Bringing Joy to Somerset: How the ‘Game Changer’ initiative is uniting neurodiverse adults through gaming

Gaming can be an incredible way to bring people together, and Alex Roland (Game Changer Founder) utilises the potential of video games to form communities across Somerset. Bryony-Hope Green sat down with Alex to discuss the Game Changer project, and how it is changing lives locally.

SOURCE: Your IT Now - Alex Roland smiling and wearing a orange hoodie stood in front of a screen showing the Game Changer logo.

According to data from Cambridge University Hospitals, it is estimated that 1 in 7 people in the UK have a neuro difference, with 2.16% of adults in the country having a learning disability. However, it can be a struggle for those who are neurodiverse to build communities with others who share similar interests. 

When COVID hit back in 2020, local groups and communities suffered greatly from the lack of physical engagement, and many people were left without the support they needed to thrive. But, this is where Alex Roland came in.

Alex Roland has worked within the care sector for over 24 years, and is incredibly passionate about advocating for and supporting individuals with learning disabilities and neurodiversity. 

Having developed the award-winning organisation Your IT Now, focusing on providing guidance and support for those with learning disabilities or neurodiversity to safely navigate technology, Alex is well-versed in bringing a safe and welcoming environment to individuals from a vast range of backgrounds.

During the pandemic, he acknowledged the difficulties being faced by the community, and took it upon himself to find a way to bring back joy to the people of Somerset. 

“When good old COVID hit, and we were all kind of sitting at home twiddling our thumbs I thought, what are we going to do when it finishes and how do we bring folks back together? I wanted to create something where everyone could come together in a safe environment, and I knew that many of the people we support loved gaming,” Alex explains.

SOURCE: Your IT Now - A group of people sat together playing video games and celebrating.

This is where Game Changer was born - a project where anyone can drop by to play games for free, meet other people, and build a local community through gaming.

“Thanks to Somerset Community Foundation and Love Community CIC that helped with some funding, we started Game Changer in 2022 at the Glass Box in Taunton. In our first session we had probably 10 or 11 people come along, but whizzing through the years we now run sessions four times a week in Taunton, The Engine Room in Bridgewater, Yeovil Library, and Glastonbury Library.”

In just four years, Game Changer has held around 550 sessions across Somerset and welcomed over 12,000 individuals to bond together over their interest in gaming. At each session, a wide range of games are available to play across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii, and VR - meaning there really is something for everyone to get stuck into.

But, whilst these sessions harness the power of gaming for the community, video games are not actually the main focus of Game Changer.

Alex explains: “Our kind of secret is that although it is about gaming, it is not really about gaming. Game Changer is about folks coming together and being together. The big thing we really want to generate is that community feeling, and we call it the Game Changer tribe, because, you know, for many people who come here they do find their tribe. It's not about being brilliant at games, it's about that connection."

SOURCE: Your IT Now - Three people sat together smiling playing on an Xbox console.

As well as providing a space for individuals to come and play games, Alex also has T-Level students from local colleges helping out at the sessions each week to experience what Game Changer has to offer. 

“We have lots of volunteers who come along to help set up the machines, and then they can do what they want to really, which is mostly playing Mario Party! These volunteers are computing students and it is really good for them to see the end results of what they may potentially work on in the future within gaming. 

“As well as this, these students may not ever get to mix with the neurodiverse folk that we have, so it is just really great to unite people in this way,” Alex adds.

Providing invaluable experience to young people within the county allows for greater awareness of diversity within the community, but also gives a deeper insight into the idea that gaming can be for everyone. Regardless of age, gender, sexuality, race, or disability, gaming is an amazing way to connect with others, as well as providing vital life skills in the process. 

Planning, communication, forward thinking, and fine motor skills are some of the many things that can be developed through gaming, and for those with learning difficulties or neurodiversity, being able to learn through doing something they enjoy makes a world of difference. 

SOURCE: Your IT Now - Two people sat in front of a television playing Mario Kart on a Nintendo Switch.

On top of running these sessions to allow people to play games, Alex also works with the charity Donate IT to give used gaming equipment a new lease of life. 

“Donate IT is giving us their consoles, we are wiping them and kind of just checking they work and cleaning them up. Then, the idea is that we hand them out to folk who don't have their own console. You know, some of the people here have got all the latest kit, and some people don't have anything, so it is giving everyone the chance to get involved.”

Overall, Alex's passion for inclusion shines through the Game Changer initiative and is making a difference within the local community. Providing individuals with a safe space to be themselves, meet new people, and have fun solidifies the impact that video games can have, as well as reinforcing that gaming really is for all.

“Oz (a member of the Game Changer Tribe) often says to me ‘why are you so rubbish at video games?’, and I say that I don’t have to be great at video games, what I have to be good at is bringing people together.”

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For more information about Game Changer, and how you can attend one of their sessions, check them out on Facebook.