Meet Sam: BBCH’s Gaming and Technology Assistant

Yes- that’s right- playing games is part of Sam’s job, supporting our Child Life Team and patients at The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center (BBCH). Sam joined the BBCH team just over a year ago, in August of 2022, and his official title is “Child Life Gaming and Technology Assistant.”

Sam likes to joke that his parents are still in disbelief that he literally gets to play video games as part of his job. But his role in supporting our Child Life team and patients is incredibly impactful at our hospital- read on to learn more about Sam and what his job really entails!

Okay Sam- important question first- what are some of your favorite games?  And how have games been a part of your life?

This is always such a difficult question! Some of my all-time favorites are the Crash Bandicoot trilogy, Mario Kart: Double Dash, XCOM 2, Hades, DOOM, and Fallout: New Vegas. Lately I’ve been playing a lot of Baldur’s Gate 3.

Games have been a huge part of my life for almost as long as I can remember, and gaming in my life has always been a social experience, an activity to do with a friend or a shared interest to bond with someone over. The first game I can remember playing was DOOM 2 with my dad, we had a couple old PCs with a LAN connection and would play co-op together. A year or two later we got a PlayStation 1 and my sister and I played through Crash Bandicoot and the criminally underrated Brave Fencer Musashi together.

In college I bought a used Nintendo GameCube for 30 bucks and hosted Super Smash Bros tournaments in my dorm room, which made me very popular.

Also, my least favorite game of all time is Fortnite.

For the folks still reading after learning your true feelings about Fortnite, can you describe your position- and what your job is here at BBCH?

My job is kind of three jobs rolled into one, sometimes more…

• In one way I serve as a very specific tech support, keeping the game consoles updated and running smoothly.
• I’m also an entertainer, getting kids engaged with the games and making sure they have the best time possible.
• I’m also sort of a video game sommelier, I suppose, making recommendations based on a patient’s interests and preferences, tailoring my game recommendations to each patient and their tastes. And it’s not just video games, but board games, puzzles and card games. Plus our movie library, from Disney to Marvel to favorite holiday classics that we rotate through.

It’s the coolest job in the hospital; I get to provide games and entertainment technology to kids who are hospitalized. I run gaming sessions with kids (like Mario Kart), recommend new games to try, I get to sit down with them and teach them how to play, show them the controls, help them through difficult levels- I’m like a professional big brother.

What sort of gaming tech/equipment does BBCH have?

We have Xbox Ones in each of the patient rooms on the inpatient floor, as well as a handful of iPads and Nintendo Switches that I loan out as needed. We also have a few Xbox GO Karts that were donated to us, they’re basically mobile gaming units with a monitor and two controllers that we can wheel over to rooms that need them. Recently we had a PS4 donated to use with a PSVR headset, we’re working right now to figure out the best way to implement that hardware on the floor.

Can you see a change in patients, after you spend some time gaming?

So often, the change happens almost immediately. After fifteen minutes, they smile or start to giggle. Their whole mood is brightened, their body language shifts and you can physically see them relax. Games provide such a sense of normalcy, but also a distraction from the stress that can be involved with a hospital stay or difficult diagnosis.

I recently helped a patient by getting them hooked on Cuphead, a notoriously difficult game to master. They had been frustrated with a newfound lack of physical capability and become pretty severely depressed. Cuphead gave them a tangible goal that they felt was achievable and a new skill to develop. The change in mood and overall demeanor was like a total 180.

I also had a long-term-stay patient who had begun to display some pretty problematic behaviors. Gaming time was used as a motivator: I could provide extra gaming time, so long as this patient followed their schedule and had minimal outbursts. Over the course of a couple weeks their problematic behaviors were barely occurring at all.

You have shared so many great ideas for ways that you hope to use games to help patients learn, and to feel stronger and more connected. Can you tell us about the D&D campaigns you’ve started?

So far they have been very bare-bones, just running some combats for kids who were interested in learning how the game works. They’re a great opportunity to play make-believe and get a whole group of kids laughing.

What would you say your favorite part of this job is?
A couple times now I have had longer-term patients who really like playing Mario Kart together, and I have had the privilege of watching their skills grow and grow until eventually they can beat me. There is nothing like the cheers that go up from a kid who has finally won their first race after months of practice, it’s the best feeling in the world.

Is there anything you want folks to know about BBCH? The entire staff here are some of the kindest and most caring folks I have ever had the pleasure to work with. BBCH really puts patients first in all ways, and I’m very honored to be a small part of an incredible team.