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Gaming Personality John Bain AKA TotalBiscuit Has Passed Away At 33
John Bain, an internet personality who has gone by the monikers TotalBiscuit, The Cynical Brit, and TotalHalibut, has passed away according to a message from his wife.
Bain's wife, Genna Bain, posted the news today on Twitter, writing "Rest in Peace my Dearest Love, John @Totalbiscuit Bain, July 8, 1984 - May 24, 2018" alongside an image of the Spanish poem Love Constant Beyond Death by Francisco de Quevedo translated into English.
John Bain was a prominent gaming critic and consumer advocate, known primarily as a fierce opponent of unethical behavior in the gaming industry. The candid commentator had over two million subscribers on YouTube for his videos that covered a variety of subjects from lootboxes, to early looks at indie games, to broadcasts of games like Starcraft 2 and Planetside 2. The "WTF Is...?" series, first looks at new video games, is often credited by indie developers for helping to jumpstart interest in their games that were otherwise not covered by other YouTubers or outlets.
In his role as consumer advocate, Bain broke the news that Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor was being given to YouTube vloggers for more positive reactions before it was given to traditional gaming media. He made videos pointing out that this flew in the face of Federal Trade Commission rules that required paid promotional deals to be declared and disclosed. Bain was also key to exposing a promotional deal between Gearbox and online retailer G2A, bringing up the store's spotty consumer reputation as a reason Gearbox should reconsider its deal.
Bain was the recipient of the fan-voted Trending Game of the Year Award at The Game Awards 2014.
Earlier that year, Bain became involved with the Gamergate controversy, declaring himself a member of the movement and speaking about Feminist Frequency video essayist Anita Sarkeesian. He had initially stated that death threats against Sarkeesian weren't credible because she had not been killed, which he later said he regretted.
That same year, Bain was diagnosed with precancerous masses in his bowel. By 2018, the cancer had advanced to a terminal stage, forcing him into retirement as a critic as he rested at home with his family. His retirement announcement came just over a month ago.
Our deepest condolences go to John Bain's friends and family.
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