When Reggie Fils-Aimé stepped down as the president of Nintendo of North America this past April, the gaming world wondered what was in store for the man they held so dear. Stating that he was looking forward to spending more time with his wife, family, and friends post-Nintendo in his sendoff video, it wasn’t long before Reggie made a reappearance in the gaming community. This time, however, he has gone non-profit, joining the Board of Directors of the New York Videogame Critics Circle.
Announced by the organization yesterday, Reggie is excited to join an organization that promotes learning and growth through video games to the communities of New York. “Drawing from my years of experience in the gaming industry for having a big picture perspective, and from my roots as a kid from the Bronx, joining the New York Videogame Critics Circle board of directors feels like a natural fit,” said Reggie in the press release. Founder and Board President of the organization, Harold Goldberg, feels the same. “Reggie’s history of leadership and industry disruption will be a tremendous asset to the organization as we continue to execute on our mission of giving back to our underserved communities,” says Goldberg.
The New York Videogame Critics Circle is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and has been around since 2010. This “multicultural group is comprised of the finest videogame critics, designers, writers, reporters, bloggers and videographers in New York City,” and includes writers from popular gaming publications such as Kotaku and Polygon, amongst others. The group was formed as way to advocate for game writers but has since evolved into a means to advocate for those less fortunate in the New York community as well. One of their biggest achievements is working closely with the Dreamyard Prep School, where they offer mentoring, internships, and scholarships to students.