Mats Steen.
Foto: Netflix
Mats was known in World of Warcraft as Ibelin Redmoore.
Foto: Netflix
The Norwegian Mats Steen was diagnosed as a child with Duchenne’s muscular dystrophya disease that leads to the muscle fibers breaking down more easily. The disease causes progressive muscle weakness.
When 25-year-old Mats died, his mobility was limited to only being able to use his fingers.
Parents Robert and Trude Steen, who believed their son had lived an isolated life, announced Mat’s death on his blog.
– We really thought he was lonely and meant nothing to other people, says Robert.
But then something happened that stunned the parents. Emails started pouring in from people who knew Mats through the online game World of Warcraft.
Mats was known in World of Warcraft as Ibelin Redmoore, a noble and muscular monster hunter. It turned out that Mats had formed deep friendships with other players.
– We thought that his life, for several different reasons, had been wasted. And then we got to read all these stories that showed it was just the opposite, says Robert.
“Mats helped so many people”
The son used to spend hour after hour in the game using special equipment to overcome his mobility limitations.
– The sad thing is that we were very critical of him spending so much time in that world, and that criticism was based on a few minutes of analysis, says Robert.
The Netflix documentary “Ibelin’s extraordinary life” shows Mat’s life in the game and in reality. It shows how online life can be more than a pastime – it can also lead to friendships and be an oasis for people with severe disabilities.
– Mats helped so many people without being able to move anything but his fingers. Just think what the rest of us could accomplish if we put our heads together. It would be great if the kindness we can pass on in a community and out into the world would be the message we take with us from his story, says Robert.
