There's this hypothesis that the negros like DBZ because the story lines are simplistic and slow moving and mostly about fighting and becoming more powerful.Maybe something similar attracts austists to Sonic, like the games are linear and about collecting and going faster and faster.

There could be something to do with SEGA consoles being likely to be bought by parents who pass on autism or some how correlate to children with autism. Maybe its because SEGA were the first consoles out in both 4th and 5th generation, so families that bought them are early adopters and therefore richer or poorer from buying old consoles?

>>71696
I once heard from an interview with RZA, the leader of the Wu Tang Clan that the reason why he favored Asian aesthetic was because in the ghetto, the TV didn't get many stations, but one of those stations played many old kung fu movies. I wouldn't say that's the reason all black are into it, but I would say that anime and Asian culture in general (as portrayed by these things) is decidedly foreign and different from their own and the culture typically shown on American TV. So when given a choice between television aimed at middle-class whites featuring pretty whites and TV about Asians wrecking other Asians, they gravitate toward that. DBZ in particular has hooked a lot of kids simply because it's so incredibly different from most children's entertainment. And it's legitimately addicting, whereas most kid's shows have very little continuity, if any.

When it comes to Sonic, all theories are a shot in the dark. It could simply be a birds-of-a-feather thing, people who might have a normal interest in Sonic but are autistic find each other, bond over Sonic on the internet, and then it just propagates. I'd say a lot of the reasons ponies got popular was not as much the content of the show- but rather like-minded people being able to bond over it got people more and more into the show. After all, people need to have some connection to others, for normies going to nightclubs and parties it's the shared interest of getting drunk and/or having sex, for nerds it's linux distros and RPGs, and for autists it might be Sonic. Or maybe the character design uniquely and widely appeals to their warped sensibilities, who knows.

It's because of Sonic's "cool guy" image. Most adults think the way he acts is cheesy and cliche: not autists or children. They interpret his attitude as genuinely cool because they do not quite understand normal human behavior.

>>71715
Following from that explanation, a lot of those same people might love Tails because they can relate to him. A young kid fawning over Sonic because he's so fucking cool and radical.

Sonic is also a gateway perversion to furries and the variety of fetishes that are surprisingly comorbid with being a furry. Of course, the first one that started out as an innocent, fun video game they played as a kid will always hold a special place in their hearts.

See also: bronies.

>>71775
Most bronies did not care about MLP while they were growing up, though. Notice that most of them hate generation one ponies.

  I'm probably far off base with reality on this one, but I'll give it a shot.

My younger brother was a huge sonic fan up until mid college, sonic 06 was his final straw. I was there with him when he played it. Sonic was dead to him. Here was this grown ass man going through the 5 stages of grief over a video game. Most people who play a bad game at worst feel ripped off. He felt genuine loss.

The cool guy image does have a lot to do with it, but its more than that. You have a villain that's easy to hate, a clear goal to accomplish, a means to accomplish that goal, and reasonably relatable characters who emote. That describes nearly all video games of it's era. What sets Sonic apart is it's continuity, it's run into mediocrity, the console wars, and the untouchable nature of the damn rodent.

Even as far back as a few years after sonic 1, you had lots of different sonic story lines, spinoffs, and characters that branched out creating a lot of original content. I'm under the impression that they didn't control his character very well, at least compared to Mario and other various mascots. You had 2 TV shows, several comic books, even sonic CD and sonic 2 were completely different projects that were meant to happen after STH1. There was no slowing down even after the best years, characters upon characters were introduced, and the bastards are still making more characters. I believe this is why you see so many people creating their own sonic characters, they want to be a part of that canon and interact with it.

I've played a few sonic games after S&K, but it seems like they never got it right ever again. Most of the content I have seen is outright recycled for nostalgic value. Keep giving something they expect, and they will keep buying regardless of quality. Some of the same could be said for Nintendo's IP's, but what has made Super Mario so successful? By no means do they reinvent the wheel, and in cases such as mario kart very little game play has changed over the years but they tweak the formula enough each time to give a fresh take on the game. Sonic has not been that fortunate. So why has the fanbase been so loyal to sonic?

It's for those exact reasons. Sonic is stale. You know what you are getting. It's an instant throwback to the times where you had a simple villain, simple goal, simple means, exc that all those old school games were made of. There were plenty of fans that also hated the success that nintendo got, and doubled down on their fandom of sega because that's how stubborn some of these people are. My bro is one of those people. Others like how vast the cannon is.

Above all, I think it's the damn thing's 'attitude' and overall hero worship. He's almost Edward from twilight without the sparkles. He can do no wrong, get out of any situation with the skills he has. He can run away from tough shit in life. Sonic the Hedgehog supports coddling behavior, just perfect for manchildren and autists.


That said, when I look back on the earlier games, it really was a product of it's times. Just the music in it is admittedly fantastic, even if it's blatantly ripped.

>imagine a modern sonic iteration with shitty edm and woodland creatures twerking in the background

>>71787
>imagine a modern sonic iteration with shitty edm and woodland creatures twerking in the background
At this point I wouldn't put it past them. I bet even now there's a Sega employee working on the jiggle animations in Amy's tail, wondering where his life went so wrong.

Personally, I just like the first few games. Autistic people probably enjoy it because of its simplicity, yet customizability. The characters are easy to draw, and anybody could recolor Sonic and call it their own creation. Plus the porn is favorable

>>71787
>There was no slowing down
Gotta go fast

I am genuinely impressed by the insight and delicacy present in this thread. You all provide a convincing piece of the puzzle.

If I were an anthropology Masters candidate, I would write my thesis on Sonic fandom. And at the moment of completion, seated at my typewriter (I would use a typewriter), looking down at the 170 page stack of papers, I would put the gun in my mouth, angle it slightly upward, and pull the trigger.

My original draft would mysteriously appear online, scanned as-is, blood stains still visible, some pages completely unreadable from the maroon-turning-brown pools blotting out most of the content.

And at my funeral, as my mother stands, draped in black and wondering "why? why?" as my casket is lowered, an easterly wind would blow, rustling the leaves and whispering in her ear:

"sssSonic"

>>71701
Pretty much this.