THIS SUMMER: GET PAID TO PLAY VIDEO GAMES
Teens Face Worst Job Market in Decades and Nintendo Wants to Help
REDMOND, Wash., May 6, 2004 – You know you're going to spend your whole summer sitting around playing video games anyway, so why not get paid for it? With the worst summer job market for teens since the end of World War II, Nintendo is looking to recruit 48 people for the Ultimate Summer Job: showcasing Nintendo video games at music, sporting and lifestyle events in six major markets throughout the summer. In addition to their salary of $100 per day for a three-day workweek, the lucky few who are selected will join one of six Nintendo Street Teams competing for a $40,000 team bonus. One consumer following the teams' activities via www.nintendostreetteam.com also will have a chance to win a cash prize of $5,000.
"The video game industry is one of the fastest-growing in the world," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "You can spend your summer learning valuable skills and becoming an expert in video games – all without wearing a hairnet."
Anyone 18 years of age or older interested in Nintendo's Ultimate Summer Job can get more information, including a casting sheet and requirements, at www.nintendostreetteam.com. Eight people will be selected from Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle on July 5. GameStop video game stores in each city will host live auditions at select locations (check Web site as dates and locations are announced). People in those cities also can submit two-minute VHS audition tapes explaining why they would make the best Nintendo Street Team members.
Nintendo Street Team members will spend July 7 and July 8 attending boot camp to learn as much as possible about Nintendo. They will cram information about Nintendo systems, all upcoming Nintendo GameCube™ and Game Boy® Advance games, company history and how to assemble a Nintendo GameCube while blindfolded (just kidding).
As additional motivation, the six Nintendo Street Teams will compete throughout the summer for the $40,000 ultimate team bonus. Each of the eight winning team members will receive a $5,000 bonus for seven weeks of playing video games. Nintendo will issue teams a new challenge each week and judge them on how well they meet their objectives. The results will be posted online, along with team member bios, diaries, video clips and message boards. People who follow the teams' progress on www.nintendostreetteam.com can vote for their favorite and earn the chance to win $5,000.
