Byron "Reckful" Bernstein, an early contributor to the Hearthstone community, World of Warcraft pro, Twitch streamer, creator of Everland, and so much more, has died from suicide at 31.
If you are contemplating suicide, please reach out to someone.
If not a hotline, confide in a friend. There are people out there who want to help you.
Seeking help is not a sign of weakness.
Reckful's Hearthstone career was not as long as it should have been, but at BlizzCon 2013 he provided us with one of the game's most infamous moments. In the 2013 Hearthstone Invitational, in a game against Kripparrian, he missed lethal; A true horror for all Hearthstone players and proving at the end of the day, we're all only human. He left Hearthstone shortly after this event.
Reckful was the first player in the history of World of Warcraft to reach 3000 Arena rating after a run of 117 wins with only 4 losses. His play was highlighted in the movie Reckful 3.
He dominated the World of Warcraft Arena leader even prior to his 3000 Arena achievement in Cataclysm. For 6 seasons in a row, Reckful was the #1 ranked PvPer in 3v3 starting in Season 4, the final season of The Burning Crusade. His accomplishments didn't stop just online though as he extended his World of Warcraft Arena play to MLG's tournament circuit where they ran WoW events and he placed highly in 4 of them. He played for compLexity Gaming.
- 3rd Place MLG Dallas 2009
- 2nd Place MLG Orlando 2009
- 2nd Place MLG Columbus 2010
- 1st Place MLG Washington DC 2010
- Rank 1 3v3 Ladder The Burning Crusade Season 4
- Rank 1 3v3 Ladder Wrath of the Lich King Season 5
- Rank 1 3v3 Ladder Wrath of the Lich King Season 6
- Rank 1 3v3 Ladder Wrath of the Lich King Season 7
- Rank 1 3v3 Ladder Wrath of the Lich King Season 8
- Rank 1 3v3 Ladder World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Season 9
He was truly an amazing World of Warcraft player and it was always a treat to watch him play.
For the past couple of years, Reckful had spent his time working on his video game, Everland. Everland is an MMO with a social focus and was created to "[hope] to help people find friendship and a sense of community".
Quote From Everland
- Get Social - Recapture the social aspect of games with systems designed around player interaction
- Minigames & Events - Engage with others in minigames in each zone or participate in open world activities
- Collect & Personalize - Collect special outfits, cosmetics, and super rare items then show them off
- Quests & Stories - Immerse yourself in the world as you quest to learn secrets and earn special rewards
- Player Housing - Decorate your apartment with your collection of furniture, or upgrade to a house or mansion
- Explore & Discover - Explore to discover secrets, fun interactions, and meet your favorite influencers in the world
You will be missed, Reckful.
Comments
I can't believe this just happened! I watched him since early 2016 and he made me smile during the horrible times of my life...
His traveling and IRL streams were some of the best things on Twitch. R.I.P. legend!
He didn't drop any good loot.
Using humor to cope with tragedy is something humans have always done. When done well, and in good taste, it can be effective. It can lighten the mood, whilst still honoring the tragic circumstances and the victims of it. But it's a real thin line to walk. You haven't mastered that walk. Get better at it, i.e more respectful, or don't do it.
Ironic coming from someone who calls themself "Sinister".
Effective humor is subjective to who your audience is.
Satisfaction is derived simply from being the first to make the joke.
The tons of dislikes from envy & disgust are just a bonus.
Good taste is completely dependent on context: platform, presenter, people, place...
The better phrasing was, "Finally spotted lethal",
but you got caught up in putting yourself on a pedestal, instead of showing mastery.
you disgust me
Humanity Restored
I barely watched his streams, but this whole situation is heartbreaking because his tweets were almost ask for help, but it never comes on time.
Rest In Peace Byron, at least I hope you finally found it...
RIP, I know they may not read this, but best wishes for his family... He was too young...
This broke my heart ☹
Rest in peace Byron
I never watched him, but we were too alike in so many ways. I too struggle with bipolar disorder and depression. Mental health is a serious issue, and my heart goes out to all of his friends and family that are effected by his loss.
It is beautiful to see the WoW community coming together to honor and celebrate his life. Gives me a little bit of faith in the WoW community again.
Everyone stay safe, stay healthy, and don't forget to tell the people you care about that you love them. Y
He returned briefly to play some Battlegrounds. Since I only started playing and watching HS in late 2017, I missed a lot of Reckful's career.
I had never watched or heard of Byron until I read this, but my heart goes out to all those close to him, and all those ever touched by him. My mother committed suicide barely 3 years ago and the pain continues to ripple across my everyday life; even so, I can only begin to imagine how much this will affect those who knew him. Every story is different.
It's a shameful reflection of some online cultures that online harassment has and continues to have such a dramatic effect, especially on vulnerable individuals who may already be navigating personal, psychological struggles. To anyone in this community who is or has fallen upon the hardest of times, I do hope this is a safe, kind space for you, and that you experience nothing but good nature and high spirits whilst here.
Be kind. Stay strong.
Rest easy, Byron.
So, if someone is still curious - the reason for his suicide can be found here:
1:43-2:55 5:55
So, according to this video it all started with Reckful's recent tweet. He wanted to propose to a girl, people made fun of him, and since he was suffering from a manic-depression, he took those comments very personally. Hence he decided to end his life.
It doesn't even say how he committed suicide...
I'm the other way around, every VG news site I frequent just said he passed away. The title should be blunt in my eyes, to make people aware. Didn't know or have watched the dude but the circumstances are trash regardless. Similar thing happened with a female pro wrestler not too long ago because of some shit stains online.
I get what you're saying though, the word itself can be a trigger.
My condolences for Reckful's death. It's kinda weird to see him die due to a suicide attempt, because one or two weeks ago I went to his youtube channel and I saw a video, whose title stated, that Reckful was overcoming his depression. I guess, he was feeling relieved only temporarily, but the real problem wasn't solved. RIP.
Like others have stated I haven't heard of him before, but I know suicide isn't a laughing matter its very serious and he will be missed.
Honestly his nickname sounds familiar to me, but I never heard of him, who knows why he decided to end it.. in our current time I can think of a very big reason why people would suddenly decide there's no hope (the Corona pandemic) and the loneliness might feel infinite to those who don't have many friends..
And who knows what was going on on his life as well.. anyway, not much to do but remember the good he did while he was here, it's always sad when people decide they have no more hope...