One of the greatest minds of the emulation community Near has fallen victim to suicide. The emulation developer was reported dead by their friend Hector Martin yesterday after their last call with Near.
The emulation developer has been an important force in the community for years. Near was a prolific developer who created BSNES, a program that eventually became the first 100% compatible SNES emulator. They also created the multi-system emulator Higan and Ares.
Content Warning: This article contains references to suicide, suicide notes and targeted harassment.
Higan developer Near has unfortunately passed
Martin announced the news on Twitter in a lengthy Google Doc explaining the events leading up to Near's passing. Hector Martin explained that they were on a phone call with the developer in their final moments.
Before the call, emulation developer had taken a “large overdose of codeine and guanfancine". Martin also saw a photo of a noose. Regarding the situation, Martin said:
Why did this happen?
The day before their suicide, Near created a Twitter thread discussing the online abuse they'd suffered at the hands of Kiwi Fans. An online forum, Kiwi Farms is infamous for its history of harassment campaigns.
The developer revealed that they had been attacked for “being autistic". Furthermore, Kiwi Farms users had resorted to attacking and doxing friends of the developer. Following the news of the developer’s passing, many have realised that this thread was their goodbye to their following.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the following services. Samaritans UK. Suicide Prevention Lifeline US.
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