Press release: 1995-07-16: AUTISTIC CHILD IS A CONFIDENT VIDEO GAME ACE

This is an unaltered copy of a press release, for use as a primary source on Sega Retro. Please do not edit the contents below. Language: English Original source: www.orlandosentinel.com (archived)

By Richard Burnett of The Sentinel Staff

THE ORLANDO SENTINEL

JULY 16, 1995


In the quiet world of Brandon Queen, there may not be room for too many people. But there's certainly room enough for Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog.

The 9-year-old Key West youth Saturday stepped up to play the popular Hedgehog video game as part of an international competition held in Kissimmee by the Howard Johnson hotel chain.

In the five-minute video sprint, Brandon racked up one of the highest point totals in the first round. He fell short, however, in the game's other scoring gauge - Sonic rings - and was eliminated from the contest.

Not that bad, though, for a child who related little to the outside world until about five years ago.

When he was a toddler, Brandon was diagnosed with autism, a malady of the brain in which a person detaches from external reality. In severe cases, the person withdraws completely into a world of silence.

Then, there are more hopeful ones - like Brandon.

Playing video games has become a conduit to reality for this 1990s video version of Tommy, the rock opera pinball wizard.

Brandon played his first video game when he was about 4 years old, the same time he learned to speak, said his mother, Susan Owens.

The unusual skill has boosted his self-confidence and given him a sense of accomplishment, she said. Now, instead of withdrawing to himself, he can see, listen and speak to others.

"It was really when he discovered video games that he began to come around some. That was when he was 3 1/2 or 4," Owens said. "Since then he's always been able to just sit down with a new game and pick it up quickly."

Brandon's quick exit from the international contest contrasted with last month when he won a Key West competition by grabbing 305 Sonic rings. On Saturday, he landed only 99 rings.

His tally in Key West beat all but one of the 1,000 children who entered local competitions in North America.

Owens said the crowd at Saturday's contest distracted Brandon. About 50 parents, children and organizers attended the event, which was a promotional fund-raiser for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America.

"Well, this was the biggest audience he has played before," Owens said. "He's gets unnerved around a lot of people."

Brandon has difficulty talking to someone other than his mother, but he is showing continuous improvement, Owens said.

"Mortal Kombat, Streetfighter, Earthworm 2 and Ren & Stimpy," said Brandon, when asked about his favorite games.

Brandon's game skills were noted by other youths in Saturday's competition. Many children who appear to have a disability turn out to be video game aces, said Matthew Senkow, 16, from Alberta, Canada.

Saturday's winner, 13-year-old Michael Tang of Mountain View, Calif., continued a family tradition of video game mastery. His brother, Chris, won a nationwide Sega contest last year.

Michael's first-place prize was $1,000 in spending cash and a one-week vacation to anywhere in North America for a family of four.

Combining contest entry fees and matching money, Howard Johnson donated $10,000 to Big Brothers/Big Sisters.