Full presentation: Autism and board games, presentation by Drs Liam Cross and Gray Atherton

On May 7, 2024, Asmodee Group’s research program, #GameinLab held, as part of its 2024 Conference Series, a presentation in Canada by Doctors Gray Atherton and Liam Cross from the University of Plymouth. They were both invited to discuss their findings from a series of studies examining the overlap between autism and hobbyist board gaming.

The conference took place on Tuesday, May 7, during Canada Plays, the Canadian board game industry’s foremost trade event and conference experience, hosted by Asmodee Canada and Lion Rampant Imports.

Doctors Atherton and Cross surveyed more than 1,600 board gamers and conducted over 35 gamer interviews. Among the 1,600+ board game hobbyists surveyed, they measured that 25% were neurodiverse people and that 4.7% were autistic people (versus 1% within the general population). Reporting a wide range of board gamer demographics, as well as various motivations and preferences within the hobby, the researchers presented how these insights may be of use to game designers and those interested in using board games for educational or therapeutic purposes.