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Nintendo Hooks Up Hospitalised Kids With Wii Fun Centres
Posted by Leigh Alexander at 10:20 AM on June 25, 2008
Nintendo has announced it's teaming up with the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation to put "Fun Centers", which include Wii consoles, into hospitals across the U.S. and Canada. The Foundation hopes to get 500 centres set up by year end, and Nintendo is shooting for 1,250 for the total first run. These centres mean that "thousands" of kids will get to play Wii during their hospitalisations.
The Fun Centres will contain Sharp Aquos flatscreen TVs, Wiis and family-friendly titles like Super Mario Galaxy, Wii Sports and Mario Party 8. On June 25th, Nintendo will kick things of by donating two units to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles at a Galaxy-themed launch event.
Nintendo has partnered with the Foundation for some 16 years now, and had GameCubes in previous versions of the Fun Centre. The company says doctors, family and hospital staff praise the Fun Centres for their ability to "brighten moods, boost morale and reduce feelings of isolation among ailing children".
If I may get a little personal for a sec, I had a hospital stay when I was a kid, and I remember playing Super Nintendo there with a lot of other kids, many of whom were much younger than me and much worse off - I can vouch for it brightening the days, for sure. Full announcement follows the jump.
Nintendo and Starlight's New Fun Centres Featuring Wii Give Sick Children a Boost
Partnership with Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation Brings Fun Centres with Wii Consoles to Hospitals Nationwide
REDMOND, Wash.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Determined to help lift the spirits of seriously ill children and their families, Nintendo of America Inc. and Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation have committed to placing hundreds of popular Fun Centres, now featuring Wii™ game systems, in hospitals across the United States and Canada this year. Nintendo of America is manufacturing 1,250 new Fun Centres in their first run, and Starlight expects to have about 500 of them placed in hospitals by the end of the year. In a continuation of the organisations' 16-year partnership, the portable Fun Centres with the new Wii technology will be enjoyed by thousands of hospitalized kids.
The new Fun Centres feature a Sharp AQUOS™ flat-screen television, a DVD player, a Wii system and a selection of family-friendly Wii games like Super Mario Galaxy™, Wii Sports™ and Mario Party® 8. The Fun Centres were created specifically to offer children an entertaining respite during difficult hospital stays.
To help mark the introduction of the new Fun Centres, two units, donated by Nintendo, will be presented to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles at a special Super Mario Galaxy-themed launch event on June 25. Child star Allen Alvarado, of Discovery Kids' Flight 29 Down, and video game icon Mario™ will be in attendance. Allen has had personal experience with Fun Centres, which kept him company and aided in his recovery when he was hospitalized for several weeks at Childrens Hospital after an automobile accident last fall.
Previous versions of the Fun Centre, most recently featuring Nintendo GameCube™ video game systems, earned praise from families, doctors and hospital staffers alike for their ability to brighten moods, boost morale and reduce feelings of isolation among ailing children. Since the first model was created in 1992, more than 5,000 units have been distributed to over 1,000 hospitals across North America. The new Fun Centre offers an enhanced entertainment experience by incorporating the Wii console's distinctive motion-sensing controls and an array of popular games.
"We're extremely proud to make Fun Centres a part of our collaboration with Starlight," said Don James, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Operations. "The inclusive fun of Wii is especially valuable for families in need of a tension reliever while dealing with serious pediatric illness. We hope the new Fun Centres will give kids and their loved ones an opportunity to play, laugh and connect with each other amid trying circumstances."
"Our patients at Childrens Hospital benefit greatly from the Fun Centers," said Linda Garcia, Manager, Child Development Services, for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. "The Fun Centres serve as a diversional tool for Child Life Specialists to provide to patients and families in the playrooms, at bedside and throughout the hospital, including medical units, clinics and waiting rooms. The Fun Centres promote socialization, mastery and fun. Through this play, children learn about cooperation, positive thinking and problem-solving skills. The Fun Centres also provide opportunities for hand strengthening and finger dexterity, an important therapeutic value for our patients undergoing physical rehabilitation."
"Everyone who has spent time in a hospital knows how scary and lonely it can be," said Paula Van Ness, CEO of Starlight. "Our Fun Centres transform the hospital experience for children, bringing enjoyment and laughter to an otherwise daunting experience. And as an added benefit of this new Fun Centre model, the Wii technology can be used to encourage children to do physical therapy and motor coordination exercises."
People who want to help support the mission of Nintendo and Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation can visit Starlight's Site of a Million Stars at www.millionstars.org. Click on Mario's star to place a star in Nintendo of America's Galaxy. Starlight's goal is to unite 1 million caring people and organisations to bring seriously ill children and their families out of the dark. Placing a star in Nintendo of America's Galaxy is free and includes space for a message about the nature of your support and a link to your favourite Web site. You can also choose to add special features to your star or upgrade to a constellation for a tax-deductible donation of $AU 5.23 to $AU 104.63.
For more information about Fun Centres, visit www.starlight.org/funcenters.
About Nintendo: The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 2.7 billion video games and more than 460 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario™, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.
About Starlight: When a child or teenager has a serious medical condition, everyone in the family is affected. For 25 years, Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation has dedicated itself to helping seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education and family activities. Starlight's programs have been proven to distract children from their pain, help them better understand and manage their illnesses, and connect families facing similar challenges so that no one feels alone. Through a network of offices, Starlight provides ongoing support to children, parents and siblings in all U.S. states and Canadian provinces with an array of outpatient, hospital-based and Web offerings. Programs are also delivered internationally through affiliates in Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom. To learn more visit www.starlight.org.
About Childrens Hospital Los Angeles: Founded in 1901, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles has been treating the most seriously ill and injured children in Los Angeles for more than a century, and it is acknowledged throughout the United States and around the world for its leadership in pediatric and adolescent health. Childrens Hospital is one of America's premier teaching hospitals, affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California since 1932. It is a national leader in pediatric research. Since 1990, U.S. News & World Report and its panel of board-certified pediatricians have named Childrens Hospital Los Angeles one of the top pediatric facilities in the nation. Visit our website: www.ChildrensHospitalLA.org
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Itchy (PSN: Kaizoku-ou)
Posted 11:00 AM 25/6/08
Nintendo needs to start a healthcare plan involving Pokemon centres. A global healthcare plan that's swift and free.
They also need to introduce pokemons, so that I can show you to them.
Itchy (PSN: Kaizoku-ou)
nick.soapdish
Posted 10:58 AM 25/6/08
I know a few people that had stays for various reason at a local children's hospital, for some serious and semi-serious problems, and all have the same memories of just having something and someone to play with being a big lift during their time there.
This is exactly why I donate to Child's Play, and it's good to see Nintendo following a similar initiative without just applying discounts for that particular organization.
nick.soapdish
EmeraldDragon
Posted 10:57 AM 25/6/08
Good for Nintendo.
EmeraldDragon
Jonman
Posted 10:54 AM 25/6/08
I had heart surgery as a 12-year old. However, the week-and-a-bit I spent in hospital was actually *enjoyable*, thanks to the fact that the ward had a games room, replete with an Amiga (yes, I'm showing my age. Look it up, kids).
It was a big step up from the 8-bit Speccy I had at home, and to this day, I repay the favour by donating to Child's Play every year.
Frankly, this is win-win for Ninty. Yes, it'll get them positive PR, but that pales into insignificance next to allowing kids to forget for a brief period of time that they might not be alive the following week. Put your cynicism aside and applaud a good deed.
Jonman
thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny anym
Posted 10:54 AM 25/6/08
@Antiterra: hey, nintendo is a big soulless corporation. don't you forget that.
thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny anymore. i have no friends.
Nslick
Posted 10:51 AM 25/6/08
I work in a hospital, and I can say that kids can have a very rough run of it...especially when their illness has them confined to the same drab surroundings for a long period of time. The hospital I worked at previously experimented with handing out DS units, and it worked wonders for the kids. For someone who is perhaps confined to a bed, being able to get away from the situation and explore a new world and new surroundings (via games) is not only mentally stimulating but is also a miracle-worker emotionally for most.
My dentist had an NES with Marble Madness and River City Ransom. Maybe that is why I never cried as a child when it was time for a check-up.
Nslick
Antiterra
Posted 10:43 AM 25/6/08
Quick!
I'm on the internets! Must find way to criticise Nintendo!
Hurry, ye brain of mine, hurry!
Antiterra
Superhacker75mil
Posted 10:43 AM 25/6/08
My brother had to spend a week in a hospital due to coming down with some nasty alternate strain of E. coli during one of our stays with our father, years ago. It sucked for him, but one of the things he enjoyed (and I got to, as well) was the video-game room, similar to this "Fun Center" thing, that the hospital had. It had a Genesis and a Super Nintendo to play on, with a good number of titles.
Even better, they would wheel in mobile TV/console units to the rooms, and he and I would play DKC2 on the SNES. It was especially great because we were Genesis kids who'd just moved up to the Playstation (I think he had the 64 at that point?) and were behind the times, but never had an SNES. We loved that game, among others we were usually unable to play.
Anyways, this is the kind of PR stuff you can get behind, and I'm glad that Nintendo's kept their commitment to providing systems for sick kids here and there.
Superhacker75mil
bigman88zz
Posted 10:40 AM 25/6/08
fun center! fun center! fun center! fun center! fun center! fun center!
tell me someone remembers that king of the hill reference
bigman88zz
Feba
Posted 10:37 AM 25/6/08
@thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny...: Not cynical enough. Need to slip in a comment about how many more kids they could make happy by fixing their supply problems.
I mean, I like Nintendo, but to see this as anything beyond PR is a little silly. Are they doing good? Sure. Are they doing it for the sake of doing good? Almost certainly not.
But you know what? I highly doubt that a kid dying or seriously enough injured to be in a hospital is going to care very much if that Wii (or PS3, or Xbox) is an act of kindness or corporate promotion. That kid is going to have fun, and it's going to help.
Feba
Neo Deus
Posted 10:35 AM 25/6/08
Good for them!
"No, dude, it's just a PR stunt! They don't really care!"
Well, even if that were true - which I doubt - it's still better than the PR stunts where, say, people eat flaming hot dogs while holding up a company's sign.
Neo Deus
NeoAkira
Posted 10:34 AM 25/6/08
Very cool, hope more of this stuff goes around.
NeoAkira
thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny anym
Posted 10:32 AM 25/6/08
actually the tv's sound nice. replace "hundred" with "thousand"
thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny anymore. i have no friends.
Silent Predator
Posted 10:31 AM 25/6/08
@thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny...: Just a little bit.
In all seriousness, I too spent a good amount of time in the hospital as a kid. The only thing that made it bearable was that they had a Super NES. I remember playing Starfox to pass the time. That's why I always make sure to donate to Child's Play every year. Being in the hospital sucks for a kid. I'm glad to hear Nintendo is doing something like this.
Silent Predator
bobtheduck
Posted 10:30 AM 25/6/08
@Snuffbox: Sony's done it too, just so you remember... And a good thing is a good thing.
bobtheduck
thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny anym
Posted 10:28 AM 25/6/08
better headline:
multi-billion dollar company donates a few hundred dollars of their own product to make good pr
too cynical?
thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny anymore. i have no friends.
(俗・ ) Grey Gecko
Posted 10:27 AM 25/6/08
Wii companion cube for sick kids?
AWESOME!
(俗・ ) Grey Gecko
Snuffbox
Posted 10:26 AM 25/6/08
I wonder if the same people who felt Microsoft was exploiting similar charitable organizations will troll this as well
Good gesture by Nintendo, we need more philanthropy in this world.
Snuffbox
UnklDee
Posted 10:24 AM 25/6/08
Very nice move.
Does wonders for brand reputation too ;)
UnklDee
Katorok
Posted 10:23 AM 25/6/08
Awesome =D!
Katorok
ParanoidIndividual
Posted 11:23 AM 25/6/08
So much Nintendo love! Between all the stars and puppies and the rainbows... Quick, someone mod one of those old GameCube into a Weighted Companion Cube! <3
ParanoidIndividual
goboard117
Posted 11:22 AM 25/6/08
Its a nice gesture to give things away like that. I hope that it does some good for those kids in the hospital.
goboard117
VMars
Posted 11:06 AM 25/6/08
Nice to see them doing something great with all the dough they are getting from their consoles.
VMars
thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny anym
Posted 11:04 AM 25/6/08
oh, as a final note. those of you who praise nintendo for at least doing something nice are subscribing to an ends before means view of the world. just thought you should know.
thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny anymore. i have no friends.
Antiterra
Posted 12:00 PM 25/6/08
@dude49: You mean you can't see something like this or this? ;)
Antiterra
dude49
Posted 11:35 AM 25/6/08
Nintendo owns. I can't see something like that with Sony or Microsoft...
dude49
Velops
Posted 12:27 PM 25/6/08
@nick.soapdish: Why are you still holding a grudge? Nintendo has been working with this charity for 16 years. This is long before Child's Play and Penny Arcade existed. Can anyone still blame a company for not equally supporting two charities that have the same goal?
Velops
Silent Predator
Posted 12:24 PM 25/6/08
@thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny...: Geez, way to be a downer. Did a big corporation kick your dog at some point in your life?
Silent Predator
KM91
Posted 12:55 PM 25/6/08
Awesome. I'm sure thos kids will have a blast playing those games.
KM91
nick.soapdish
Posted 12:50 PM 25/6/08
@Velops: Not holding a grudge at all. Just saying that it's nice to see them give out some product with only the PR as the compensation. Offering their DS and games at a discount for them was still a classy move, but I was still surprised when I found out that it wasn't a straight up donation.
Most organizations work with charity in some way, and it makes sense for a company as noticeable as Nintendo to align themselves with groups like the Children's Foundation, delivering their whole concept of "fun" over to people who need a bit of that.
nick.soapdish
`
Posted 2:48 PM 25/6/08
Let's hope they don't bring out Wii Fit for the kids because I think the last thing their ego would like to hear would be,
"Oh no it appears you're overweight!"
They should have fun though. Still a shame they wouldn't give them Mario kart or Brawl.
`
.em.
Posted 1:59 PM 25/6/08
That's great! I'm sure the kids will enjoy it, and I bet it makes their hospital stays much better.
.em.
Vanguarde
Posted 3:52 PM 25/6/08
@Itchy (PSN: Kaizoku-ou):
I could not resist - I would LOVE to been seen by a Nurse Jenny when I was in the hospital getting a sponge bath from a guy nurse.
mmmmm
Vanguarde
Vanguarde
Posted 3:51 PM 25/6/08
The sad part is when they wheeled in a Wii setup but forgot that the child in the room lost both of her arms in a car crash that killed her parents.
Wii fit?
Nurses were more like !!!!! Wii Shit!!!!!
omfg
Vanguarde
GLDarthziggy
Posted 3:44 PM 25/6/08
That is very cool. And thanks to Antiterra... I hadn't heard of Sony's dip into this realm of helping out kids this way, though I did know about Microsoft's efforts. Actually, I found out about that one through hockey shows/websites, because Pat LaFontaine runs the foundation that MS hooked up with, Champions in Courage.
GLDarthziggy
OneSwitch.org.uk
Posted 4:26 PM 25/6/08
It's a good thing - but Nintendo could certainly learn a thing or two from the likes of Special Effect's "Game for Helen" project and the IGDA's GASIG group:
[www.specialeffect.org.uk]
[www.igda.org]
OneSwitch.org.uk
Shadowmist
Posted 4:34 PM 25/6/08
Well, if I ever end up in a hospital, I hope I can play one of those... though I wonder if they'll let me since I'm not exactly a young kid anymore... discrimination I tell you!
Shadowmist
maraxusofk
Posted 5:05 PM 25/6/08
this idea is actually very good. i remmeber going to the dentist and having gameboys around me when i was young. instantly brightened up the once dreadful experience. an even greater idea would be a super hot nurse attending you. now that would certaintly "raise one's spirit."
maraxusofk
Ryodestined
Posted 2:25 AM 26/6/08
Bringing quality gaming entertainment to the ill? That's beautiful! The only thing I could think of that would one-up this would be Disney Land building a hospital in one of it's parks where patients ride free. Although, Nintendo could also give the hospitals DS's to share with the kids. The DS has a lot of good software to entertain groups. Think about the scenario: While you're waiting your turn for the Wii set-up, you're playing DS games with the others in line and just pass down the systems when your turn is up.
Ryodestined
Feba
Posted 8:22 AM 26/6/08
@thejakeman: still using an old joke that no one finds funny...:
There's a big difference between always considering the ends more important than the means and realizing when one matters more than the other. If Nintendo wants to go for PR while also doing good, what's wrong with that?
Feba
RawnevetSbboD
Posted 10:23 AM 25/6/08
yay no more stealing the GC from the sick boy now i can steal the wii
RawnevetSbboD
dkrefft
Posted 11:12 AM 25/6/08
You know...I've really been down on Nintendo lately, but this is really cool of them. While it may only be a PR thing, the effects will be the same. Sick kids can enjoy themselves a little in the hospital, and to make that kind of difference is something that more companies should be doing.
Good call Nintendo!
dkrefft