Why does Sonic the Hedgehog attract so much autism? - and how come the same doesn't apply to stuff like Mario or Zelda or Crash Bandicoot to the same extent

[SecretMagicalGirl]

Title pretty much. If it weren't for Sonic and Pokemon, this site wouldn't even exist. So what is it exactly about the blue rodent that seems to attract so many autists. It can't just be furries can it?

It’s very simple really. Sonic is everything they are not.

Sonic is care free and , above all cool. In-universe, not in real,life obviously, Sonic oozes charisma and he doesn’t even seem to even try.

Coincidentially Autistic people notoriously struggle with socialization, and are often seen as awkward or weirdos. And unlike, Sonic, they often Have trouble making friends.

Of course they will get obsessed with Sonic. It’s just another escapist fantasy.

 

[el bandito loco]

for a serious answer I think the simple answer is that autistic people hold on to kid shit. not to generalize entirely but all of my actual experiences with autistic adults they're super into stuff they liked as a kid. but not in a general nostalgia "I liked this" type of way. maybe it's because of stunted social development or something I don't know but when a new sonic game comes out, I usually play it because I liked it as a kid and I like platformers, but I don't consider myself the target audience, or take it seriously. Autistic people seem to be stuck in the this is for me camp even though it's usually for kids. I think it's a lack of moving on and a lack of awareness that at a certain point something you enjoyed is no longer going to be made FOR you because you're no longer the target audience. and so they take their later interests and combine them with their initial interests and that's how you end up with stupid fan shit

 

[Pokemanifsmokeweed]

Because all of the sonic characters are colorful and vibrant furry cartoon characters.

 

[The Littlest Shitlord]

for a serious answer I think the simple answer is that autistic people hold on to kid shit. not to generalize entirely but all of my actual experiences with autistic adults they're super into stuff they liked as a kid. but not in a general nostalgia "I liked this" type of way. maybe it's because of stunted social development or something I don't know but when a new sonic game comes out, I usually play it because I liked it as a kid and I like platformers, but I don't consider myself the target audience, or take it seriously. Autistic people seem to be stuck in the this is for me camp even though it's usually for kids. I think it's a lack of moving on and a lack of awareness that at a certain point something you enjoyed is no longer going to be made FOR you because you're no longer the target audience. and so they take their later interests and combine them with their initial interests and that's how you end up with stupid fan shit

Exactly this. Autists never let go of anything that at one point gave them pleasure, which is part of the reason why there are so many autistic pedophiles (early sexual awakening plus rigid inability to grow up). You had a series where there were several good games in a row getting that initial attention, and then decades of absolute garbage. Of course literally everybody but the autists will have moved on by now, and now the fandom has been enriched like uranium in a centrifuge into 100% pure autism, ready to make the Fat Man and Little Boy of fandom nuclear explosions.

 

[el bandito loco]

Exactly this. Autists never let go of anything that at one point gave them pleasure, which is part of the reason why there are so many autistic pedophiles (early sexual awakening plus rigid inability to grow up). You had a series where there were several good games in a row getting that initial attention, and then decades of absolute garbage. Of course literally everybody but the autists will have moved on by now, and now the fandom has been enriched like uranium in a centrifuge into 100% pure autism, ready to make the Fat Man and Little Boy of fandom nuclear explosions.

It's also the idea of they latch their personality onto whatever it is. I'm not saying being a fan of something or getting pissed at something for sucking or being happy you love it makes you an autist. but when you've crafted your personal sense of identity behind it, you probably are. I'm more "into" some things than others, but at a certain point you gotta understand it's just whatever it's not a big deal and not a literal part of you, its something you like. It's unhealthy engagement behaviors that probably make autistic individuals more likely to be loud parts of certain fandoms

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

Who’s to say Mario and Zelda don’t? Do you think the general public really considers them any less autistic or scornworthy for single adults?

Also I think as far as childishness goes spergs just don’t give a fuck enough to change their interests. These are people who willfully ignore social standards and expectations in a bunch of other ways. They’re not going to feel any sort of guilt over not growing up.

 

[Ughubughughughughughghlug]

Autists never let go of anything that at one point gave them pleasure

Is this why I still think about my ex so much later?

 

[PonderosaPete]

Autists have a strange relationship with "cool" and most of these brands, on some level, claim to be cool in their own way. I think it has to do with them either consciously or subconsciously realizing they will never be able to acquire the level of acceptance a "cool person" aquires. Either by digesting said media or even worse, emulating it, they might come to the conclusion that they might at least attain some level of acceptance through these efforts.

 

[el bandito loco]

Is this why I still think about my ex so much later?

I miss her too, pal

 

[RybenZ999]

It's also the idea of they latch their personality onto whatever it is. I'm not saying being a fan of something or getting pissed at something for sucking or being happy you love it makes you an autist. but when you've crafted your personal sense of identity behind it, you probably are. I'm more "into" some things than others, but at a certain point you gotta understand it's just whatever it's not a big deal and not a literal part of you, its something you like. It's unhealthy engagement behaviors that probably make autistic individuals more likely to be loud parts of certain fandoms

This behavior kind of goes beyond sonic tbf. I've seen so many redditors talk about how X franchise played a huge role in shaping who they are and all that. Even I'm kind of guilty of this too to a small extent.

 

[SnowBall]

When it comes to Pokemon I think one of the biggest reasons it attracts Autistics is that it involves collecting and organizing the creatures into many categories ranging from elemental types, move sets, stats, breeding groups, and simply filling out text in the Pokedex. Autistic people tend to gravitate towards hobbies that involve collecting and organizing things. The competitive Pokemon scene in particular is a huge rabbit hole of Autism with what they do to get the perfect Pokemon for battles. The whole breeding system, Ivs, EVs, specific movesets, held items, and a lot of number crunching, Then you have Pokemon organized into tiers based on all sorts of factors. Then you have the shiny hunters and people trying to get the perfect Pokeball to fit for there favorite Pokemon (which is often referred to as “balltism.”)

All of these factors hit the exact things Autistic people are into.

 

[cybertoaster]

and how come the same doesn't apply to stuff like Mario or Zelda​

You do know people like movieblob exist right? and have you seen the zelda community? its pure autism, the difference is that its a different kind of autism, less campy and more CONSOOM. What adds cringe to the sonic fanbase is that they are mostly furries, but the mario fanbase is now flooded with trannies ever since they made that tranny-bowser, and the zelda community its rife with femboy and cuck porn.

So yeah, its all the same autism, 30 and 40-somethings sperging about games for little kids.

or Crash Bandicoot to the same extent​

Because its practically a dead franchise, has been since the PS2-era games which were shit compared to the PSX ones.

 

[skykiii]

This behavior kind of goes beyond sonic tbf. I've seen so many redditors talk about how X franchise played a huge role in shaping who they are and all that. Even I'm kind of guilty of this too to a small extent.

And its always kinda cringe to hear.

Like, being influenced by media makes sense but when people are literally saying that seeing a movie changed the way they think, that's weird. Unless its like, an ancient text or a literal real-world Necronomicon or something that reveals that we really are in a simulation or something.

When its a corporate franchise though? Yeah....

...... On that note, one thing I always found odd about this idea of getting attached to something you liked as a kid, is the part where these people continue to follow it into adulthood... and in particular, supporting new installments.

Especially when the thing gets new showrunners, like how Star Wars is now owned by Disney. I was never a huge SW nerd but if I was, at that point I would declare anything post-Disney isn't SW anymore. And yet people still act like they have to support it because muh childhood. And that is just weird.

 

[RybenZ999]

And its always kinda cringe to hear.

Like, being influenced by media makes sense but when people are literally saying that seeing a movie changed the way they think, that's weird. Unless its like, an ancient text or a literal real-world Necronomicon or something that reveals that we really are in a simulation or something.

When its a corporate franchise though? Yeah....

...... On that note, one thing I always found odd about this idea of getting attached to something you liked as a kid, is the part where these people continue to follow it into adulthood... and in particular, supporting new installments.

Especially when the thing gets new showrunners, like how Star Wars is now owned by Disney. I was never a huge SW nerd but if I was, at that point I would declare anything post-Disney isn't SW anymore. And yet people still act like they have to support it because muh childhood. And that is just weird.

Truly hammers in the point that corporations rule America.

 

[Linako 2.0]

It helped make Sega “Cooler” at the time. Sega had a darker tone and image than Nintendo which even then was more associated with cutesy graphics and games.

Sega Megadrive/Genesis versions of street fighter 2 and mortal combat tended to have less of the blood and violence removed, so Sega was seen as the edgier bad boy of consoles.

Autists who are often shut ins might horribly misunderstand and think that liking sonic demonstrates that they are cool and bad-ass.

That may explain Sonic fans from the 90's, but what about those who were born after the console wars?

 

[Ewan McGregor]

I met a Sonic fan once that I thought was one of the weirdest person I had met. Little did I know...

 

[frozen_runner]

Face blindness is often comorbid with autism. They also have trouble reading social cues. Having characters who can easily be distinguished from one another (by color as well as by the outsizedness of their exaggerated personality traits), is something that appeals to such people.

Source: I talked to a family member about this who works with autistic kids. Also,

 

[el bandito loco]

in my real life experiences Zelda fans are way worse than sonic fans. Zelda people are the most annoying faggots on the planet who can't help but mention it every 2 or 3 minutes.

 

[RybenZ999]

in my real life experiences Zelda fans are way worse than sonic fans. Zelda people are the most annoying faggots on the planet who can't help but mention it every 2 or 3 minutes.

From what I've seen Zelda fans are just annoying while Sonic fans are more autistic. I mean from what I've seen Zelda fans are mostly regular people (well at least relatively regular) who think their franchise is way deeper than it actually is. Like a lot of them seem to think Zelda deserves to be up there with Van Gogh.

 

[Exister]

Whenever someone talks about why they like the OG sonic games they often say the fun comes from mastering it enough to go super fast without running into anything. To do this you have to play the same game a million times and have multi layered long ass levels memorized in fine detail. Autistic people love their routines and their consistency, makes sense that they'd really like sonic.