How did Sonic and Minecraft become autism stereotypes?

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It just kinda baffles me, because I'm not really huge on either of those franchises. Like, I don't necessarily mind them, but they're not my be-all end-all. I know they both have huge fanbases online, but how did they specifically become associated with people on the autism spectrum? Is it just because they're kid-friendly franchises that happen to have a lot of older fans? If so, why isn't Pokemon regarded the same way?

MLP: FiM is another franchise often associated with people on the spectrum, though not as much as Sonic or Minecraft. Again, it's another kid-friendly franchise with a large adult fanbase.

So, what is it about Sonic and Minecraft specifically that cause people to draw this connection?

But MLP is for effeminate men; Its not the same thing.

I'd say one has to have a fair amount of faith in their masculinity to be a fan.

I've been away from this forum for a while....

I find it ironic that I see this post when I come back because I really got into playing Minecraft a few days ago! I'm also a MLP fan. I wasn't really into Sonic when I was a kid.... so I got 2 out of 3! :p

As for the "type" of man who likes MLP, I personally don't give a crap about the gender binary. I don't care about appearing "masculine". If anything, I'd probably consider myself gender neutral.

I've been going back and forth on whether I should get Minecraft or not. I've played a little bit of it, and it can be kind of entertaining, but there's no way I'm paying $30 for it. Maybe $15, definitely $5. I guess I can blame Micro$oft, since they now own Mojang.

Being a fan of MLP certainly isn't "macho", but I don't see what's wrong with liking things that aren't macho. I think people who try to be as macho as possible, and dismiss things like MLP in the process, are usually quite insecure about themselves. IMO, self-confidence is a much better trait to have than just pure masculinity.

Because they are all pretty terrible to most people and most people can't understand why people would enjoy them. Also, the fan of them seems to be pretty obsessive about the product.

Because they seem to be kind of nerdy thing and aspies are usually assumed to be nerds and like things like that. Also there is trains, anime, video games, science, computers, comic books, Star Wars, Star Trek, being a mathlete, not liking sports, wearing glasses, and being either very over or under weight. Some of us like most of them, some like none of them, some like a few of them. Same with NT's though.

It's just nerdy stuff and we aren't all nerds and also all nerds aren't aspies.

IDK, I have played sonic video games here and there....I don't have any though, and I am not really interested in Mine-craft at all. I guess I also did not know those where particularly associated with aspergers, or that people thought that.

The first console games I ever played right after some DOS nonsense were Sonic ones for Sega Genesis. I've only played minecraft on my friends' machines though.

That said I pretty much dropped sesame street for Star Trek TNG around the same time I discovered Sonic...

If you performed a search of this site for just "Sonic" you come up with roughly 10,000 posts that mention it. (A little more but I am subtracting a fair amount for other meanings of the word such as "sonic boom" etc after reviewing ten pages worth of just search results.) I am sure given the overly honest nature of some people on the spectrum that a lot have stated they have autism in other forums throughout the internet and have shared their interest in sonic and minecraft openly and obsessively. Giving way to the stereotype of autistic individuals love sonic/minecraft/mlp/etc. They are also games/activities done in solitary or with minimum social contact. Making them ripe for autistic individuals to be drawn to them.

I personally don't find the interest in either, or any anime, but I don't begrudge the stereotype, because of the proliferation of readily available examples of it. People make generalizations to explain what they are exposed to, without really questioning the basis of the generalization. It's how they make something they don't understand more palpable. Since there are incidences of people with autism discussing these interests, it's generalized that people with autism like those interests. Unfortunately, many people are not capable of understanding more or don't have the willingness to try to understand more, so it goes unquestioned.

It happens with a lot of things and is a general rule of human nature. Like all birds are dumb, because of their small brains, all southerners (in the states) talk slow (I wish they did, a lot of them sound like a machine gun with a stuck trigger to me aka: they talk really fast and don't enunciate), etc. The vast majority of people (even autistic) are not experts in autism so the generalizations work for them to explain and define autism.

I look it at as it could be worse. Could be generalized with liking to smear pooh on the walls (some autistic and non autistic individuals do) or something equally as unpleasant and personally untrue.

I agree. I love wearing my Fluttershy (MLP) shirt when I go out even though people will think I'm weird.

I have much more respect for the person who doesn't care if they're interests are considered odd by most people.

My youngest daughter has a friend whose boyfriend drives a MLP car, I kid you not. It's painted pink and purple with stickers and things hanging from the mirror and fuzzy seat covers with ponies on them. It's the ultimate car for a 11 year old girl, but a 20 year old guy drives it and even delivers pizza in it at his job. He's got a really pretty girlfriend too who is also a MLP fan. He's not a cute boy at all, he's short and pretty chubby and has glasses and one night they put makeup on him at a spend the night party he came to and he looked like Eddie Izzard in his stage act, but without the makeup he doesn't look like him. He's the nicest boy and is a lot of fun and great to have around so I understand how he got the hot girlfriend but people who haven't met him and see them out together, especially when they find out that it's his car, not hers, just shake their heads and go "how?" So, he's not macho at all in any sense of the word, but he's also not effeminate either, and he's very straight, he's had a few girlfriends before this one. I don't know if this is an angle he's working to get girls to like him and be comfortable around him or if this is really him. Either way they are a happy couple. With a MLP car.

Some people always said that Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation was an autism stereotype. I don't know about you, but a lot of autistic/asperger's kids look up to Data as a hero, so I really don't consider it a stereotype.

For Sonic, it's ignorant people with negative stereotypes for autism. Basically the series went into the toilet, and the fanbase sucks, so Sonic fans are obviously autistic. Duh. There is also a couple autistic lolcows who are fans of Sonic.

I think masculinity in general is stupid. I seek to be a good person, not a good man.

Don't forget to add trains, lol.

I don't really know why or how. I think the more.. known stereotypes on the internet were sonic obsessed, the ones most often poked fun at on youtube. I can't think of any other legit reason.

Yeah, my wording was kind of off. I don't see masculinity as necessarily being a bad thing, but some people do go kind of far with it. Really, my problem is not so much with masculinity itself, but the sexist and homophobic attitudes that some people bring with it.