Chase, a young boy from the UK, came home from school to find an Xbox Series X waiting for him, and his reaction is nothing short of amazing.
His mother, Nikki, won a competition set up by The Falconeer's publisher, Wired Productions. The company has been giving away loads of tech over the past week, like headphones, monitors, controllers, and even laptops, as well as codes for the game. In The Falconeer, the player rides on and fights with an enormous falcon in a fantasy world that is fractured by rivalling factions. Boasting a striking art style, adrenaline-fuelled aerial combat, and a mystery at its heart, it sounds like the ideal game for a second lockdown.
In the heartwarming video shared by Nikki, Chase couldn't contain his joy when he found out that his family had won one of the competitions. His mother asks him if he notices anything new as he returns home from school. Distracted by the glittering Christmas tree (brilliant job on the decorations, by the way), Nikki laughs and tells him to look elsewhere, when his eyes fall upon the unmistakable blocky console. If you were to look up a definition of the word "thrilled" in the dictionary, it would show you this moment of Chase's unbridled happiness after discovering that he's got a brand-new console just in time for Christmas.
The video has really resonated with people from around the world. Ed Boon, one of the creators of Mortal Kombat and Injustice, commented on how happy the surprise had made Chase, and Xbox itself chimed in on the chat. "Please tell Chase that we hope he has a great time playing," it said, and after people clamored for Xbox to offer Chase free games, Nikki explained that Xbox had already extended his Xbox Game Pass for free. Xbox Game Pass affords access to a ginormous number of games of all genres for a monthly fee, and so Chase will be a busy bee in these coming weeks.
Kit Harrison, a quality assurance lead for Frontier, had a particularly pertinent message in response to the video: "GAMES ARE FOR EVERYONE! But today, they are especially for Chase." Nikki also thanked the charity Special Effect for their work in adapting consoles and controllers so that everyone can play. Chase has cerebral palsy, a neurological disability which affects his muscles, so he uses a wheelchair to move around and communicates differently to other kids. The story caught the attention of actor Rahul Kohli, from Netflix's The Haunting of Bly Manor, who then donated a massive £500 to the charity in Chase's name. Splendid stuff.
Featured Image Credit: @GlamandGeeky on TwitterTopics: News, Xbox Series X
