Nintendo is bringing game stations to hospitals for sick kids.
As a kid, being stuck in one place is not the coolest thing to do. What more if that place is a hospital?
For sick kids, letting time pass by in hospitals is one of the biggest contributions in making hospital stays the worst.
That is why Nintendo thought of bringing the fun into hospitals by providing Nintendo Switch gaming stations across the country.
Nintendo and a non-profit organization
For a year, Nintendo of America and Starlight Children's Foundation worked on the gaming stations' idea.
Starlight Children's Foundation is a nonprofit that has the primary aim of bringing happiness to children with serious illness and their families.
This nonprofit organization has been aiding patients in coping with hospitalization. According to a representative of one of a health system that has been partnering with Starlight, "We cannot thank Starlight enough for impacting the lives of our patients, families, and staff members on a daily basis."
The gaming stations
Initially, the gaming station project was launched in Tacoma, Washington. Last December 2019, the gaming stations were brought to Mary Bridge Children's hospital.
In December 2020, Starlight announced that the Starlight Nintendo Switch gaming stations will already be available to hospitals and health care facilities in the United States.
The idea of the gaming stations is that it can roll out to any part of the hospital for kids to play with and keep them entertained.
The gaming stations will be loaded with more than 25 games. Some of the games are Super Mario Party and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
According to a child life supervisor in a healthcare facility, the gaming stations are like distraction tools, "The gaming stations are important distraction tools that normalize the health care environment and help kids through difficult experiences."
Because of the kind of support and distraction that the project gives, it has been seen to give improved mood and reduced anxiety.
Since the beginning of the partnership between Starlight and Nintendo, they have already provided more than 7,200 gaming stations to hospitals and healthcare facilities all over the United States. The two organizations have been working hand-inhand for more than two decades.
Due to the pandemic
Since strict health protocols are implemented due to the pandemic, the Starlight Nintendo Switch gaming stations are created with eases in cleaning, transport. and disinfection. That is to avoid the spread of the virus.
Hospitals and health systems see that the gaming stations can also be a big help during the pandemic since some kids need to spend more time in the hospital and playrooms are closed due to the pandemic.
