Parents discovered the secret world of their 25-year-old son who lived with muscular dystrophy after he passed away. Despite his physical limitations, Mats Steen led a rich and fulfilling online life through the game World of Warcraft, where he was known as the heroic character Ibelin Redmoore. The discovery stunned Mats’ parents, who initially believed their son’s life had been lonely. A new Netflix documentary, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, explores how gaming offered Mats a way to transcend his physical limitations and connect with others.
Mats had been diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder that sparks early-onset muscle weakness – by the time of his death at the age of 25, Mats’ mobility had diminished to only the use of his fingers, The Independent reported on Saturday (October 19).
“We strongly believed that he was lonely, that he had no meaning for other people,” Mats’ dad, Robert Steen, told The Independent.
