Cool, ps3 cures cancer, and their developers make paralyzed children happy again!

Awwww...

its heart warming to see some good news like this in the wake of all the sadness recently

Damn, that's big of them. Nice story.

Fucking class act move. Makes me not want to hate those boring platformers just a little.

While stories like these are great, they always remind me of all the other unfortunate children who don't get anything special.

That really is a good gesture by Insomniac Games.

respect to their intentions, but personally, i feel that show (extreme home makeover) exploits the people they say they are helping.

people watch the show because they see these people in these utterly shitty situations, and get their joy from seeing them receive this huge expensive home renovation, ie. material goods. so the viewers feel good, and the producers and cast feel good and it's all a great wank off.

at the end of it the people still have to live with whatever problems they had, and the producers walk away with a huge profit.

point is, if they really gave a shit, they would help these people out, spread out the wealth to the many people who need it, not just give a huge amount to whoever they deem the most tv-worthy, and not make a huge spectacle of it.

i think the show is about making the producers money, and making the viewers feel good about themselves, when all they're really doing is gawking at the misfortunes in these people's lives.

extreme home makeover is shit.

@Zho:

One gesture is better than no gestures at all. It may not seem like much, but in the grand scheme of life, it adds up over time.

@foss:

It's the only reality show I can stomach, for the simple reason that they are actually helping people. Sure, the money could get spread out. But as much as I am sure they love helping people, they are still a business, and they need to make money.

So at least if they make some cash while helping people, what's the harm?

Jesus, that family has some rotten luck. Nice move, Insomnia.

@Zho: I can understand this argument, but I can't see what else Insomnia could have done. This will make the kid's year and I'd rather they did that than not help any of the disabled kids out there.

Wow.. my respect for Ted Price continues to increase. This guy is probably one of the nicest in the NA games industry.

@foss: Lighten up man. It's a show and no matter what their intentions they need to get ratings. I agree that giving a huge lump sum to a single family isn't the most efficient use of cash but it's not like cash is getting taken away from others and these people at least get to hit a jackpot of sorts.

If you feel that strongly go out and do some volunteer work instead of sitting there and bitching in a comment thread.

@foss:

Would you rather ABC spread the wealth to every single poor or unfortunate family in America? Because then each family would receive practically nothing, and it wouldn't be of much help.

Yes, this show is produced to make a profit, but then again so is practically every other show that's not on PBS. While you seem to focus on the broadcast company making a profit, you're forgetting that each and every family that receives their help is also making a very healthy profit. As long as the company is making money, they can continue to help people.

Also, you said, "at the end of it the people still have to live with whatever problems they had, and the producers walk away with a huge profit." While that is certainly true, you seem to forget that those people can live with those problems much easier than before. The whole focus of each renovation is to make the homes more suitable for the specific problem the family is dealing with.

It sounds to me as if you've never actually watched the show, but you still have strong feelings about it that may be misguided.

*****

On another note, Ted Price and the entire Insomniac crew seem to be really great people. They deserve the respect of every gamer.

@foss:

Sounds like I sense a little jealously?

Anyway this is a awesome story. Insomniac Games and Ted Price are top notch! About time there is a good story in the news about video games.

Too bad the kid wanted a Wii. . .that he can't play ;D

For real though, good form SONY!! At least you've shown you gots a lil bit of heart.

oops...Insomniac

@NotoriousJnX:

For all intent and purposes, it's the same thing.

I, for one, can't wait to play as my own hovering little cripple boy. :P

This made my day. Grats to Insomniac for making this happen.

@PapaBear: True! Sony does get props too. How cool is it to have your likeness in a game, maybe one day he'll be in some aspect of the games biz--and he can look back at this as great motivation.

Better not make him a playable character. I can just see the insulting Youtube videos popping up now.

This is a first? What about Chris Houlihan in A Link to the Past?

Does he have hydrocephalia as well?

Thanks for making me cry, insomnia.

Agree with foss. These shows may be better than all other reality shows on TV, but thinking that they actually help these people is taking it a bit far.

As for Insomniac, awesome. I guess they really made the boy happy, and I hope the character will appear in the final game.

@Kuraudo: I'm not saying this is bad, but if you like this, think of other kids as well :)

Just goes to show you their is some good in the world.

thanks Kotaku, we needed this after all the terrible news we've gotten.

A really nice way to combine helping someone out and getting your game promoted on national TV for free.

@L_K_M:

you and foss have a single track mind in that you cannot think outside certain points, and learn to see the world as a whole

the world might revolve around money but out thoughts and feelings don't

This is a nice gesture by them. Let's just leave it at that.

@foss: So a show that changes peoples lives by providing them with a new home, new car (on some episodes), and even helping them with their home businesses (several episodes had this) is a bad thing?

Okay, so corporations make a few pennies from the show. Well, that's it then huh? If corporate America finds a way to make money by giving families a new start at life then so be it. It just gives them another opportunity to help someone else.

For someone to say that this show sucks must have a heart blacker than a tar soaked Wesley Snipes.

And while you condemn this show name the last time you built someone a home, paid off their mortgage, and gave them a new lease on life. Or the last time you donated several million dollars.

Thought so.

It's funny how people feel the need to defend this show against any criticism.

My point was only that the intentions of the show aren't as pure as you would like to believe. I can only imagine their meetings when they plan the shows, watch tapes or read about potential families to give a huge home make-over. Deciding on which story has the most "audience" appeal or pity-points. Taking into consideration that one family has a disabled child, and cross referencing their marketing data which shows that would bring in 20% more viewers. How many families do you think they passed up because their stories were too "boring"?

Perhaps those of you who are so upset with my criticism also feel bad because you know you watch the show not only because it's helping one chosen family each week, but more so because it fulfills your own perverted sense of goodness, by gawking at the misfortune of others.

This reality show is the same as any other one to me, and people watch this show for the exact same reasons they watch any other reality tv show. The only difference is you watch it and think you're actually doing something morally good, when in fact you're just a pawn to the marketing and advertising which is the true point of this show.

Props to ABC and the producers however. Great marketing concept.

@Zho: This is your cue to go out and do something!

Be a mentor, even.

@Nin10dude: Chris Houlihan wasn't playable, nor was he an actual character, if memory serves. Wasn't that just an incredibly hard-to-reach textual mention of him?

This story is something of a double-edged sword.
On one hand, the effort casts a positive, charitable glow on the games industry and Insomniac in particular. Hey, game developers have a soul!
On the other hand, industry critics could easily figure out that R&C is a T-rated game (i.e. 13+) and this boy is only 9, but featured in a game intended for an older audience due to violent content (unless this installment of R&C changes their game formula). So the games industry could be accused of, once again, targeting kids younger than the rating on the game - and doing it on national television.
Do I care? Only if it backfires on Insomniac. It shouldn't, but that is the world we live in; one with a target over the head of the games industry.

@foss:

You are right about the exploitation. If you do any media history studies, there was a little show in the US back in the 50's called "Queen for a Day", where women would "comptete" against each other to see who had the most miserable life, and the "winner" would get a washing machine, fur coat, etc. It is widely recognized as a prime example of media exploitation. Basically, EM:HE is the same thing, with bigger prizes.

However, it is these people's choice to be "exploited", and they are probably better off, so I can't blame them. The Network is just being a network, of course they don't really care about these people.

But like others have said, it's real easy to judge the motivations of other people...

It's much more effective to go out there and do something positive, rather than vent on a blog.

For the record, Insomniac earns my respect. What kid wouldn't want to be in a R&C game?

@foss:
And the last time you went out of your way to help anyone in such a way was...?

This gives me the warm and fuzzies!

@BigChiefSmokem: the world might revolve around money but out thoughts and feelings don't

Dude, these shows are exploiting your thoughts and feelings. I never said that your thoughts and feelings were in any way misguided, but don't think for one second that these shows are created because the stations think it would be neat to help a few poor people out.

Well, at first I thought I agreed with Foss, but it has now become apparent that if you think eXtreme home makeover is nothing but a sleazy corporate shill then you are SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE to go out and save the world.

Reminds me of a couple conversations I've had:

"What the hell does Bono know about saving africa? He's a millionaire rockstar asking me to donate money to something?"

"WELL THEN WHY DON'T YOU GO SAVE AFRICA?!?!"

@Nin10dude:

insomniac says "We've never inserted a member of the public into our videogames, and we think it's incredibly appropriate that James will be the first gamer to enjoy that unique experience."

emphasis on "We've" meaning Insomniac. i dont believe they were saying james would be the first ever. just the first ever in an insomniac game.

Yipes, so much cynicism here!

Way to go Insomniac, though. That's pretty cool of them, especially if the kid follows through on being a videogame designer. The paralyzation will probably make videogames that much more important to him over your average Joe.

@Toasticus:

You are right Toasticus, there is a bit of cynicism. But, I think we can all agree that insomniac is doing something pretty cool here.

You think they are doing this to show idiots like Jack Tomphson that the video game biz are a bunch folks who care about others. To show that it's not all about violence.

@foss: Yeah thats true they allways get the people with the most fucked up stories. It's cool that they help them out but it allways works out the same and they are just being Exploited.

Exploited?
A choice is made to be on the show, knowing the end result, that it will be on tv and money will be made

moreso, when was it deemed morally reprehensible for CorporationX to maintain its profit structure?

here in the u.s.a., we call it capitalizm

Very cool.

i'm not sure what the hubub is about in the comments, But Wow, Insomniac!

A Very Great Gesture For That Boy..

Kinda Reminds Me When Make A Wish Foundation Got A Wish From A Boy To Make A Video Game About What Kids Like Him Are Going Through, So They Got Him To LucasArts And Got It Made..