This kid looks like he’s totally having fun, right?

Looks like someone is thinking of the children! Yesterday Nintendo of America and Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation promised 500 new “Fun Centers” in hospitals around North America for this year, giving kids a chance to escape the sick room and have some good times chilling with a Wii.

In GameDaily’s story, Linda Garcia, a manager in the Child Development Services department of the Los Angeles Childrens Hospital said that:

“The Fun Centers promote socialization, mastery, and fun. Through this play, children learn about cooperation, positive thinking, and problem-solving skills.”

I’m thinking a Zack and Wiki rental weekend!

Fortunately, videogames also “provide opportunities for hand strengthening and finger dexterity, an important therapeutic value for patients undergoing physical rehabilitation,” so it may actually be a great motivator on the recovery front.

In addition to a Wii, the centers will feature a flat screen TV, a selection of what sound like first party games, and the more passive entertainment of a DVD player.

Source: GameDaily

Tags: hospital, kids, Nintendo, starlight starbright, Wii

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1 Comment » HombreMega on June 27, 2008 1:08 pm Ladies and gentlemen I would like to introduce to you the future John Rocker. Holy crap that kid looks unhappy. RSS feed for comments on this post. Comment Now Note: Commenting on Ripten does not currently require registration, however to be eligible for contests on the site, you must be a registered user. Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website Commenting Rules: No hate speech allowed. If you must argue, please debate intelligently. Comments containing selected keywords or outbound links will be put into moderation to help prevent spam. Ripten reserves the right to delete comments and ban anyone who doesn't follow the rules. Thanks. Notify me of followup comments Tired of the Goomba? Upload your own custom comment avatar.