Microsoft’s Reindeer Games ad reminds us of the magic of gaming

Many children (and those still young at heart) remember the tale of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. A young buck with a distinctively glowing nose, little Rudolph was shunned by the other reindeer and was not invited to play games with them. It wasn’t until a particularly foggy Christmas Eve when Rudolph finally had a chance to prove himself and in the end win acceptance from the other reindeer. It’s a fun song to sing during the holiday season and has been a part of our culture for nearly a century now. The latest ad video from Microsoft – aptly titled “Reindeer Games” – demonstrates that Rudolph’s story has real word parallels in a heartwarming way. You can watch the video for yourself here:

https://youtu.be/v70Fu2WU8-w

As the video begins we see a young boy frantically running through his neighborhood to rouse his friends with cries that another boy is on the verge of a major accomplishment and everyone “needs to it”. The kids gather around another boy named Owen – a 9 year-old who has limited mobility due to Escobar Syndrome. He is using the Xbox Adaptive Controller to play video games and the other children gather round to watch him beat a formidable enemy. Owen perseveres and ultimately beats the game while the kids around him cheer and congratulate him. If you listen closely you will hear brief moments from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer softly playing throughout the video.

The “Reindeer Games” video does a fine job of reminding us that all of the worlds we have explored, every foe we have beaten, every chicken dinner we have won or live opponent we have beaten – these are the experiences that should be shared by everybody.

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