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[McCheese]

If you've ever used an emulator, you probably owe Near (formally known as Byuu) a pint, he was the author of BSNES and Higan and one of the most active videogame archivers the scene has ever had. He emigrated to Japan in order to collect, dump and emulate every single Super NES game ever released, he paid for chips to be de-capped so he could reverse engineer them and create cycle accurate emulation, hunted down every last game from across the globe, and poured 20 years of his life and savings into something he gave away for free.

He was troubled with mental illness, but saw he could do some good in the world by preserving the consoles and games we grew up with, he was also a dear friend, and a gentle soul who took too much to heart.

Rest in peace B byuu

Near

At 11:45 on Sunday, I was on a phone call with Near. They’d just taken a large overdose of codeine and guanfancine. I saw a photo of the noose. 30 minutes into the call, Les Voyages De L'âme by Alcest started playing at the other end. I wouldn’t hear their voice again. “Near took their own lif...

t.co

^ Statement from an anonymous friend, worth a read, fuck cyberbullies.

 

[strange headache]

Sad news indeed.
Near poured his life into preserving these SNES games. A work of passion that went hardly recognized.

It's easy to poke fun at people from the anonymous comfort of your armchair, but these things have real-life impact.
RIP

 

[bender]

May he find peace.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I skimmed the note and it seems the finger is pointed at Kiwi Farms for ragging on him.

Does anyone know the backstory why Kiwi would target him? It seems like doing emulator and rom dumps is something the gaming community would appreciate, so why did KF constantly pester him?

 

[InDaGulag]

I skimmed the note and it seems the finger is pointed at Kiwi Farms for ragging on him.

Does anyone know the backstory why Kiwi would target him? It seems like doing emulator and rom dumps is something the gaming community would appreciate, so why did KF constantly pester him?

The person was non-binary or trans and a furry I think. Two things a lot of Kiwi Farm posters don't like.

 

[McCheese]

I skimmed the note and it seems the finger is pointed at Kiwi Farms for ragging on him.

Does anyone know the backstory why Kiwi would target him? It seems like doing emulator and rom dumps is something the gaming community would appreciate, so why did KF constantly pester him?

Because he was an easy target, he was sensitive, his work gave him a larger online profile than he had the mental tools to cope with. He tried changing his name three or four times, but they basically have a thread where they would try to uncover who he was, what he was doing, what groups he was communicating with. They didn't "do" much, but I think knowing they were constantly watching his every move, and the fact he didn't have many real-life friends, meant that they boxed him into a corner on the internet which was the only real space he felt he could be himself.

Before he died he offered to give the Kiwifarms owner everything, all his money, his ID, his talents - if he just locked the thread, but instead he just gave him smarmy replies. Please don't bother going to the site to look at it, don't give them the clicks.

Imagine having to try to disassociate yourself from your life's work because the first thing that turns up when they google you is a thread of people mocking the way you look, sexuality, or mental state.

I don't want this thread to be about them though, now is as good as time as any to start playing Bahamut Lagoon

 

[Topher]

I don't know who any of these people are, but I googled kiwi farms and found the thread linked above (removed link. not sure if appropriate). Apparently, "Near" wanted desperately for a thread on the forum to be removed. He offered to pay a lot of money. I don't know what the thread was about, but he affected his guy horribly. This other guy, "Null", who I guess is a site admin, considered taking the money but ultimately said no. Null is also the guy posting all this.

The replies to Near's statement that he was committing suicide is beyond pathetic.

 

[JSoup]

Before he died he offered to give the Kiwifarms owner everything, all his money, his ID, his talents - if he just locked the thread, but instead he just gave him smarmy replies. Please don't bother going to the site to look at it, don't give them the clicks.

Disagree. See for yourself how it went, don't just trust what other people say.
I'd say this to every topic, verify information for yourself regardless of how you feel about it.
Edit: This isn't to be taken as defense for KF. I'm just against the idea of putting your head in the sand.

 

[Patrick S.]

RIP

Edited: Sorry for wrong hot take.

 

[aisback]

RIP.

I love the contribution they did to the emulation scene

 

[GrayFoxPL]

RIP Byuu.

Sad story.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I don't know who any of these people are, but I googled kiwi farms and found the thread linked above (removed link. not sure if appropriate). Apparently, "Near" wanted desperately for a thread on the forum to be removed. He offered to pay a lot of money. I don't know what the thread was about, but he affected his guy horribly. This other guy, "Null", who I guess is a site admin, considered taking the money but ultimately said no. Null is also the guy posting all this.

The replies to Near's statement that he was committing suicide is beyond pathetic.

I skimmed some of it and quit.

Sounds like the Kiwi Farms owner was itching to take him up on his money offer, but wasnt sure about legality of it. And even brought up how he would claim it for income tax. And was itching to demand seeing Near's resume for personal info.

What a jackass. Should had just locked or deleted the thread. And dont take any money or info from him. Let Near be happy.

Considering what happened, the KF farm guy might be sued. You never know. If courts want to take up constant harassment and his itching to want a pay off and posted a complete email trail online, I think he can be sued.

 

[McCheese]

Disagree. See for yourself how it went, don't just trust what other people say.

Please just delete this, you are wrong, and even if you were not this isn't the place for it.

 

[JSoup]

Please just delete this, you are wrong, and even if you were not this isn't the place for it.

No.
If a mod wants to edit/remove my post I'll completely understand.
But I'm not moving shit.

Edit: The thread in question was a summary of events surrounding Byuu. That's it. The rest of the thread is 'normal' internet bullshit of the typical 'internet hate machine' kind. However, that doesn't change facts and ignoring documented history because of a couple trolls does Byuu's memory no favors. I will not contribute to willful ignorance.

That said, I didn't intend this to turn into a fight. This is the wrong thread for a back and forth.

 

[McCheese]

No.
If a mod wants to edit/remove my post I'll completely understand.
But I'm not moving shit.

Fuck you then, a friend I spoke to a few hours ago just hung himself and you are shitting up the last thing I can do for him in making a fitting RIP thread.

for folks who might be tempted to follow your advice and see for themselves. here is a preview

 

[nush]

Disagree. See for yourself how it went, don't just trust what other people say.
I'd say this to every topic, verify information for yourself regardless of how you feel about it.
Edit: This isn't to be taken as defense for KF. I'm just against the idea of putting your head in the sand.

For that exact reason I read that post. The whole conversation was posted so you can make up your own mind.

 

[cireza]

Very sad news.

I also discovered that Kiwi Farms exists today. Went there to take a look... Wow...

 

[PhaseJump]

Byuu accomplished and gave more back to the gaming community than pretty much any of the pedantic shitheads that might want to argue in this thread.

 

[Xenon]

Please just delete this, you are wrong, and even if you were not this isn't the place for it.

Look I agree this is not the thread for shit hot takes on a man who killed himself. But if you want to discuss the details that lead to it from only one perspective there is another site for that.

I have heard of kiwifarm but only from people who have problems with many other sites I don't see as toxic, including this one. So if people are going to discuss their role in this, I feel it's only fair to get as much info on it as we can.

This thread is on the suicide so It's going to be hard to steer clear of the subject. Maybe a 2nd memorial thread with a link to this one would be better to celibate Near's life.


I did read through his posts and it was extremely sad to read. Hopefully he found some peace.

 

[peronmls]

Very sad. What was the reason?

 

[TheInfamousKira]

RIP.

The internet is a fucked up place, and anonymity is the sharpest double edged sword in the armory. In a lot of cases, it's sort of the last bastion of free speech, but then you get communities like Kiwi Farms and the like who take it to an absurdly outrageous extent. Once you use your anonymity to try and pull the shroud of anonymity off of someone else, you've unleveled the playing field and just become the worst kind of person. No one deserves the kind of shit that gets thrown around helter skelter online nowadays.

With all that said, I hope friends and family find solace in the work this person did, and the appreciation that people have for it. That's a lot of dedication and resources gone into something that people don't really think twice about the origins of. Mad respect and love.

 

[UnNamed]

Since this isn't the first time they are surrounded by controversies, I hope they will have big trouble this time.

And I've just read from their wiki page this isn't the first time someone killed himself because of them.

 

[Noncanon Ship]

What a waste. This is very sad. He was a talented individual who contributed a lot to gaming and game preservation.

I think it's important when emotions are running high not to play the blame-game in the wake of a suicide. It tends to get politicized. It looks like that thread on him didn't have his dox - it looks like he published it himself before his death. It was criticizing him for actions he previously took in the dev scene and certain views he previously naively held on child pornography and other things. I emphasize "previously" because he changed his views. In his own words:

"I appreciate that this thread was made. I really do. It put all my bullshit in one place and it was a bit of a wake-up call for me. [...] So sincerely, and only in my case and no one else's, thank you for the wake-up call here OP. No hard feelings."​

He seemed to be one of those rare good people who are able to acknowledge their past mistakes and try to change themselves for the better. It's a shame that he suffered from mental health issues and his medications stopped working.

Please, if you're feeling like you want to self-harm, call your therapist, call a hotline, call someone, even if it's a weekend. Feelings can change but death is permanent. You're not a burden on others for asking for help.

 

[caffeware]

 

[Tommi84]

Let he play all the best games (for him) for eternity. RIP

 

[Velcro Fly]

This is heartbreaking.

I saw Josh from LimitedRunGames tweeting about this earlier and hoped for a better outcome.

RIP

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[Noncanon Ship]

Wait, I'm a little concerned by this last email he sent to the admin of that site:

"I've posted my dox sans last name to Twitter. I decided against sending it to you directly because I don't want anyone to be able to reach me in time. You can end up with horrific brain damage that way. I have given my passport scan to a trusted friend who will post it anonymously in a few hours, so that you guys can confirm it's legitimate."​

​

So if I'm reading this right:
- he knew the admin of the site would try to intervene and call the police to stop him from self-harming if he knew who he was

- a "friend" of his apparently had all his passport information and could have intervened to stop him, but agreed to stand by and let him commit suicide and post pics afterward

If I'm not misinterpreting, that's pretty upsetting. Someone isn't your friend if they are encouraging or enabling you to resort to suicide. Please, if you have anyone like this in your life, talk to your therapist about it or tell a loved one. It may seem reasonable in your mental state, but it's not normal or ok.

 

[Ge Os]

I read this on Twitter a couple hours ago.
Never met them, but I sure as hell played on bsnes.


A friend of mine texted me last night, he was having one of those "episodes", I told him what a wonderful human being he is and how proud he should be of himself for making it this far.

I was actually afraid of saying something out of place, but I tried my best to let him know how much I appreciate him.
Please, take care of those you know struggling with some kind of mental health issues.

RIP Near

 

[Kilau]

Mental health is no joke and should be treated as seriously as any other health concern, very sad. Rest In Peace.

 

[McCheese]

I read this on Twitter a couple hours ago.
Never met them, but I sure as hell played on bsnes.


A friend of mine texted me last night, he was having one of those "episodes", I told him what a wonderful human being he is and how proud he should be of himself for making it this far.

I was actually afraid of saying something out of place, but I tried my best to let him know how much I appreciate him.
Please, take care of those you know struggling with some kind of mental health issues.

RIP Near

Similar here, I messaged him a bit this morning (my time) when I saw he was having an episode on twitter, said my usual, told him covid is making everybody misrable, to take a break, think about other hobbies. went out and enjoyed my day with the kids, didn't even read his last reply. Then came home this evening to find out he's died. Fuck, like fuck. To think I had chance to say something different, or to do something. I'm just an online friend, but that's all he has, and we all just figured it would blow over again. I'm taking a break from the internet. Wanted this thread to be about his work and not the politics/drama and I can't even do that. 'Laters

 

[Porcile]

Oh man... and Japan is not the place for anyone to have to deal with mental health isses.

 

[Ge Os]

Similar here, I messaged him a bit this morning (my time) when I saw he was having an episode on twitter, said my usual, told him covid is making everybody misrable, to take a break, think about other hobbies. went out and enjoyed my day with the kids, didn't even read his last reply. Then came home this evening to find out he's died. Fuck, like fuck. To think I had chance to say something different, or to do something. I'm just an online friend, but that's all he has, and we all just figured it would blow over again. I'm taking a break from the internet. Wanted this thread to be about his work and not the politics/drama and I can't even do that. 'Laters

I'm really sorry for your loss.

 

[Yoshi]

Wait, I'm a little concerned by this last email he sent to the admin of that site:

"I've posted my dox sans last name to Twitter. I decided against sending it to you directly because I don't want anyone to be able to reach me in time. You can end up with horrific brain damage that way. I have given my passport scan to a trusted friend who will post it anonymously in a few hours, so that you guys can confirm it's legitimate."​

​

So if I'm reading this right:
- he knew the admin of the site would try to intervene and call the police to stop him from self-harming if he knew who he was

- a "friend" of his apparently had all his passport information and could have intervened to stop him, but agreed to stand by and let him commit suicide and post pics afterward

If I'm not misinterpreting, that's pretty upsetting. Someone isn't your friend if they are encouraging or enabling you to resort to suicide. Please, if you have anyone like this in your life, talk to your therapist about it or tell a loved one. It may seem reasonable in your mental state, but it's not normal or ok.

The friend may not have had the information necessary to prevent the suicide and just decided to honour his friend's last wish. I would do it for a friend of mine (though I'd do everything I could to prevent the suicide, but if it has happened, it has happened).

 

[Noncanon Ship]

Similar here, I messaged him a bit this morning (my time) when I saw he was having an episode on twitter, said my usual, told him covid is making everybody misrable, to take a break, think about other hobbies. went out and enjoyed my day with the kids, didn't even read his last reply. Then came home this evening to find out he's died. Fuck, like fuck. To think I had chance to say something different, or to do something. I'm just an online friend, but that's all he has, and we all just figured it would blow over again. I'm taking a break from the internet. Wanted this thread to be about his work and not the politics/drama and I can't even do that. 'Laters

I'm sorry for your loss. I know personally the anxiety and fear about not doing enough for a friend in need, but also being helpless at a point to provide more for them (distance, lack of expertise, and having your own life, troubles, and mental health concerns of your own to deal with). Ultimately, there is no magic word that can fix another person and you can't blame yourself for not finding it.

Please take care of yourself and your family.

 

[ShadowNate]

May he rest in peace.

I've read the news on twitter. Can't say that I knew of his work before, but from what I've read he was very talented and dedicated to it and offered hugely to the emulator's scene.

Even more tragic that this was a suicide.

 

[RoadHazard]

Didn't know anything about him, but I'm of course familiar with his excellent software. Sad to hear this.

 

[Spukc]

rip

 

[Joyful]

very talented dev

RIP

 

[01011001]

tbh, I kinda wish that someone would dox all of the people involved in the harassment campaign against him...

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

RIP legend

 

[Jeeves]

I've just done some reading up on who this was. Commendable work for preservation of art. Apparently also contributed to the translation of my favorite game, Mother 3. What a legend, I really do wish I could buy Near a drink.

Such a senseless waste. Rest in peace.

 

[GreatnessRD]

May he find the peace in death that he could not in life. Prayers go out to Near, his family and friends.

 

[TLZ]

That is some dedication the work he did. I didn't know any of that.

Why'd he have to go that way

 

[Northeastmonk]

I own a repo cart of Bahamut Lagoon in English. Was that part of their work?

 

[SenjutsuSage]

Pieces of fucking shit.

 

[Max_Po]

I hope he finds peace. Higan SNES emulator is regarded as the best. The guy was smart.

Extremely Sad news.

 

[NecrosaroIII]

Just read up on kiwifarm. What kind of pathetic sad sack of negative shit do you have to be to be on a site like that.

Awful.

 

[Umbasaborne]

This is a damn tragedy. He deserved better. Please if anyone is going through similar doubts. Get help, you are loved.

rest in peace.