The Makers of 'Fallout' Just Helped A Terminally Ill Child
In November, you can expect everyone to be talking tribal warfare, the breakdown of civilization, where and how to scavenge supplies, and the ins and outs of self-surgery under fire. And that's just because of the midterms and Thanksgiving. We haven't even gotten onto the upcoming release of Fallout 76.
Sadly, there's a chance that one fan of the series, known only as "Wes," might not be around to see this date. Wes is a 12-year-old boy living in Virginia who has been battling a rare form of cancer known as a neuroblastoma since the age of four. In recent weeks, he was informed by his doctors that they would be discontinuing treatment, which broke his heart, not least because this might mean he'd never get to play his pre-ordered copy of Fallout 76.
Enter Bethesda.
Unbeknownst to most people, Bethesda are huge supporters of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and regularly open their doors to terminally ill gamer kids. As Todd Howard, the studio lead, explained in an interview:
"We have had a lot of them wish to come to our studio. That's a good -- you want a reality check at work, you're doing your day-to-day and then a family comes in with their child ... They can wish for anything and they've come to your studio because they want to see how you make their favourite game and they want to play it. It is by far the greatest thing that we do."
Owing to Wes' condition, it wasn't possible for him to travel out to Bethesda's studios in Maryland, so Bethesda brought Fallout 76 to him. Last week, Matt Grandstaff, an assistant director at the studio, drove out to Wes' home with a copy of the game for him to enjoy for a few hours (he wasn't able to keep it, unfortunately) and a power armor helmet signed by Todd Howard.
Wes's parents documented the visit on Facebook, and if this story has melted your iron heart like it has ours, there's also a GoFundMe to cover his medical expenses. As for Bethesda, they're currently auctioning off a limited-edition Xbox One (as are several other celebrities) in order to raise money for Make-A-Wish.
So yeah, like, go do all of that and give whatever real-life caps you can. It's for a good cause.
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