Coronavirus: Japanese Retro Game Association Giving Away Free SNES Consoles To Kids

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing most to stay at home, kids have nothing better to do. Gaming has been an outlet and most may have grown tired of playing the same games over and over. The good news for select kids under 16-years-old is that the Japan Retro Gaming Association (JARGA) is giving away 100 Super Nintendo consoles to the ones who do now own one.

According to their official announcement, select participants will receive the SNES consoles that include the actual console, adapters, one controller and two games. These have all been sanitized and all units have been checked for proper functionality. The games that will be included in the package are reportedly "Final Fantasy VI" and "Donkey Kong Country."

"Various masterpiece game software can be purchased at online shopping and retro game stores," JARGA said in a statement. "We hope you will have a fun time [using these games] as a communication tool for parents and children."

Folks who are interested in getting one have only until midnight of April 26 to submit their applications. The winners will be contacted on the same day. Do take note that winners will have to shoulder the shipping costs for the Super Nintendo Game Console package. Unfortunately, it appears this offer is limited only to families over in Japan.

For those who may not know JARGA, it is a non-profit company established in 2011. Its goal is to provide education on the history of Japanese video game consoles and games. To do this, they repair game equipment, study the preservation technology, and develop maintenance parts for retro machines. They also appraise retro games and hardware with plans to put up a retro game museum.

One of the directors for JARGA is Kiyofumi Fukui. He held the Guinness World Record for the largest video game collection until 2019. Antonio Monteiro of Texas surpassed his record after showing off his 20,000 plus game collection.

The initiative should help out the Japanese community with the COVID-19 continuing to cause problems. Most have consoled themselves playing video games or browsing the web. Some have embarked on video conferencing to keep tabs with family and friends although most are advised to make sure that proper security is in place.