Back in 2007 I was a big World of Warcraft gamer, and it remained my primary hobby for many, many years. I was deeply involved in the community around the game, and many of the personalities who talked about it in various forms of media.

One of the biggest names of the day, that I went on to follow in subsequent years after leaving WoW, was John Bain, otherwise known as TotalBiscuit. John was a law graduate in Britain before he turned to video game commentary. His show WoW Radio was a hugely influential show in the WoW community, and I have tons of fond memories of watching their hilarious antics in-game.

In the years since, I’ve followed him on and off through his game criticism career. I’d occasionally watch a video of his when he would talk about a game that interested me. I always loved his critical mind, and his sense of humor, even when I didn’t 100% agree with him.

Yesterday he passed away at the age of 33 after a long fight with cancer. Over the past few years he’s shared his struggles, his optimism that he could beat things, and his pain as treatments lost their effectiveness. Once again it’s a case of someone being snatched away from the world far too early and it makes everyone take a moment to evaluate how they’re living their lives.

Video games are sometimes derided as just a waste of time, but for many people they are a huge part of life, and what gives their lives mean. Totalbiscuit was an inspiration, entertainer, and foil, to many people. He enriched more lives that he’ll know, and the world of video games is lessened by his passing. RIP Cynical Brit, and thanks for the memories.