Twitch Streamer, Reckful, Dead at 31

Recently the news hit that a well known and beloved Twitch streamer, Reckful, has died at the age of 31. Although it has not yet been confirmed, his death is suspected to have been a suicide.

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Reckful

It feels a little bit strange to write about Reckful like this. On Twitter, Reckful’s last post is still only a few hours old. He was active, a part of the Twitch and gaming community. He was more than active, he was an inspiration to so many people. He was well known for his gameplay in World of Warcraft, but I and so many others personally became aware of him due to his outstanding performance in Hearthstone.

Reckful wasn’t just another Hearthstone streamer, he was quite frequently the best Hearthstone player. He had a command and knowledge of the game that quite literally surpassed anyone else’s. I remember watching him back when Hearthstone was still fairly fresh, and while I eventually moved on from the game it did start a pretty fun hobby of playing card games for me.

But that pales in comparison to the effect he had on people who knew him. Unfortunately, I’m not exactly sure what else to say. Rest in peace Reckful.

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If you or someone you know needs help, reach out

Suicide Crisis Lines:Australia: 13 11 14Brazil: 188Canada: 1 833 456 4566France: 01 45 39 40 00Germany: 0800 111 0 111United Kingdom: 116 123United States: 1-800-273-8255 to all of you. If you ever feel down with suicidal thoughts. Please call one of these numbers..

— stud (@stud_erz) July 2, 2020

Depression and suicidal thoughts are incredibly difficult to deal with, especially alone. The biggest danger is that depression often makes you feel like you are alone, even when you aren’t- or that you perhaps deserve your loneliness. But to anyone wondering why they feel that way, you should know that those feelings are not permanent and they do not define you.

It can be frustrating to deal with depression because it’s not something where the treatment feels good. Oftentimes depression makes you feel like you deserve it, or even that you want the very things that make you depressed. Treating it means doing the difficult thing and finding something that works for you. Medication, therapy, family, activity, whatever it takes, that’s what you have to do.

Depression is a persistent beast that seemingly follows you to no end, and you can not stop fighting it. Do not accept it, do not decide to live with it, there is and will always be something you can do about it even if it seems like a challenge.

I don’t want to mislead anyone, depression is not something you beat easily and it is not something you beat once. It is something you need to beat every single day. Somedays fighting it feels like a breeze and you barely even think about it, and somedays it feels like the most brutal fight of your life, but you have to beat it even when it’s hard.

Take care of yourself.