Double Fine Delivers Custom Card To Gamer With Rare Brain Disease

Psychonauts, arguably Double Fine Studios’s best and most well-known game, is all about memories and how they shape our lives. The PS2-era game impacted Chris Machado so much that he wrote into the dev collective founded by Tim Schafer, which led to a visit to their San Francisco offices.

Years passed and Machado was diagnosed with a debilitating brain disease called hydrocephalus, where fluid builds up in the skull and causes excruciating headaches among other symptoms. Machado endured two unsuccessful surgeries in five months to try and treat the condition, with another on the way. Despite being out of contact with him for years, the folks at Double Fine sent along a hand-drawn card filled with well wishes for Machado. (There was a bunch of Double Fine swag along with it but the card’s really a one-of-a-kind thing.)

There’s always been a strong emotional core at all of Double Fine’s games so this incredibly sweet gesture lines up with the playable work that they’ve been making for years. So, the next time you’re on the fence about one of the company’s clever downloadable releases like Trenched or Costume Quest, just go ahead and plunk down your cash. They make good games and, more importantly here, one good deed deserves another, no?

Why Doublefine is the greatest game company ever [I Heart Chaos]

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(7 Comments)
  • [–]

    Chazz

    Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 8:59 AM

    That’s pretty damn awesome!

  • [–]

    Braaains

    Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 9:00 AM

    Class act.

  • [–]

    Effluvium Boy

    Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 10:55 AM

    Awesome.

  • [–]

    Awnshegh

    Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 12:04 PM

    It’s what happens when games are made by people who care about gaming like Tim Schaffer. They go the extra mile to make interesting experiences over making money. That then transposes into making a difference in the lives of their fans when the chips are down.

    I always enjoy Double Fine’s work and will continue to support them for the experiences they provide – this simply makes the (small)expenditure a pleasure.

  • [–]

    Tigerion

    Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 12:46 PM

    “just go ahead and plunk down your cash”
    I would if the would let me *sob*

    Always nice to hear these sorts of stories, it has always seemed that double fine would be a cool company to work at

  • [–]

    El Phantasmogoro

    Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 3:31 PM

    Man these guys are even more awesome than usual.

  • [–]

    Valor

    Thursday, October 6, 2011 at 9:50 AM

    That’s just so sweet. You rock Double Fine.

    Also, good luck, kid. Get well from Kotaku!

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