A mural commemorating Desmond “Etika” Amofah is now complete and attracting fans of the late content creator. Kotaku reports that YouTube content creator “Double A” and New York web designer Abe Hunter collaborated to create a project meant to honor the memory of Amofah, who died by suicide this past June.
The mural incorporates much of what Amofah was best known for, including a lovely portrait, symbols for Super Smash Bros., and a pair of Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons. On either side of Amofah’s face on the mural is one of his most well-known sayings used to close out most of his videos, “Take care of yourself. Have yourself a damned good one!”
Double A and Hunter first collaborated by raising over $11,000 for the National Alliance for Mental Illness and then began work on organizing the creation of the mural. It now stands at 40-feet in length at 1280 Myrtle Ave in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and was pained by local mural artist “BKFoxx” and graffiti artist “kestaadm”.
The tribute to Amofah is a moving one and appears to be appreciated by his many fans since being revealed. In June Amofah posted an emotional video where he discussed his recent problematic behavior and what he described as his own deteriorating mental health.
His passing was felt throughout the online community of video game fans and content creators and contributed to what is now becoming a long-standing discussion on issues of mental health. PewDiePie, Joe Weller, and other well-known content creators all expressed their condolences, and perhaps more importantly, call for anyone else feeling overwhelmed to seek help rather than resort to similar action.
The mural is the most recent form of tribute paid to Amofah, but it is not the first. As so much of his content was often based on games for the Nintendo Switch, and particularly for the Super Smash Bros. series of games, competitive gaming venues have often had something to say about him as well.
Before this mural, one of the largest tributes occurred on August 10 at Super Smash Con, a professional annual tournament for the series held in Chantilly, Virginia. At the Smashies Award Show, which highlights individual efforts made by community members, Amofah was signaled out for his contributions to the game. There too, many focused on how he signed off of most his videos.
Closing with “Have a damn good one” became the core of what people remember about him, and how he often wished for others to have a good time even when he appeared to be struggling.
The mural is a great looking tribute to everything Amofah stood for, and it does his memory justice. Moreover, its creation may help maintain the discussion around the importance of self-care and mental health.
Source: kotaku.com, dexerto.com