Une traduction de l'histoire touchante de parent qui ont découvert qu'à travers World of Warcraft, leur fils handicapé a vécu une vie incroyable. Il a rencontré des gens, s'est fait des amis, ... il n'était pas un enfant handicapé. Il était un guerrier, aimé par ses compagnons.
Un résumé :
Mats was born with Douchenne muscular dystrophy, and at the age of 8 he was bound to a wheel chair for the remainder of his life. His parents were informed he would be be unlikely to reach 20. His parents grieved over his limited fate and how he would never be able to have a complete life. Mats took on gaming as a passtime, having been given access to the family computer. The characters of his human rogue Lord Ibelin Redmoore and his alt Jerome Walker was born. World of Warcraft was to be his most treasured hobby and passtime. He wrote a blog about this and the importance it had to him. (Sadly unable to find the blog). He wrote: "In WoW, my handicap doesn't matter. My chains are broken and I can choose who I wish to be. In there I can feel normal."
Features interviews from his guild members and friends stating just how real their friendships were despite being through a game, with truly heartwarming acts of caring. Many people from his guild had traveled and showed up to his funeral. Much to the surprise of his father whom considered gaming a waste of time, only having realized how much it mattered to him after his death. He seemed to regret imposing hard 10 and 11 pm bedtimes, when his son tried to stay up later to raid with his guild Starlight, his closest friends and packmates. A small and exclusive guild thats lasted 12 years (as of the articles writing). There is a myriad of quotes and stories about him and how much he mattered to the people he played with.
He was urgently hospitalized November 18 2014. The doctors was unable to find the error and he was released. He was then shortly after urged to return (doesn't mention a lot of specifics). A high level of nitrogen buildup in his bloodstream proved fatal and the hospital was unable to get him treatment fast enough. He died at the age of 24.
The guild leader spoke during the ceremony, translated from Norwegian:
"While we are gathered here today, Candles are being lit for Mats in a class room in the Netherlands. In a call center in Ireland, a library in Sweden. He is remembered in a hair dressers in Finland, in a governmental office in Denmark and many places in England. Across Europe Mats is remembered, by many more than could be here today. I met Mats in a world where it doesn't matter what body you have or how you look behind the keyboard. What matters is who you choose to be, how you choose to act with others. What matters is whats in your mind and whats in your heart."