I had the urge to play Crusader: No Remorse the other night, and looked up the Wikipedia article for the hell of it while I was waiting for the game to install. I checked out Echo Sector (Crusader fansite) only to find that one of the team members passed away. Reading the stories on this page literally had me in tears (in fact I am doing it again right now). The Crusader series holds a special place in my heart, as it is one of my fondest childhood memories (as a sidenote, the games are exceedingly violent so I don't recommend you allow a child to play the games as I did). John Watson had an enormous impact on many of the games that left Origin's doors. Honestly, I've never heard the man's name until now. The way he died hit home for me, though. When someone takes their own life, it is a last desperate attempt to get away from their demons. If you read a few of these stories, a number of people say they didn't keep up with John and at least one of them said they had considered trying to find him. Suicide is a personal choice and in some cases there is nothing anyone can say to help. One can't help but wonder, though - what if someone he knew had checked up on him? Tell someone you love them. Tell them how much you appreciate their presence in your life. Give them a hug. Fuck, do something. You never know when your last chance may be. Rest in peace, John
RIP I agree, when I hear of someone committing suicide it always strikes me. A very close friend of mine has bipolar disorder, and in general has a pretty rough time of it. I don't think there's been a day where I have told her how much I love her. You'd be surprised at the impact of little gestures like that.
