Soldier - Gamer Dies in Iraq

While people dying is sad, for the most part, I don't see how this is a politiccal story.

GP: We journey a bit off the purely political track on occasion to delve into the cultural, business and legal aspects of gaming.

As it says in the article, we've been honoring gamers who give their all when we learn of them. Hit the tag at the bottom of the article for similar stories.

@Cheeselikesceareal

also its a nice counterbalance to all the negative stories you hear about gamers.

Such a shame that a good fella like that died policing such a crap hole. R.I.P Randy.

You\'re saying \"soldier\" and \"gamer\" in the same breath? That\'s like referring to Abrahama Lincoln as \"president\" and \"tall guy.\" Please, you diminish this patriot\'s contributions to all of us.

EZK: I am not sure what you are saying exactly, but could you please cool it. This is a place for civil discussions and commentary. Please refrain from flaming and trolling.

May Randy rest in peace. My thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family.

I think this goes to show that we, as gamers, really do come from every walk of life and hold every profession. We're doctors, lawyers, policemen, fire fighters, soldiers, and everything in between. We care about out countries of origin and we want to be happy, like anyone else.

It takes a profound level of courage to become a soldier. To fight, kill and die in a foreign land for people you'll never know; many of whom will hate you just because you entered the military. With the word "gamer" being used as a perjorative its especially profound that Randy entered into the life that he did.

Instead of letting certain people bog us down in their own pedestrian pettiness, let's come together as gamers and honor one of our own.

I saulte you Randy. One gamer to another.

@william panderlust

Ju,just fuck off, now!!!!

That man fought, he fought and died for your, OUR freedom, and ALL you can do is to put the man down for his fucking hobby!?!?! You know, I didn't want to believe that you were Thompson circumventing the ban AGAIN, but now I'm positive, as only he has been so heartless.

"…a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law."

I'm tempted to say he's a little too caught up in gaming and comics after reading that...but given that he had the guts to work in an hotzone like Iraq, I'm more inclined to think he really did walk the walk.

Rest in peace, Randy

@william panderlust

I'm not sure how to read that line. Are you implying that you dislike the notion that we only seem to grieve for the fallen who've been identified as gamers?

Either that's the best Thompson impersonation I've ever seen, or jackie boy skirted around his ban again.

Ugh, what terrible news, =(. Best wishes to his family.

Hopefully we can elect a president next year who supports our troops and can get them out of that shithole within two years, =(. It's disgusting that so many great people are dying to stimulate corporate demand and create a sphere of influence. Makes me sick.

I'd like to back Bayushisan in this. This is NOT a debate about the war, but an article where comments are used to commemerate as best we can.

@GRU

Maybe you didn't notice, but we're ignoring the shit-stirrer.

Nearly 50% of the replies after that post deal with Panderlust in some way, whether that is Thompson or not, it is someone who is deliberately going out of their way to Troll and disrupt this site, not because they have something worthwhile to add, but because they want to.

@Beacon, exactly, any soldier that dies deserves recognition, but, just like American Football fans would especially mourn the loss of a Football Star to the War, we mourn the loss of a gamer. That is why I know Panderlust is purely looking for excuses to disrupt the site.

We gamers salute you, you have given your life in the freedom of others, we all respect you..

Play Hard, Live Free.

My regards.

RIP to all those who fall serving our country.

@SimoneRoberts

I think what Panderlust is trying to say is that "gamer" as a quality is trivial, like "tall" as a quality. But we're not here to just pay our respects to him as a gamer, but all the other major accomplishments he did.

At a forum I go to, one member recently died, and he was best known as a house DJ. People didn't know much about his personal life, but he is remembered through one of his hobbies, DJing. It was only natural that we talked about his mixes, and that another DJ did a tribute mix in his name.

So I see nothing wrong that we acknowledge him as a gamer in addition to being a soldier. For someone that we do not know personally, we remember that person only through the stuff we already know about.

Since I do not (cannot) know what lies beyond death all I can do is mourne your passing... and grieve for your family. I am sure they are proud of you.

I hope that there is a heaven, and it is has a really big gamers room where you can continue to champion the cause of the innocent.

Salute

Hate to reply to the troll but he's missing the obvious point:

He died defending our country.

what has panderlust done lately?

Defending our country >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> * > Trolling internet sites.

I salute him for his valiant efforts, and I mourn for him, his family, and the fact that he'll miss all the great games coming out next year. I think I'll close with a quote from the original Transformers movie:

"Til All Are One!"

R.I.P. Randy

It's very cool to see a GP salute to Randy, I did not know him personally but he was an old regular of some of the IRC groups I belonged to many years ago in association with Megatokyo and Anime. Many of his friends I know from LJ and IRC. An excellent writeup of Randy from one of his friends may be found at http://jaerik.livejournal.com/313829.html

As for the troll, this is a perfect illustration of how regular people, from all walks of life, are involved in this war. Randy was, like many of us, a regular kid who played games and communicated on the Internet, and his getting a mention here on GP is very fitting for the kind of life he led. Patriotism is no longer the "manly man" persona as it once was, our soldiers today come from all walks of life and hold all interests. It is such a shame to see good people like Randy die, but there is no doubt he represented his country and at the very least helped affect many people's lives.

Wait, is William Panderlust actually JT? Because if so he's more pathetic than I thought. He says we're all a bunch of game addicted druggies, but apparently he needs his fix of Gamepolitics.com.:)