Nintendo of America is at the forefront of some hugely pleasing news today, courtesy of its involvement in some charitable events and causes.
First of all 10-year-old Shea Sparling, who lives with polyarteritis nodosa, was the recipient of a treat through The Dream Factory. His wish was to meet Reggie Fils-Aime, and the charitable organisation arranged for him to visit NoA's Redmond HQ; his mother Carole Dufault said the following.
We had so much fun. They had signs welcoming us and we went on a tour of the building. We met with Reggie and the kids even played a game of Mario Kart with him.
He was so gracious and relaxed and spent time chatting with Shea, answering his questions.
In more pleasing news Stateside it's been confirmed that Wii U systems will feature in 'Starlight Fun Center mobile entertainment units', which are used in hospitals and can be moved to young patients with limited mobility. You can get the idea in the image below.
It's always pleasing to see gaming used in positive ways to enrich peoples lives, and naturally it's great to see Nintendo of America play its part.
[source metronews.ca, via facebook.com, gonintendo.com]
Comments 53
...Whut about me? TwT
That's so sweet.
Beautiful, well done Nintendo Of America
What a lucky kid. You don't see the president of Nintendo in real life everyday.
I don't know if Nintendo had anything to do with it in the past, but they've had units like this where I live for over a decade. When my brother was hospitlaized with appendicitis back in the early 2000's, they rolled in an N64 and TV on a cart. More recently (4-5 years ago), my nephew got a similar cart when he was in the hospital, but with a Wii. For a kid stuck in a hospital bed, it really does a lot to lift their spirits.
Very nice Reggie. It's great too see Nintendo taking time out of their day to bring joy to a sick person. Way to go Nintendo.
It's great that there are companies like Nintendo that are willing to do awesome things like this.
Nice ^^. I am glad for the kid that he got to meet Reggie in person and play together . I hope the kid turns out right and get completely healthy again if it is possible.
As for that more kids get to play Wii Us to help them through their sickness or their injuries I think is great ^^. Hopefully the Wii Us have Art Academy as most kids love to draw and Art Academy shouldn't higher their blood pressure or tension so the kids doesn't become worse :+).
Still I hope many kids get to discover the joy of playing Nintendo games and help them through their difficulty times or just as distractions .
Is The Dream Factory the American Make a Wish Foundation then?
Oh my god. This makes only makes me more jealous that he met Reggie, but I never met Sakurai. If that day ever comes, I will be in a coma of happiness.
That's amazing. It really is nice of him to take some time just to make that kid happy. It really is something that's just wonderful.
This is a really sweet gesture for that kid. It is nice to see NoA and Reggie doing stuff like this!
Even though I hate Reggie as a businessman and leader, he probably the nicest game in the American gaming industry. That is a sweet as heck thing to do.
Nintendo.........how you leave gaming on a positive note?
This is great to see☺
Working at a children's hospital, I can tell you first hand how important a company like this is. We have kids of all ages coming in, some for extremely long time frames. Having video games is something both kids and adults enjoy, but many families isly can't afford nor can they haul them into the hospital all the time. We have a few areas with video game consoles setup for the kids and I've seen them really getting immersed which is great as they get some time to forget about the real world they are in for a time. I'm glad to see nintendo and starlight acting as partners for something like this.
This is why nintendo is great. How many times has Bill Gates gone out of his day to see sick kids?
@amiiboacid - I suggest you google (Bing?) the Bill & Melinda gates foundation or the Giving Pledge.
On topic, great work Nintendo!
There's your quality of life, right there!
The IWK in Halifax , Nova Scotia already has one.
That's really pretty awesome.
Always wanted to tell Iwata how much I respected his business acumen, some things aren't meant to be I guess.
@amiiboacid 100% agreed.
Aww, that kid in the first picture looks so happy! Kinda jealous haha😆! Not everyday you can meet Reggie, the president of Nintendo. I bet that kid had the biggest grin on his face when he saw Reggie. I have a smile on my face just thinking about it!
I remember playing madden on the N64, or GameCube when I need foot surgery, oronce, itught of been on the PS2 but it was a real treat.
Bravo to Reggie for going the extra mile. He could have just shaken his hand and taken a pic and called it enough, but he actually took the time to sit and chill with the kid, even playing games with him.
I gotta say this really notches Reggie up a few rungs in my book.
Well, that's my heart warmed for the day. Cheers guys
Thank you Reggie. Something so simple meant a lot for this kid.
What nice thing to see.
This is awesome! I love any and all charity efforts. Good for Reggie being cool and hanging out with those kids whose unhealthy bodies are, shall we say, not ready.
I'm not in a hospital, but playing my Wii U in bed always lifts my spirits.
I hope he took the opportunity to ask Reggie for insider information on the Zelda U release date
this is great and all, but is anyone else wondering why the kid specifically requested Reggie? he's cool and all but ya don't hear much fun trivia about him and his direct influence on some of the greatest games out there.
@nintendomasterr
Awww this is nice its good to see a smile on these kids faces.
This made many peoples days
especially Shea!
Great work Nintendo!
"Ugh, NOA is worthless, Reggie should be fired, how dare they not give us [insert specific request that is being released or done for other territories], I hate you NOA, Wii U will be my last Nintendo console..."
Something totally awesome like this happens
"Bless you, Reggie. Good move, NOA."
Humans are so fickle. In all seriousness, I am much more pleased with Wii U being a part of the Starlight entertainment units than this one kid's wish to see a proper president, but that's a sweet gesture, too.
This is what sets Nintendo apart from other companies---acts like this.
Aww, what a sweet story, I've never heard of polyarteris nodosa before. I'm glad he went out of his way to make the kid happy.
Great job Reggie and NOA, Reggie needs to take over iwatas place, he is the only one with the class and charisma that can do it. Just to bad that the big heads at NOJ would never allow a non-Japanese person to be president of Nintendo, because there racist sadly.
Great job Nintendo, thank you Reggie!
@Meaty-cheeky
I don't think it's because they're racist. In a company many things run from Japan, how is a person supposed to be the head of that without fully understanding the language and the culture.
It would unfortunately make a lot of things more complicated.
There of course is a part of it where one can ask about how he would be perceived by the Japanese investors and the public, if he, as an american would be the head of the company, and you can call that racism (the subtle form) if you want to.
But even if you took that away, the main problem first mentioned would still remain, and that's why I find it difficult to accuse them of racism being a reason.
Because I am a 100% sure that if they knew to a 100% without any doubt that it would make them money by having Reggie as CEO of NOJ, they would.
what about me? I almost drowned in a pool as a kid... wheres my reggie visit? D:
and I'm not joking i was blue for about a week or 2 blue skin irl like the blue man group, hurt when going to the restroom at least.
I still remember when I was hospitalized with a minor disease called "henoch-schonlein purpura" which got me in the legs (I WARN YOU: DO NOT TO SEARCH PICS OF THIS CONDITION), and some of the nurses brought me a Nintendo GameCube with Super Mario Sunshine on it. Aside from playing, eating, and bathing, I recovered fast.
@Uberchu Jesus Christ! D: Just be glad you survived.
If I was that kid I woulda slapped Reggie in the face or upside his noggin and then ask him "where's the damn games and what exactly is the friggin problem with virtual console???"" 😡
@MIDP Makes sense to me.
@joey302 Lol.
@DiscoGentleman Always makes me happy to read your comments- I couldn't agree more. I would personally love for Nintendo to get even more involved with disabled, hospitalised and disadvantaged children, it really is a sector in which they can create true miracles. My niece has Rett syndrome, her interactions are so restrictive, and it hurts me that more experiences aren't available to her and other sensory/ physical/ mentally challenged kids and adults.
I received my first Nintendo console at the age of nine, on a hospital bed, after dislocating my knee following an altercation in my neighbourhood with some common thugs. I had begged desperately for a Game Boy for years, until my parents took pity on me, either because of my being sent into the dementia unit with nobody to talk to, or because of the hospital doctors conducting an unauthorised and badly anaesthetised kneecap puncture fluid draining (more painful and traumatising than it sounds). My parents came to visit one day and gave me what would ultimately become my closest friend for the next few years. Escapism is so important.
Thanks DiscoGentleman for articulating this importance. More #nintendocharity
@Superryanworld 😃👍
I like the mobile WiiU unit--looks like something Dr. Mario brought in, 'here we go!'
This is why Nintendos great
I’m that sick kid I’ve been doing well and I just want to say thank you for all your nice comments and stuff and I hope you have a good day
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