Without knowing any context, I strongly believe this is an ADHD comic.

The boy clearly has a sharp mind, but has a problem channeling it towards what the outside world demands of him. Instead of helping him do that, the outside world reprimands him and drives him towards escapism. Then, the game gives him a singular purpose: to win, and validates him for doing that.

I see this not as a story that celebrates video games, but as one that mourns how the only validation minds like that boy’s often get is from an electronic toy.

I used to suffer from much the same problems, as does my kid. I used to escape to video games the same way he does, but I decided I would treat my kid differently. When they took a hammer to a delicate thing, instead of being angry at them, I showed them how to do it properly and how to put it back. Instead of reprimanding them for acting up while shopping, I let them find the aisle and pick the products. They could replace batteries in their toys before the age of four, and could finish a round of shopping on their own a year later. The face of pride when they did that can not be bought with money.

On the other hand, my kid still has problems putting on their shoes in less than five minutes, and sometimes I blow up about it, but it is okay – we just need to start five minutes earlier.

And that’s what I think the comic is about: acceptance.

This resonates with ADHD people from my perspective. Not good at coordinated social activities like sports. Not good at paying attention and getting schoolwork done. Curiosity about the inner workings of the clock results in it being destroyed, consequences weren’t really on the radar. But a game? Focus and rewards in-game are great! Until you get in trouble for gaming instead of doing homework, etc. :(

A school and parents should encourage children’s curiosity not scold them for it. Many very successful people made doodles during college and even work meetings. Taking things apart is a great way to learn the parents should help the kid to learn how to do it properly making mistakes is a important part of the learning process.

I can relate to it.

Bad at football? ✓
Doodling at school? ✓
Taking things apart with no idea of how to put them back together? ✓
Developing a love for video games? ✓

That comic looks to me like the experiences of a neurodivergent child in the 80s/90s.

Mind you, what’s shown isn’t all there is to it. While I never got into sports (especially team sports), I did have friends, I did do well at school, and I very rarely got into trouble with my excellent parents. But I can still relate to the first three panels very well and to the last three kinda. And yes, I got diagnosed with ADHD… at age 40.

What you call “acting up” is in most part just the kid dealing with their surroundings vis à vis their neurochemistry. Team sports can be a bad match for a kid with inattentive-type ADHD; if they lose focus they might cost their team the game and everyone gets angry as if this wasn’t a damn leisure activity. Doodling at school actually helps ADHDers focus because it provides dopamine that otherwise comes from daydreaming or staring out the window. Taking things apart is a result of intense curiosity, which appears to be a common trait in ADHDers; this desire to learn can be channeled into productive directions but if unguided can also lead to “I wonder how this device looks on the inside”. (And in the 80s and 90s nobody knew how to handle ADHD.)

Video games are great for ADHDers. They generate a constant stream of interesting decisions (thus providing the dopamine levels neurotypical people get for free), allow you to approach problems your own way at your own pace, and provide a clear set of goals that don’t randomly change. And when you do succeed, you get the satisfaction of actually having finished something. Plus validation; video games tell you you did a good job and don’t complain about how messy your approach was or that you could’ve been faster if only you applied yourself.

Meanwhile, advice like “follow the rules and pay attention in class” basically amounts to “change your neurochemistry by sheer force of will”. It’s not going to work any more than telling a paraplegic to just use their legs. The closest thing people can do without prescription medication is massive caffeine abuse; stimulants raise dopamine levels a bit. Of course becoming a coffee achiever generally isn’t recommended at the age shown in the comic.