Nintendo teams up with an NGO to bring consoles for hospitalized children

If you're a kid, being hospitalized due to an illness could be sad and boring. With that in mind, Nintendo is equipping hospitals and healthcare systems with gaming stations.

A young patient playing a game on the gaming station (Photo from CNN)

To give seriously-ill kids a chance to have fun with Nintendo Switch

Kids who have nothing to do but lie in bed when they are hospitalized can now enjoy playing video games. Because of a partnership between Nintendo of America and the Starlight Children's Foundation, sick children will have another option for entertainment.

The said non-profit organization has a goal to bring happiness to seriously-ill children and their families. The first gaming station was rolled out in December 2019 at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma, Washington.

Just this month, Starlight Foundation announced that this newest gaming station would soon be available to more children. Lexi Little of Christus Shreveport-Bossier Health System in Shreveport, Louisiana expressed her gratitude by saying,

Starlight Gaming has been a great aid in helping patients cope with hospitalization. We cannot thank Starlight enough for impacting the lives of our patients, families, and staff members on a daily basis.

According to a child life supervisor at Mary Bridge, the gaming stations are important distraction tools that normalize the health care environment and help kids through difficult experiences. She added that these provide choices for kids, motivate them, and give them the opportunity to have fun when it is needed most.

Hospitalized kids will have more than 25 games with which to distract themselves, including Super Mario Party and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The gaming stations are easy-to-clean and move from one room to another. 

Since the collaboration started almost 30 years ago, Starlight and Nintendo reportedly have delivered more than 7,200 gaming stations to more than 800 hospitals and health care facilities.

Great job, Nintendo and Starlight Gaming!

Source: CNN