Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aimé Inspires Students In New York

That's really cool of him. I remember as a kid when Rick Riordan visited my elementary school to have a speech, which inspired a lot of my interests in writing and reading.

That said, luck does exist in the field. Yoko Shimomura famously gambled by saying she knew how to compose video game music for Street Fighter II when she only had experience with other types of music, but it actually worked out fine for her since she composed amazing tracks anyway. She took a big risk but it paid off very handsomely.

That is so cool. Always great to see successful people give back and remind those that may not have a straightforward path that with perseverance, hard work and luck/opportunity you can live a fulfilling, meaningful life.

Does Reggie suck at Mario Tennis as much as he does at Smash Bros.?

@Mrtoad @ReaderRagfish I'm sorry, but what made you came to those conclusions?

God bless Reggie Fils-Aime.

Seriously, the man's the best president NoA has ever had. He knows how to hype up products AND connect with both consumers and those interested in coding. He even takes time out of his schedule to give back, as shown by both this and the police video posted here a couple months back.

Ask yourself: would PlayStation's president or EA's head do something like this sincerely?

@Slasher
"I suck at Smash"-Reggie Fils-Aimé 2014
https://kotaku.com/reggie-fils-aime-sucks-at-smash-bros-for-now-1589054712

Reggie is such a likeable dude. I hope to meet him one day.

He's bummed that Mother 3 didn't get localized.

Imho luck and privilege almost always trumps hard work

Their body is Reggie now

@diwdiws I tend to agree. In the U.S., Reggie's mindset is prevalent. I agree that hard work helps, but the assertion that luck does not exist is one of the greatest American lies.

Based on the headline, I assumed he was posing for a figure drawing class. Shame.

Explaining why the American school system is so imbalanced to my Japanese co-workers was quite the experience. The Japanese system is far from perfect as well, but the idea of some schools in America that barely have money for textbooks while others just give tablets or laptops to their students is one that my co-workers were blown away by.

While I agree with the idea that hard work is the key to success, I think it is naive to think that the quality of a school district in a poor town compared to wealthier towns doesn't put kids in poor towns at an even bigger disadvantage. I grew up in a relatively nice town in southeast Michigan, but even then I noticed this when visiting schools in a neighboring city for a competition and seeing how the school was visibly falling apart...

It's like a race where the kids in wealthier towns start at the 50 meter mark and the kids in the poorer towns start at 75 or even 100 and have to run even further to that finish line... Impossible? No. More difficult? Heck yes it is.

@Heavyarms55 yep privilege is more determining whether one succeeds or not.

In the immortalized words of Satoru Iwata, PLEASE UNDERSTAND:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqkAlwGsxwE

Hard work will get you far, but it will never overcome the fundamental inequalities in our school systems and in our homes.

I think Reggie knows that and the line is taken out of context. Kids need opportunities to actually be able to work hard and make their lives better. Hard work hardly works without the space to grow into.

@diwdiws I don't know if there is any real way to measure what is more or less important, but in this case, to claim it's not important at all, like I've seen some do, is absurd.

Glad he gave them a good message. I grew up in a fairly poor area and the idea that working hard would improve your life was completely non-existent. If you worked hard at school, people mocked and insulted you.

We were just discussing working hard in the forums.

I started out at $10 an hour working on the diecast shop floor in 100° heat and above. I worked hard and climbed the ladder, from grade 6 to 7 to 8, to the max at 8, and I'm now being put in charge of all the metrology labs and calibration, and am on track for 75k/yr factoring in OT. Will be even be more than that after this promotion gets finalized.

And I was a nameless nobody just seven years ago. Doesn't mean I'm rich or living on a yacht, but it is a perfect example of how hard work does result in a comfortable life. The fact my brother also started at the same job I work at $10 an hour and is now making twice that amount, before OT, is another. The only difference between me and him and everyone else who didn't advance, is everyone else just wanted to coast and do the bare minimum while we strove to work harder than anyone else.

But doesn't Nintendo mean "Leave luck to heaven," or something? I guess Reggie doesn't believe in Nintendo. (In all fairness, I don't really believe in luck, either.)

Also Reggie's family is from Haiti, huh? That's interesting, I always wondered about Reggie's ethnic background as I never thought he looked white exactly but maybe a Pacific Islander or a mix of two different ethnicities. I'm still not entirely sure, but this makes it less likely he's of European ancestry, which gives me a somewhat better idea. Maybe Fils-aimes are their own superior class of humans.

#ReggieMasterRace

I really hope that Reggie had a profound impact on these kids, and that they take his message to heart. I don't really believe in luck, but I do believe that one's circumstances can be a prevalent factor in how hard they have to work. My mother is a first-grade teacher (and taught fifth grade for about twenty years) and can often see firsthand how hard a kid works and struggles due to their home environment and the school system itself.

@EvilLucario: How was the day when one of my favorite fantasy authors came to your school?

@JaxonH Congrats, but it's sad, please don't say that crap again that you were a nameless nobody, cas you weren't. stop defining life and your importance by how much you make a year...

@vitelus
I don't mean "nameless nobody" in life in general, I mean at my job.

I was nameless as in, the bosses and supervisors and VP had no idea who I was- I was just another face in the crowd of hundreds of floor workers.

I was a nobody as in, I was nobody special in the eyes of the company. And I wasn't.

And through hard work, earned my way into being someone all of corporate knows by name, and respects.

I never defined my life by how much I make. Rather, I defined my success by my hard work.

@JaxonH that makes sense, sorry if I misunderstood, english isn't my first language.

@vitelus
No worries. Probably a good thing you responded so I could clarify for anyone else who might have misunderstood what I was saying.

It is incredibly disingenuous to dismiss luck, or "luck" as a factor of success. While it is very unlikely that "random chance" would put an unmotivated, unskilled pauper at the top of the cash heap, it is silly to believe that "hard work and dedication" would land the aforementioned person at the top of the cash heap as well

"Luck" is the intersection of YOU and fortuitous events, and as no one controls the aspects of the world that are NOT them, being at "the right time at the right place" is 100% the biggest success factor for just about...anyone.

What an odd thing to profess to believe...or to not believe

@Tyranexx Was really cool. It was during the time The Battle of the Labyrinth was coming out, and I remember him talking about his inspirations for creating the series, mainly stemming from his disabled son who helped inspire Percy Jackson in the first place.

Man, I miss that series. Too bad the second series' last book was just a disappointment though. I wonder if the third series is any good.

@EvilLucario: Awesome! I fell in love with his modern Greek/Roman mythology universe ever since I picked up a first edition of The Lightning Thief back in the day. I really loved the first series, liked the second series (though I agree that the fifth book could have been better), but haven't gotten around to the third yet....I have the first two books for Trials of Apollo lying around, but I'm in the middle of Lord of the Rings (Fellowship of the Ring) currently.

I'm just glad he brought all those 3DS systems so they could actually play games on the go!

Work hard = creating opportunities for yourself.

Some are given an advantage and have opportunities provided to them through wealth.

Most do not have this privilege but are still able to create opportunities through hard work and dedication.

Some of the richest people in the world came from the lowest of slums.

Reggie... You sir are a good man.

Well, whether Reggie is good at games or not, if I were in his job I'd usually let myself lose on purpose so I didn't seem like a total douche.

Fire Reggie!

Actually it's good that he's going there and passing on this message as he's proof someone can come from the neighbourhood and make something of themselves.

He might not believe in luck, but luck is a huge part of everything. I got my job because of pure luck. There was no hard work involved.

I showed up to a job interview, nobody else did, and the following two weeks, nobody else did either. I had zero experience and no interest in the field, just needed a stable income.

Hired.

If that's not luck, I don't know what is. The position I find myself in typically requires years of studying and experience in other positions, yet these guys have been teaching me from scratch for soon half a year.

Hard work is brilliant, but it's got nothing on luck.

@Heavyarms55 As I understand, parents in US don't really have a choice in school their kids go to? When I was a child in Poland I was sent to the "better" school, not the closest one. It was quite a walk every day...

Yeah...I don't agree with the people in the comments saying that where you grow up or what opportunities are presented to you can't be overturned with hard work. It can and will, but that doesn't mean hard work into nothing.

Everyone knows there are dead end jobs where only a few make it to the top, and other are ignored. Aim for a position you enjoy in an industry you can succeed in, don't limit yourself! With the internet, this is more true then ever. If you are passionate and dedicated enough, you can learn everything you need to learn online. Yes it may be disjointed, but you can improve yourself. Study hard, get those scholarships due to your high grades, and blast through college. Or go immediately into the workforce and apply yourself.

Saying that you need opportunities to succeed is bs. Some others are more entitled to success than others...but at the same time anyone, even a person without 1 cent to their name, can go to a library or another public place, get on the internet, and learn. In underdeveloped countries I agree with you, but otherwise no. Stop whining and move. If you fail, you're learning. Learn from those mistakes and try again. And if someone tells you that you're a geek or whatever, ignore their immaturity. You'll be more successful than them and that mockery is only a moment in your future.

This is a very cool initiative to inspire students for a good future. For students from poor areas - it is very important to know that they have a chance for a successful career. That they can study in college, work in the service https://edubirdie.com/cheap-research-papers and they will manage to succeed. And if they work and study, then they will get a great future.