecting a young boy to be able to do so in moderation is not logical.

Yes, be judgmental all you wish and say we are the parents and should take charge, blah blah blah. Parents of aspie children will understand.


Eowyn and I have been discussing a plan that we'll implement this Sunday.