The story of a man who stepped away from his charity livestream for a 'cigarette break' never to return shone a spotlight upon the the problems and struggles with gaming professionally.
Brian Vigneault, known online as PoShYbRiD, was a Twitch streamer and father-of-three who disappeared during a 24-hour livestream on 19 February 2017, never to be seen or heard from again.
The 35-year-old was 22 hours into a 24-hour livestream while playing World of Tanks in order to raise money for the Make-A-Wish foundation.
However the content creator, from Virginia, US, then chose to step away for a cigarette at about 3:30 am local time, but he didn't return for the remainder of the 24 hours, according to PVP Live.
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Fans assumed by 11am that he had fallen asleep, though the next day, a friend messaged him on instant messaging app Discord, and was shocked to receive a reply not from Vigneault, but a detective from the Virginia Beach Police department, as they were investigating his sudden death.
Throughout his time streaming video games, Vigneault stated on his Twitch account that he raised over $10,917.20 (£8,300) for veterans and children's charity organisation across all of his streams.
Sitting down in front of a screen for hours on end to play video games might not seem like much of a taxing activity for non-gamers out there, but it can cause your health to take a serious hit.
In the years since the incident, streamers have spoken about the pressures to play games for longer periods of time to get more views and, therefore, more money.
The need for success on the platform can also lead to mental health issues as creators try to maintain their status, with many struggling with sleep deprivation on top of this.
Vigneault was known and liked within the World of Tanks community, with friends paying tribute to his death on social media at the time.
FAME, the gaming clan he was part of, posted an emotional statement on Facebook, saying: “Sad news from Virginia beach, one of the most famous NA streamers and a member of our clan Poshybrid has passed away at the age of 35, we just can not find words to describe how sad is this moment for all of us and for sure this game will not be the same without the legend.
“Maybe the saddest lines can not really be written, and the saddest thoughts can not really be uttered, let’s all hope that he is in a better place right now and may his soul Rest in Peace, he will never be forgotten... a person who stays in our hearts never dies...”
He is believed to be the first person to die on Twitch and it is possible that Vigneault died from sleep deprivation or heart problems, PVP Live report.
Since his death, his Twitch account has become a 'memorial channel', where fans may tribute to the late creator.
Topics: Twitch, Gaming, Health, Mental Health, Social Media, Charity
Joshua Nair