When Mats Steen died from a muscle-wasting disorder, his parents believed that his life had been a tragically lonely one — until hundreds of emails from strangers arrived. It turns out that he’d found friendship and even romance in a gaming community
Their son had lived by another name. To his family he had simply been Mats. But within World of Warcraft he had existed for years as a charismatic adventurer named “Ibelin”, a strapping swashbuckler with auburn hair tied back in a ponytail and a butch goatee beard. And it was as this digital alter ego that Mats had thrived in a way his family had never appreciated. They had misunderstood what World of Warcraft really was. It had seemed to them like a frenetic action game of monster-bashing and point-scoring. To Mats and the many people he played with – the people now emailing Robert and Trude – it was something far more profound: an immersive world built on social interactions, friendships and shared storytelling. Robert smiles. “This window started to open up to us that let us see he had another life besides his physical life. And that it had been so rich, so big and so full of contentment.”
The best thing about online games is the opportunity for Mats, and others like him, to be who he truly was. Once you find the right group of people, it doesn’t what color your skin is, what’s between your legs, what your physical advantages/disadvantages are. All that mattered was your character and your determination. And you aren’t limited by your geography even. You can interact with people all over the world and enrich yourself along with enriching themselves by providing a brief glimpse in each others lives. It’s actually a beautiful thing how many stories there are like this one there are out there. Games like WoW enabled Mats to be the person who he truly was before he passed. It’s a bittersweet moment for the parents. I hope it gives them the closure they need.