Xanthippa's Chamberpot

Yes!

THE event of the year is upon us:  CanGames 2010 is ON!

I originally came across it in a somewhat unusual way…

When we first began to look for ways to help my older son (as Aspie as the rest of us) develop the tools to integrate into the greater society, we found Warhammer – the Fantasy version.

The game itself has been described as being ‘like chess, but with 100x more complex rules and no helpful grid on the play area’.  Oh – and you have to select and build/paint your own playing pieces…

We got into it as our son was interested in strategy games, and the whole building/painting of his entire ‘army’ was excellent physical therapy for his co-ordination.  He did it because he wanted the result…. I helped and got hooked on the ‘making/painting’ bit.  Years later, I still make a 1-3 pieces a year (by request only) for some collectors…

Building that first army was really fun:  I even bought a set of (much cheaper) plastic soldiers and ‘his own paints’ for my younger son:  while my older one and I worked to build his ‘army’, I would put a garbage bag over the tray of the high chair, sit my younger one in it beside me (he was the right age for it and loved his high chair), and he would ‘paint’ his very own army, too!  (Yes, I still have most of it…having been cautioned by several of the people at CanGames that once he grows up, he’ll treasure ‘his first army’!)

THE single biggest Warhammer tournament in our area was (and is) at CanGames.

That is how I first learned about it – and that is why I first went there.

My son – even though a kid (so I had to be along to supervise) – entered the all-day-long Warhammer Tournament.  My goal was simple:  to use this game to helpmy seriously Aspie son…. to use this rules-based environment to learn social skills necessary for him to integrate into society.  Like, say, not having a ‘meltdown’ if he does not win (no shame for a ‘starter’ kid to loose to ‘expert adults’ – so, knowing this ahead of time, learning that ‘loosing to the best-of-the-best’ is ‘the expectation’ and no reason for tears).

And, I must admit, the whole event outdid our expectations!

Not only did various people ‘take him under their wing’, and not only was this the main place where he learned ‘good sportsmanship’ from the example of many excellent people who were not only ‘not threatened’ by having points scored against them by a ‘kid’, but by positively delighting in his successes, congratulating him on ‘excellent moves’ as they occurred, they successfully taught him ‘sportsmanship’:  how to be both ‘a good looser’ and ‘a gracious winner’!

It worked.  Now, my older son is much in demand to ‘run gaming events’ – bot for kids and for adults.  He is regarded as having excellent sportsmanship, he appreciates – and praises – excellent moves, no matter who makes them, even against him, he is often called upon to referee disputes (he reads the rules once and know them for ever – and applies them fairly and in an unbiased way)….  Yes, I would like to take the credit for myself, but, I know a parent can only be an example so far…  It was the example of many excellent ‘expert’ gamers whom he admired at CanGames which deserves the credit!

I must admit that  my son has not been entering the Warhammer Fantasy tournaments at CanGames in the last few years.  Still, this is not a criticism of the tournament itself!  It is most excellent!

Rather, he has succumbed to curiosity…  There are SO MANY other games offered that he cannot bring himself to spend a whole day in a single tournament, when he could be learning so many new games!  After all, CanGames only runs Friday night, Saturday and Sunday…

Saturday morning, CanGames has a special program for kids.  Having watched his older brother eagerly await CanGames much as Sheldon Cooper awaits the annual Comic-Con, he was eager to join in the Saturday morning games (especially the Nintendo64 Mario-brothers-themed ones).

One year, one of his opponents was an Autistic girl – much more Autistic than my son was Aspie, if you get my drift.  The Autie’s therapist/supervisor explained to me that playing these types of games was ‘the only effective way’ her charge would socialize:  and meeting her and playing against her in the game helped my young Aspie son realize that there were others, with much more to overcome than he had… and showing that deep down, we are all a lot more similar than our ‘external-expression’ might suggest!

Now that he is older, my younger one plans to participate as fully at CanGames as his older brother does!

And, yes – I will be along!

To supervise and help, of course.  But also to have fun on my own!  Seeing the same people, once a year, is really neat in a weird sort-of way.  You can watch young people grow and develop, see familiar faces, talk to people who can out-strategize you any time they wish…  Oh, yes – and you can match your mind against some really, really awesome strategists (yeah – the political strategists ought to sit-up and take note – they could certainly use the training!)

Like I said: fun!