The NYPD has confirmed that missing YouTube gaming creator and Twitch streamer Desmond “Etika” Amofah has died at 29 years old after previously making suicidal statements. This news comes nearly five days after a video upload from Amofah sparked concern across the internet.
He was first reported missing on June 20 following the upload of a video titled “I’m sorry,” which was later taken down from his channel. This video showed Etika walking around New York talking in a manner that was suggestive of an impending suicide attempt. In the video, he made statements including “It was a fun life,” and “I had a great time.” The video was accompanied with a long note in the description that held a similar tone. Later that same day, the NYPD tweeted that Etika was in fact missing and asked anyone with information to contact them.
Two days later, police found some of Etika’s belongings at the Manhattan Bridge, the same general area that a Twitter user identified as the location where Etikah recorded the video. These items consisted of some clothing, his ID, and most importantly, his Nintendo Switch — a discovery that his fans confirmed as being one of his most cherished items. The continued search led to yet another grim discovery late on June 24 of an unidentified body in the East River about a half a mile away from the Manhattan Bridge. This news was first reported by BNO Newsroom. Despite pressure from fans and press, police declined to reveal any information about the body. On June 25, however, the NYPD confirmed that the body had been identified as Amofah.
We regret to inform that Desmond Amofah aka Etika has been found deceased. https://t.co/sedwZZxglw
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) June 25, 2019
Etika amassed a loyal following with his upbeat, fun-loving, and goofy personality. Known for his love of Nintendo and his over-the-top reactions to its games, viewers could often count on him for a laugh and a smile. He often lovingly referred to his fans as the “JoyCon Boyz” and was almost always seen carrying his Nintendo Switch. Despite his usual lively disposition, Etika also struggled deeply with his mental health. In the months leading up to his disappearance, Etika’s behavior took a turn for the worse, according to reports from Kokatu.
He was first hospitalized last October after posting concerning messages on Facebook, YouTube, and Reddit. In April, he started exhibiting similar behavior and was hospitalized again. Soon after his release, he was detained by police following an Instagram livestream where he threatened to harm himself. In May 2019, Amofah got into an altercation with a police officer and was once again taken to the hospital.
If you or a loved one is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline by phone at 1-800-273-8255 or via chat on the official website, where support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.