Support NeoGAF

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

By far, one of the greatest reactions to a megaton reveal I've ever seen Etika had this amazing energy with him that reminded me of my childhood/adolescent days of getting hyped for games. You can't help but get hyped when watching Etika's stream reactions

 

[loki 16]

Such a shame. Mental illness is no joke.

 

[sid2vicious]

Such a shame. Mental illness is no joke.

Was he mentally ill though? Or was he brainwashed by social media? I feel people are forcing that label on him, when in reality I think he was a normal person who had an obsession or addiction for reactions and attention. I believe he would still be alive today if he just turned off his computer/phone and tried to live like a normal person. At least that's what I would like to believe, social media can corrupt a person mind if you let it, best thing is to ignore all of it. RIP Etika.

 

[Doczu]

Was he mentally ill though? Or was he brainwashed by social media?

I think it's a mix of both. He could be mentallyunwell, but had he not been on social media (and becoming an e-celebrity) he could have lived his live quite well.
My wife has some minor anxiety problems and had to cut down on social media to get her shit together. It's like for normal people banter and shit posting doesn't do anything, but if you are vulerable to these things it might hit you hard.
Real world contact with people is different and you don't hear so many shitty things that could potentially make you depressive or worse - suicidal...

 

[ZeroGravity]

Was he mentally ill though? Or was he brainwashed by social media? I feel people are forcing that label on him, when in reality I think he was a normal person who had an obsession or addiction for reactions and attention. I believe he would still be alive today if he just turned off his computer/phone and tried to live like a normal person. At least that's what I would like to believe, social media can corrupt a person mind if you let it, best thing is to ignore all of it. RIP Etika.

He clearly suffered from mental illness. Social media can absolutely make those who suffer from it worse off, but it's nowhere near as simple as "just get off the Internet." I'd also argue that the Internet/social media ARE part of the lives of normal people these days. It's completely ingrained within our society, for better or worse, so I don't think your argument makes sense from any standpoint.

 

[Silent Viper]

I will say just one thing- No matter how much problem you have in life. Never ever throw away your life. Keep fighting and you will eventually experience happiness.

Think about your family and friends before choosing cowards way out and giving up your life like Etika did.

Thank you.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

I haven't heard of him before, but damn, that's awful that something has happened to him.

RIP.

 

[sid2vicious]

He clearly suffered from mental illness. Social media can absolutely make those who suffer from it worse off, but it's nowhere near as simple as "just get off the Internet." I'd also argue that the Internet/social media ARE part of the lives of normal people these days. It's completely ingrained within our society, for better or worse, so I don't think your argument makes sense from any standpoint.

Completely disagree. As a person who stays off social media for the most part, I can completely live without it. That being said I'm not saying he should cut himself off from the internet completely, just like myself internet in doses is perfectly fine, he just needed to find a balance. Clearly you realize that was not his case, he was addicted to social media to the point he couldn't take a dump without sharing it and everyone knowing about it. To me that obsession is not what I consider normal, to me a normal person has a life outside the internet, whether they hang out with friend, spend time with family, go to work, travel, experience new and different things, you know... living life! From the little I seen of him, he didn't seem to have that, his escapism was social media, THAT WAS HIS REALITY... If he had any mental illness, it was he had trouble distinguishing reality, he was lost and needed guidance and support, but his addiction got the better of him and that's what pushed him over the edge, all the pressure from social media.

 

[IAmAnAgnostic]

One of the reasons I left the other place was their absolute garbage treatment of any wrong-thinker, including Etika. And nothing there will change, even if they "learned" their lesson specifically in relation to Etika, they will do the exact same thing to every other still alive wrong-thinker.

And for Etika, I don't get why he did it beyond generic 'mental illness', but it is a weird specific flavor of it because he comprehended why he wanted to continue on living, and that its a really bad idea etc. Its like somehow and suddenly he got into his head he absolutely had no choice but to kill himself (never said why) and it was like "aw man, sucks, but what're you doing to do? I gotta kill myself.."

Strange and sad.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Was he mentally ill though?

Yes.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

Never seen his content but condolences to his family and fans.

 

[16bitjeff]

RIP Etika. It's a real shame it came to this. While people on social & YouTube were being "entertained" (a certain gnome looking "journalist" comes to mind ) with his episodes starting late last year, Etika like anyone who was sadly in that predicament was crying out for help & yet again we did absolutely nothing about it. While it was coming for a long time, like a user stated a couple of posts above I too left the other "forum" because how they disgustingly treated this. Funny how they think they're the good guys when in fact they're not. (looking at how they "treated" PR nightmares from GOG & THQ Nordic)


My condolences to his family, loved ones & the many #JOYCONBOYZ out there being affect because of this tragedy that like many prior, could have been prevent. I've said it before & I'll say it again: Mental Health Matters.

 

[MagnesG]

Was he mentally ill though? Or was he brainwashed by social media? I feel people are forcing that label on him, when in reality I think he was a normal person who had an obsession or addiction for reactions and attention. I believe he would still be alive today if he just turned off his computer/phone and tried to live like a normal person. At least that's what I would like to believe, social media can corrupt a person mind if you let it, best thing is to ignore all of it. RIP Etika.

Watch his suicidal video you'll get the answer.

 

[Starfield]

By far, one of the greatest reactions to a megaton reveal I've ever seen Etika had this amazing energy with him that reminded me of my childhood/adolescent days of getting hyped for games. You can't help but get hyped when watching Etika's stream reactions

I was like that at 5am in the morning last year when they announced Starfield. I felt so...releived. When after YEARS of speculation (even before Fallout 4 got announced) it finally happens and you know the game is REAL. I couldn't control myself.....and then the TES Vl teaser happened...

 

[Pidull]

Holy shit, I didn't put together that this was the guy who had that shit-posting thread on Era, I was wondering why his name was familiar to me. That was one of the last threads I saw before I stopped lurking there.


I feel so bad for Etika, being in that mindset is an awful place to be. His reaction video for Smash Ultimate is awesome, even if he is acting a bit, the emotions of excitement are still there and fun to see.

 

[Clear]

The sad truth is that in a state of mental crisis, saying outlandish and offensive things is on the milder side of the symptomatic scale. Self harming, either directly or indirectly, all the way up to suicidal ideation is a more extreme expression of the same sort of illness.

Yet somehow we're at a stage where although these more extreme behaviors are unambiguously considered to show a person in need of help, the milder one is seen as a justification for the same sufferer to be ostracized.

This makes no rational sense because lets be honest about it, its not difficult to tell the difference between someone acting in a self-destructive manner, and someone who is just misbehaving to attention-seek or for some other motive.

We need to stop passing judgement so thoughtlessly. Context matters. Motive matters.

 

[buizel]

This guy always got me hyped. Got invested in some YouTube drama at some point so this is my fave Etika video



But his reactions are great and the guy was a proper genuine good soul. You can see when he's not reacting HARDCORE, he often has logical, intelligent and thought provoking discussion . He wasn't just someone who shouted at a camera for money, he had views and opinions that he wanted to share, and was always open for genuine discussion.

RIP Etika - you will be sorely missed, but you will still being joy to many people's faces, his legacy will live on

 

[Ogbert]

Was he mentally ill though? Or was he brainwashed by social media?

You make it sound like those two things are mutually exclusive.

Social media causes mental illness. It is a collective hallucination.

 

[Ogbert]

the milder one is seen as a justification for the same sufferer to be ostracized.

For what it's worth, as an older chap (40), I've seen huge strides made in understanding and recognising mental illness, especially in the last ten years or so. I think it's something that people can now openly discuss and expect support and understanding with. Even in the ridiculously competitive world of professional sports, athletes are able to admit to their struggles.

What a very sad tale like this can demonstrate is that the online world is an illusion. You can have hundreds of thousands of followers and still, no one to turn to.

The support *is* there, it's just finding it.

 

[kraspkibble]

Must admit I had no idea who he was so just went to check his videos. I actually remember watching his reaction to BOTW2 reveal the other week. He sounded so excited and I realized he'll never get to play it now.

Fuck depression. We all need to look out for each other! Someone may smile, laugh, and seem very happy on the outside but inside they are suffering with pain and fear. Going through my own shit right now and was about to kill myself yesterday so this hits hard.

If anyone is dealing with depression or thoughts of suicide please seek help. If anyone wants to talk and get some shit off their chest then feel free to talk to me. I'm here with an open heart and ears.

Hope he is at peace. RIP Etika.

 

[Shaqazooloo]

I wasn't aware of his twitter breakdown, that was definitely a cry for help. I only knew about the Youtube ban and him calling himself a god and/or the antichrist which the way he explained the former in his return video I thought it was spiritual stuff to help him out.

Looking at some the stuff that he was doing now, he was definitely going through quite a few issues. I wish he had gotten the help he needed before it came to this.

 

[Clear]

Social media is cancerous. Its created this intersection between real-life and entertainment where people react reflexively and without restraint like they would while watching a TV show.

It encourages an egocentric world-view where the viewers feelings are the only thing that matters which is bad enough, but more worrying (to me anyway) is that realization that much like most TV shows, the viewer is always being guided in their responses.

Rather than a director/producer/other creative shaping the narrative to create a desired type of experience, what we have is a chorus of media and cultural voices that just serve to encourage and justify the most basic and primal of reactions. The media wants money, so they intensify and amplify controversy to draw attention, political and cultural types are always on the lookout for the next "lightning-rod" to rally people to around their cause and its just fueling the fires.

Noone is saying, "hang on, let's all calm down and think about this" because there's no direct, immediate advantage or profit motive to it. Its horrifically dysfunctional, and it scares me to think how much collateral damage is going to be incurred before a sufficient consensus is formed to reject or at least curtail its influence.

 

[DoomslayerJones]

One of the most passionate dudes I’ve ever seen

RIP

 

[New Yorks Finest]

Brooklyn's own..RIP young'n.

 

[Tesseract]

don't try to understand psychosis, your mind basically shatters into a million pieces and grabs at whatever it can to make up reality

 

[nush]

don't try to understand psychosis, your mind basically shatters into a million pieces and grabs at whatever it can to make up reality

Or from first hand experience, the voice in your head is lying to you. You'll only recognise that when you come out the other side though.

 

[Terenty]

Only Etika could have done this.

I don't think we give him enough credit for why there are so many reaction videos for every Nintendo Direct.
I do watch all these new reactions but no one has the energy Etika put into it.

I never knew about Etika before these news, but his raction to Howard Stern just shows what an intelligent and sincere guy he was. Such a shame, rip.

 

[Neff]

Real world contact with people is different and you don't hear so many shitty things that could potentially make you depressive or worse - suicidal...

And this right here is the root of the problem of social media. Real life has consequences and responsibility, today's internet is an electronic wild west of shit flinging with near total impunity. Any community polices itself when there are consequences- you can't walk out of your house, go up to someone and start shit without expecting to get potentially clobbered. So you don't. But that deterrent is non-existent on the internet.

The vast majority of people on the internet are relatively new to it, and haven't figured out how real life is fundamentally different to it. A lot of them possibly never will. It's scary shit.

 

[Farawayfromhell]

Too young, how sad.

 

[near]

I think it's a great tragedy that someone with such a large following on social media, who made it abundantly clear he was drowning in problems wasn't given the help, love, and care he needed to still be here today. I'm aware he said things that didn't resonate well with a lot of people, and in turn, people hated him for using his platform to share those views but I think its telling that the way we as a society address individuals we disagree with especially the SJW community is actually regressive in itself. His parting gift is clearly to reform the way we should be treating one another, including those that we don't understand.

 

[Jon Neu]

Such a young man, what a fucking shame.

Fuck Reesetera.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

And this right here is the root of the problem of social media. Real life has consequences and responsibility, today's internet is an electronic wild west of shit flinging with near total impunity. Any community polices itself when there are consequences- you can't walk out of your house, go up to someone and start shit without expecting to get potentially clobbered. So you don't. But that deterrent is non-existent on the internet.

The vast majority of people on the internet are relatively new to it, and haven't figured out how real life is fundamentally different to it. A lot of them possibly never will. It's scary shit.

Yep. There are lots of shitty people out there and online communities have a strong concentration of them as a lot of people spending a ton of time posting online, tweeting etc. aren't well adjusted, normal folk.

The problem with a place like ResetEra and that thread is that you have to have good moderation and rules to stop that kind of dog piling. You're going to have shitty users who do shitty things in any large online community. I have no doubts that if this incident involved someone a lot of people hate on here (one of the "SJWs" or feminists that get bashed) going nuts, posting about suicide etc. that some losers would be calling them attention whores, making who cares type posts and all the disgusting things that were said about Etika in that garbage thread on that hellhole of a forum.

The difference is here I have confidence that EviLore and staff would shut that shit down and ban the trolls. And that's why I'm a gold member here and had my Era count deleted. Online communities are going to have a lot of sucky people, it takes good staff to find a balance of allowing open discussion and keeping out the toxicity and bullying of people with different views. Bad things are going to happen when it's a site like Era that both doesn't allow open discussion and has staff making toxic and bullying posts toward people with different views. Staff here are doing a good job of that. There's still some people and posts I can't stand, but that's any community and what the ignore feature is for. It's nice having a well moderated forum ran with transparency and no agenda from staff in shaping discussions toward one worldview.

 

[INC]

I see people calling him a hero and brave............ wtf

 

[Jon Neu]

I can’t believe there is people still trashing the guy. Do you fucking know what compassion is?

Society is going backwards.

 

[Tripolygon]

RIP.



27 pages of shitting on him for having mental health problems and making nasty memes at his expense, mod endorsed:

Internet celebrity Etika may be losing it again [WARNING: RACIST AND HOMOPHOBIC SLURS] (Update: hospitalized again; see threadmark/staff posts)

Etika is a popular internet personality and content creator / streamer who has a large following in the Nintendo and Smash Bros communities. He had a massive following on YouTube (700k subs I believe) but his account was deleted a few months back when he seemingly had a nervous breakdown and...

www.resetera.com

You're full of shit, I read through the first two pages and don't see anyone shitting on him for having mental health problems or making nasty memes at his expense, no different than him making nasty statements at the expense of gay people.

That being said, RIP Etika. I enjoyed a couple of his E3 reaction streams.

 

[Tehvenom]

They just treated him like everyone else they consider problematic. He had a history of using words that they didn't like. Every time he did something they didnt like they'd have a yikes-fest.

Poor guy. I've struggled with suicidal thoughts enough to go to a hospital, so I know how he felt. It's just a shame he couldn't find peace in life.

Crazy how cloudy your day can be and just put you in a place you didnt think to be in, I'm glad you didnt go to the other side yet and you're here sharing your story. Thanks man, much love.

 

[Tripolygon]

Are you blind or just sticking your head in the sand?






Always fun to go REE fishing and find absolute gems of hypocrisy like this:

No, but it seems you are blind or don't know how to read. I don't see any jokes, comments or shitting on him for having mental health issues.

That's edgy. Hope someone sits him down and helps him find his brain.

Not a comment about his mental health, rather of him acting stupid which his actions were stupid.

An asshole Youtuber that acted suicidal for publicity last year.

Not a comment about his mental health, but saying he was an asshole which again his statements were assholish

Why does he gets the benefit of people thinking he has a mental health issue instead of him just being, you know, a racist and a bigot?

Not a statement about his mental health

The 'could be mentally ill' bullshit to justify racism, homophobia and bigotry is so fucking stupid

Not a statement about his mental illness but questioning the legitimacy of his claim of mental illness to justify his actions. He has over th years done several stunts about his mental illness.

 

[Raph64]

No, but it seems you are blind or don't know how to read. I don't see any jokes, comments or shitting on him for having mental health issues.

Not a comment about his mental health, rather of him acting stupid which his actions were stupid.

Not a comment about his mental health, but saying he was an asshole which again his statements were assholish

Not a statement about his mental health
Not a statement about his mental illness but questioning the legitimacy of his claim of mental illness to justify his actions. He has over th years done several stunts about his mental illness.

Did you turn out to check the last 25 pages while we're at it ?

 

[Tripolygon]

I think you're full of shit. What version of Era are you on?

Same version that is no different than GAF. Same shit but different places. People make comments at other people's expense over here as well. I have been here for far too long.

Quick recent example is this thread

Feminist Frequency is Broke

www.neogaf.com

 

[YukiOnna]

No, but it seems you are blind or don't know how to read. I don't see any jokes, comments or shitting on him for having mental health issues.

Not a comment about his mental health, rather of him acting stupid which his actions were stupid.

Not a comment about his mental health, but saying he was an asshole which again his statements were assholish

Not a statement about his mental health
Not a statement about his mental illness but questioning the legitimacy of his claim of mental illness to justify his actions. He has over th years done several stunts about his mental illness.

So you didn't read the remainder of the thread? Also, your definition of them not "shitting on him for having mental health problems" is very narrow. Considering brushing it off and just straight up insulting him is part of it.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

Quick recent example is this thread

Feminist Frequency is Broke

www.neogaf.com

yes a thread full of discussion. some jokes, some hot takes, but a lot of actual discussion over her content, her influence in the industry, where is the money going, etc. not really seeing "all women are trash" or "fucking feminists" like if this was an Era thread about male gamers. mostly jokes about her relevancy. has Anita written a suicide note that people openly laughed at and mocked? no. hence why it is not in this thread.

it is nice to see Era folks publicly stating they are no better than GAF tho. that this has been the go-to defense, Era is just as shitty as anywhere else, has been wonderful to see stated over and over again.

 

[Tripolygon]

Did you turn out to check the last 25 pages while we're at it ?

Should be easy to find then? While you're at it, post the many well wishes and people hoping he gets help too.

 

[Tripolygon]

yes a thread full of discussion. some jokes, some hot takes, but a lot of actual discussion over her content, her influence in the industry, where is the money going, etc. not really seeing "all women are trash" or "fucking feminists" like if this was an Era thread about male gamers. mostly jokes about her relevancy. has Anita written a suicide note that people openly laughed at and mocked? no. hence why it is not in this thread.

it is nice to see Era folks publicly stating they are no better than GAF tho. that this has been the go-to defense, Era is just as shitty as anywhere else, has been wonderful to see stated over and over again.

Just like that thread, some jokes, hot takes and some well wishes, some even giving the benefit of doubt.

Umm, I have been a member of this site long before Era came along. I have still remained an active member of this site.

 

[Spukc]

Just like that thread, some jokes, hot takes and some well wishes, some even giving the benefit of doubt.

Umm, I have been a member of this site long before Era came along. I have still remained an active member of this site.

Yet tons of you people suddenly get active here when we have this resetera drama.

Pedo problem and now this problem.

You be you but it still boggles my mind why people actively visit that shithole. After nearly destroying neogaf.

 

[near]

You're full of shit, I read through the first two pages and don't see anyone shitting on him for having mental health problems or making nasty memes at his expense, no different than him making nasty statements at the expense of gay people.

That being said, RIP Etika. I enjoyed a couple of his E3 reaction streams.

He referenced 27 pages yet you only read the first two and call him full of shit, the irony.

 

[Tripolygon]

Yet tons of you people suddenly get active here when we have this resetera drama.

Pedo problem and now this problem.

You be you but it still boggles my mind why people actively visit that shithole. After nearly destroying neogaf.

Who are these "you people" you speak of? Do you mean actual people who have no allegiance to a webpage? People who can freely discourse on different platforms without resorting to shitting on either? Prove it. Go through my comments.

 

[Spukc]

Who are these "you people" you speak of? Do you mean actual people who have no allegiance to a webpage? People who can freely discourse on different platforms without resorting to shitting on either? Prove it. Go through my comments.

No i am not a loon just a observation i made in the last thread and this one.

Suddenly loads of new users and old timers getting active.

Feel free to post your opinions here. Mods seem to be pretty clear on bans and not make threads disappear.

 

[Tripolygon]

He referenced 27 pages yet you only read the first two and call him full of shit, the irony.

I'm on page 8, still no jokes about his mental health. Heck, i found a nice thread of discussion on there.

 

[YukiOnna]

I'm on page 8, still no jokes about his mental health.

Do you honestly even know what it means to joke about ones mental health in the first place? because you're applying the same principle.

 

[Tripolygon]

No i am not a loon just a observation i made in the last thread and this one.

Suddenly loads of new users and old timers getting active.

Feel free to post your opinions here. Mods seem to be pretty clear on bans and not make threads disappear.

I make observations every day, doesn't make it true. More like confirmation bias. Feel free to go through my comments and find whatever point you think you are trying to prove. I post here almost daily but mostly in a few threads but I read this forum daily especially the nextgen discussion threads. I find some people spend more time talking about ERA and SJW. In fact, EviLore managed to turn this thread on Etika into a shit on Era thread when it could have been a very nice introspection on mental health and social media.