TotalBiscuit passed away on Thursday, May 24th, 2018. Even though I never met him, I feel like I knew him through his podcasts and YouTube videos, and I’m sad that he’s gone.
TotalBiscuit was unique. When you listened to him, he forced you to take video gaming seriously. I’m probably not alone as a gamer when I say that there are weak moments where I feel silly, at times even ashamed, of my passion for video games. I got the sense from TotalBiscuit that shame for loving games was an alien concept to him. There was never any hint of it when he spoke about them.
And boy, did he speak. He had the gift of gab like no one you will hear on YouTube or on any podcast, gamer or no gamer. He spoke so articulately and intelligently on the subject, and with such conviction, that it was almost jarring. Especially when you compare him to others on YouTube who are popular. When that comparison is made, it was like comparing a man among boys.
For example, this video of the latest Doom game in his WTF Is… series. Outside of a couple edit breaks, he literally does not stop talking about Doom for almost an hour, while he’s playing the game. And all of it is interesting. He was a machine. That isn’t a common ability. His ability to talk about games bordered on the unnatural at times. He had an amazing gift. As someone who writes about games, it’s inspirational.
TotalBiscuit’s voice will echo for a long time. He had so much to say about games, and he always said it so well. It was an eye-opening experience and a joy to hear what he had to say. For PC gaming especially, he was an oracle.
If there’s anything I learned from him, it’s to never apologize for your passion for gaming. Ever. Gaming is a serious form of artistic expression and entertainment. Every bit as serious as movies, television, novels, and music. Never back down, never compromise on that.
I’m not going to spend a lot of time feeling sad about TotalBiscuit because I don’t think he would want us to be sad. He knew he was on his way out. He fought until the end and left his family his YouTube channel so they would be taken care of. I think what he would want is for us to continue to support his channel.
And if you’re a content creator of any kind, then he would want you to embrace it. Embrace your passion for gaming and your love of writing and talking about video games and making videos, and do it 1000%. No compromise. No shame.
Video games are important, and they are relevant. If you’re a content creator, then make sure you’re representing video games and gaming culture appropriately. Be a champion for video games the way TotalBiscuit was, and don’t ever apologize for it.
Ironically, I recently posted an article on my favorite video game YouTubers. TotalBiscuit is on that list, and I wished him well in his battle with cancer. The day after I published that article, he passed away.
I can’t say TotalBiscuit inspired me to be a content creator since I was already writing about games before I discovered him. But he did inspire me to do it better, to take it more seriously. To take games more seriously, and maybe even to take myself more seriously as a gamer and a content creator. To embrace my passion more fiercely than ever, because as an artistic medium, video games deserve it.
My condolences to TotalBiscuit’s family and friends. He was loved and admired by many.
Rest In Peace, TotalBiscuit – The Cynical Brit – Mr. John Bain
The Gamer's Standard 