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The charity that wants video game karts in every hospital
In many ways, Jonathan Watson is like other 11-year-olds. He does his homework, dreams of becoming a doctor and plays video games when he can. Depending on the day, his favorite is either Minecraft or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Unlike most kids his age, though, Jonathan is at the hospital every three weeks for blood transfusions -- a procedure that can take up to six hours at a time. When I visited him at Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he wasn't slaying dragons or building a pixelated fortress; he was replaying the opening levels of Rayman Legends on a kart that had just been wheeled in. The kart was donated by a local Eagle Scout who raised funds through the Gamers Outreach Foundation (GO), a nationwide charity that puts medical-grade gaming equipment in hospitals around the country. The "GO Kart" Jonathan was using included everything needed to play video games: a modest Samsung television, an Xbox 360 (though any console will fit) and a pair of gamepads. The kit itself is hardly revolutionary, but anyone who's schlepped their gear to a LAN party can appreciate the simplicity of this rolling, self-contained setup. At Mott and 19 other hospitals around the country, they're the most popular "toy" available. And when you're a kid with a medical condition like Watson's, it's easy to see why.
MLG taps former Machinima exec Ryan Wyatt for VP of programming
Ryan "Fwiz" Wyatt has returned to Major League Gaming after serving as Machinima's head of live and eSports content for three years, GamesIndustry International reports. Wyatt will serve as VP of programming, meaning he'll be responsible for premium content on MLG.tv. During his previous run with MLG, Wyatt worked as a referee and head of online tournaments for GameBattles. Call of Duty fans may best know Wyatt from his work on Friday Night Fights, a video series focused on competitive play made available to Call of Duty Elite members. Chris Puckett, MLG's previous VP of programming, will become executive producer on eSports Report. He will also lead the production of MLG Pro Circuit competition broadcasts. [Image: Major League Gaming]
