In July, popular World of Warcraft streamer Byron “Reckful” Bernstein took his own life. The WoW community was stunned that a pillar of their community was suddenly gone, with tributes pouring in from fellow streamers and fans. Now an in-game tribute has been established in the recent pre-Shadowlands patch as a memorial to Reckful, and streamers have been visiting their old friend.
Shortly after his passing, Blizzard announced that a Reckful NPC would live in the Cathedral of Light and serve as a Rogue Trainer. The NPC has unique dialogue that includes references to Reckful’s own history in World of Warcraft. While those that had access to the Shadowlands beta have been able to access the Cathedral of Light and visit with Reckful’s NPC, now that the pre-patch for Shadowlands has been released, everyone is now able to pay their respects to their fallen comrade.
In his stream, Asmongold visited World of Warcraft‘s Cathedral of Light, coming across the tribute to Reckful. Several other players were also there paying their respects. One of the lines of dialogue Reckful’s NPC says is “I don’t train Assassination Rogues” which is a reference to Reckful’s PvP skills where he chose not to use the most popular (and powerful) rogue spec, the Assassination Rogue, in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion from 2008. Instead Reckful chose to go with the Subtlety Rogue and reached Rank 1 in arenas at the time.
Being in the spotlight can be a cause of stress for streamers, or any profession where one’s life is outwardly on display for public consumption. Criticism and bullying can fly from all corners of the internet. Japanese wrestler Hana Kimura took her own life as a result of intense scrutiny over an episode of the reality show Terrace House. She was bombarded with hate on social media and that negativity was too much to bear. Society could have done better for both Kimura and Reckful, but the silver lining is seeing the outpouring of love from their communities, showing that they will not be forgotten.
World of Warcraft is one of the most played games of all time, and as such, a huge number of people knew who Reckful was. To see so many folks stop by to honor him shows that he meant a lot to a great number of people.
While the Shadowlands expansion has been delayed until later in the year, fans checking out the pre-patch should stop by the Cathedral of Light if they can.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Helpline at 1-800-273-8255.
World of Warcraft is available for PC.
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