Brain Age Guy Makes Dumb Decision

The headline wrote itself, but I don't really think he's dumb. I think he could have made a better decision while still protecting his moral high ground and keeping his principals in tact. Like, for example, he could have socked one million dollars away in trust funds for his family or for his own old-age. He didn't need to forego taking any of the money.

Oh, wait, you have no idea what I'm talking about do you?

Well, read for yourself...

Ryuta Kawashima, the researcher behind Nintendo's Brain Age series of games for the DS portable system, would rather be working than enjoying $11 million in royalties he could have earned from his creations.

"Not a single yen has gone in my pocket," Dr. Kawashima told the AFP in a recent interview. Kawashima, whose likeness was heavily featured in the best-selling Brain Age games, is instantly recognizable to almost 12 million gamers worldwide.

Under the terms of his agreement withhis employer, Tohoku University in Japan's north-east region, Kawashima was entitled to accept half the Brain Age royalties personally. Instead, he used the proceeds to help fund $6.5 million in construction projects on Tohoku's campus.

"My hobby is work," he said. "Everyone in my family is mad at me but I tell them that if they want money, go out and earn it." Kawashima, who strictly monitors his teenage sons' gaming time, is currently working on a four-year project to study brain development in children. He's also cooperating with Toyota to develop a car designed to keep elderly drivers alert.

Story from Yahoo.com

So, like I was saying, he was entitled to $6.5 million dollars and he turned it over to his employer, essentially to fund construction projects on a university campus. That's extremely admirable and for all we know he may already be quite wealthy, but assuming he's not (he works for a university, how wealthy could he be?) I think he owed it to himself to at least keep a portion of the money. A nest egg if you will. A giant, shiny nest egg.

Wow.