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Xbox Creator Shares Vaccination Story, Urges Others To "Show Up" For Appointments

"There is no danger. Get your vaccine. Please."

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Seamus Blackley, the designer of the original Xbox, took to social media to share his experiences getting the coronavirus vaccine, and urged others to show up for their vaccine appointments despite misinformation about its safety.

In a brief Twitter thread, Blackley said that he got the Moderna vaccine. He explained that there had been 150 people who missed their appointments in a Los Angeles clinic, and that the medical staff there had to use the vaccines or throw them away. He went on to say that misinformation is dangerous and that the doctors and nurses were putting themselves at risk to help others. He also noted that he had been waiting his turn behind higher-priority groups, so learning that some doses were getting tossed out due to missed appointments was frustrating.

"The misinformation is tragedy," he said. "There's no danger. Get your vaccine. Please. Stop this f***ing virus. It will mutate and get worse."

In a follow-up, he joked that it's been 24 hours and he hasn't gotten free WiFi or the ability to communicate with Bill Gates--a reference to one of the wilder vaccine conspiracy theories. Of course, in the course of his career, Blackley has actually met and worked with Gates.

Blackley is credited for designing the original Xbox in 2001, though his career has also spanned work on games like Ultima Underworld, System Shock, and Trespasser. He also represented video game developers at the Creative Artists Agency. More recently, he became the CEO of the tech startup Pacific Light and Hologram.

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