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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDeveloper Rachel Byrk Commits Suicide After Months of Cyber Bullying
http://www.geeksnack.com/2015/04/28/developer-rachel-byrk-commits-suicide-months-cyber-bullying/Its a sad time for the gaming industry as it loses a creative young game developer to suicide. Rachel Byrk, 23, was a prominent transgender developer who was best known for her work on Gamecube and Wii emulators. Years before she dived into development work and joined all the communities involved in it, however, she had suffered from low self esteem and chronic pain. Those problems only grew worse after joining the only game development community where she was subject to constant harassment.
As many people know being gay or transgender in the gaming community can make you a major target for trolls and cyber bullies. Rachel Byrk was no exception, for months now cyber bullies told the young developer that she should jump from a bridge. On April 23, after months of this severe bullying Byrk jumped from the Washington Bridge in New York. Only weeks after posting on a 4chan VG that she would be leaving a number of online communities because of their treatment.
That post was also met with a wall of hateful message telling Byrk that she should commit suicide. Now as news of her death spreads scores of other game communities, like the one centered around the Dolphin emulator, mourn her loss. Memorials have appeared all across the internet to remember Byrk and the contributions she made to the emulators she loved.That outpouring of sadness at her loss has sparked a new discussion in the gaming world about homophobia and transphobia.
The strongest voices in that new conversation are the people she worked with on the Dolphin emulator. Rachel Byrk was an important name to anyone who closely follows Dolphin and her presence is already being sorely missed there:
As many people know being gay or transgender in the gaming community can make you a major target for trolls and cyber bullies. Rachel Byrk was no exception, for months now cyber bullies told the young developer that she should jump from a bridge. On April 23, after months of this severe bullying Byrk jumped from the Washington Bridge in New York. Only weeks after posting on a 4chan VG that she would be leaving a number of online communities because of their treatment.
That post was also met with a wall of hateful message telling Byrk that she should commit suicide. Now as news of her death spreads scores of other game communities, like the one centered around the Dolphin emulator, mourn her loss. Memorials have appeared all across the internet to remember Byrk and the contributions she made to the emulators she loved.That outpouring of sadness at her loss has sparked a new discussion in the gaming world about homophobia and transphobia.
The strongest voices in that new conversation are the people she worked with on the Dolphin emulator. Rachel Byrk was an important name to anyone who closely follows Dolphin and her presence is already being sorely missed there:
This is getting to be a daily feature, like killer cops.
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Developer Rachel Byrk Commits Suicide After Months of Cyber Bullying (Original Post)
KamaAina
Apr 2015
OP
closeupready
(29,503 posts)1. Online, there are lots of people ripe for Ignore.
In real life, you develop social skills leading to the ability to discern (while socializing) who has potential and who are likely to be assholes.
I trust my gut and veer sharply away from the needy and drama queens. End of story. Part of why I spend less time online than I did once - I'm better at mastering my social circles in real life, and get MUCH more out of it.
Sad.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)2. What the hell is wrong with those people?
seveneyes
(4,631 posts)7. Some Humans Ain't Human
mythology
(9,527 posts)3. People often suck
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)4. *kick*
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)5. really sad.
seveneyes
(4,631 posts)6. Everybody needs a best friend
Not everyone has a best friend.
A best friend is the best friend you will ever have in your life and will help you through the dark...
City Lights
(25,171 posts)8. Terribly sad.
RIP, Rachel.