A man died after competing in a major video game tournament in New York City
- A Louisiana man visiting New York City for a major video game tournament died on July 20 after falling unconscious during the event, the tournament's organizers confirmed on Monday.
- Bryand "Krucial B" McIntosh suffered a seizure in a public restroom, according to one witness.
- McIntosh was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to a fellow competitor and friend of McIntosh.
- McIntosh was a well-respected and influential member of Louisiana's fighting game community and his death led to an outpouring of emotion from friends and fellow competitors.
- Conditions at Defend the North has led to speculation over McIntosh's cause of death, but an official cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
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A Louisiana man visiting New York City for a major video game tournament died on July 20 after falling unconscious during the event, the tournament's organizers confirmed on Monday.
Roughly 1,500 gamers descended on Manhattan's New Yorker Hotel from July 19 to July 21 to compete in Defend the North 2019, a major video game event with 30 different tournaments.
Bryand "Krucial B" McIntosh fell unconscious in the public restroom at Defend the North during the afternoon of Saturday, July 20. A witness said McIntosh suffered a seizure, and access to the bathroom was blocked for a portion of the afternoon. He was transported to an area hospital where he died, according to a fellow competitor and friend of McIntosh. The tournament organizers did not inform attendees that there had been a medical emergency and subsequent death during the event, but the news spread quickly via social media.
McIntosh was a well-respected and influential member of Louisiana's fighting game community and had travelled to New York City to compete for the weekend. His death generated an emotional response from his friends and other competitors who had played against him in events across the country.
"The staff at DTN and myself are devastated by the loss of Bryand McIntosh aka Krucial B this weekend," Defend the North's lead organizer, Andy Dumornay, said in a statement posted to Facebook on Monday. "It is with a heavy heart that we search for words to accurately describe the gravity of losing one of our own at a time that is supposed to be a celebration of our community. We offer our sincerest condolences to the friends and family of Krucial B. Our thoughts are with you as you deal with this unimaginable loss."
He added, "From myself and the team at DTN, I pledge to do anything and everything we can to assist with investigations into Bryand's death. We're deeply shocked and mourn along with the community."
Defend the North staff waited about 48 hours to make a public statement about McIntosh's passing, well after the event was over. Multiple staff members told Business Insider they were not aware of the McIntosh's death until the following day. The lack of public information on the situation led to increased speculation about the factors leading to Krucial B's death, though the cause of death remains unknown.
A summer heat wave impacted the competition
Defend the North took place amid an intense heat wave in New York City, seeing temperatures of 95 and 96 degrees on Saturday and Sunday. While the tournaments' multiple conference rooms were air conditioned throughout the weekend, the most crowded areas became intensely hot during the event's peak hours.
Multiple competitors complained about a lack of access to water, though each conference room had a water cooler and cups that stayed stocked during the event. The New Yorker maintained a policy banning outside food and drinks (including bottled water) from the hotel's conference rooms, Defend the North staff said they unaware of this policy prior to the start of the event.
While Defend the North cannot be blamed for the weather, logistical issues also led to overcrowding. Most notably, competitions for two popular games, "Dragon Ball FighterZ" (188 entrants) and "Samurai Shodown" (146 entrants) were scheduled in the same room at the same time.
They were housed in the New Yorker's 1,700 square-foot Sutton Place Suite, which is designed for a crowd of 150 at most, according to the New Yorker's website. Even with staggered pool times, there were about 84 players scheduled to be in the room at any given time, without accounting for spectators, staff members and space needed for equipment.
McIntosh was competing in the Samurai Shodown tournament before he fell in the restroom, but people close to him said he seemed fine while playing. Multiple people have speculated that McIntosh's death could have been due to heat stroke, but other players from Louisiana have asked that the public not to assume his cause of death.
Business Insider has reached out to the New York City Medical Examiner's office to confirm the cause of death.