Gamer Dies While Attempting 24-Hour Livestream for Charity

A Virginia man who died at home while playing a 24-hour video game marathon was part of an online livestreaming community where members sometimes go to extremes to build their audiences, experts say.

Thirty-five-year old Brian Vigneault spent about 22 hours playing the online wargame "World of Tanks" on the streaming platform Twitch.tv. He told viewers that he was raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. But early Sunday, he stood up from his computer to take a smoke break. The father of three who played under the name PoShYbRiD never appeared on screen again.

"He was in rough shape," Jessica Gebauer, a friend of Vigneault's and fellow streamer, said. "I watched him until about half an hour before he said he'd be right back. He just looked really, really tired. We were telling him, 'Go to sleep. The stream can wait.'"