Hooray!

Working for Nintendo is a dream for many people, but it's not an ambition that everyone can achieve. There are many who shoot for the stars but simply don't have the talent or determination to make their wish come true, and if you were to look back at this 2007 forum post then you'd be forgiven for unkindly assuming that the author was one such hopeless dreamer:

Hello. I graduated from high school this and I have not yet applied to any university. I plan on doing so but I am not sure what to do as of yet. For my senior year in high school I spent 5 months in Japan as an exchange student. Also before this I went on a three week exchange to the same school. Both exchanges were great experiences for me, and I really want to get back in Japan as soon as possible. I was looking into going to a 2 year language school which would enable me to pass the highest level profiency test. I found out that my local VSAC student loan center doesn't support any sort of school in Japan so I would have to pay for school out of my own pocket or through a regular expensive loan.

This really puts a poison on me going to school there.

My dream is to live in Japan and work for Nintendo as a game designer. I realize this is a very large goal but it has been my dream since I first played Mario. I need help figuring out how to achieve this goal. I know I would need to goto a game design school of some sort, and also get my Japanese to a level where I can speak and write professionally.

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Fast forward ten years and the student who wrote those very words - Corey Bunnell - is now working at Nintendo. If you've finished The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild then you may have noticed his name in the end credits, under the role of Wildlife programmer.

Bunnell clearly followed his dream; he was enrolled at Ritsumeikan University's College of Image Arts and Sciences and even took part in the university's Student Voice video series:

Getting a programming job in Japan is no mean feat, but getting one at Nintendo is a real achievement and Bunnell should feel very proud of himself. He's proof that sometimes, you do get what you wish for.

[source vg247.com, via twitter.com]