Diamond Family, my sincere condolences. Losing someone you love is never easy, and it’s even harder when their life feels cut short.

The Bible gives us real comfort at John 11:11, Jesus compares death to a peaceful sleep, and Jehovah promises to wake our loved ones again. Acts 24:15 reminds us of that beautiful hope of the resurrection. May this hope give you comfort and strength as you look forward to seeing John again.

I still remember the day I beat John (Irritant) in 'DM-Dred' 30-29 in Insta. He was none too happy :-)

It was also a rare occurrence.   -_-

A fierce competitor and good soul.  

STILL run a few servers and play occasionally. Alien Arena just ROCKS, buddy!

I first met John online sometime early 2007 with the awesome nick "Irritant" playing that fabulous game he made, Alien Arena.

And truly, ingame, he lived up to that nick.

Outside of the game, he was far from Irritant.

Through the years we developed a very warm friendship, eventually resulting in him visiting me in Sweden, together with his wonderful Mina. Together we raided DreamhHack Winter 2017, celebrating the release of the game on Steam.

In May this year, I visited him, after all these years and he and Mina gave me and my girlfriend  a very warm welcome. We went to a genuine American breakfast restaurant, boating, playing with his RC, trying the new game engine he just completed. And of course, we rocked at karaoke.

Then, just a few weeks later, he is gone. just like that...

I can't express the pain I feel.

I can't imagine the pain Mina and the kids feel.

I am so happy I got to spend some quality time with him, when it still was possible, but the feelings are so double...

You are my friend forever, John.

Mina, you are my friend forever too.

Victor

I will forever be grateful to John for creating not only the game Alien Arena, but also creating a community. When I was still in high school, John saw something in me and invited me to join the development team. It is difficult to understate the impact that this has had on the subsequent course of my life. It's fair to say that John didn't just give me a game, he gave me a career and a direction. I didn't just hone my software developing skills on the game, but I also learned from John's adroit skill at gathering like-minded people together, making them feel welcome, and giving them a common purpose. Alien Arena was my gateway into serious software development, but also into the modding scene and open source, two communities that left an indelible mark on my worldview and values. Although I never met John in person, I am proud to call him a friend.

I love you John, and for one last time: I'll see you in the arena!

-Max "MaxToTheMax" Eliaser

I never met John in real life, but we communicated a lot online about the game Alien Arena, that I started contributing to around 2013. Since I discovered the game in 2010 I was totally in love with the game. I'm grateful for him giving me the opportunity to make contributions to the game and to entrust the game to me a few years ago. I will do my best to keep the spirit of the game alive as how he intended it. My condolences to Mina, his family and everyone that will miss him.

Raoul de Raadt / Jar-El

Although I have not been active in the AA community for years, I am deeply saddened by the news of John's passing. I have fond memories both of playing and contributing to his game. Please accept my sincere condolences.

Emmanuel BENOÎT / BlackICE

My friendship with John and entrance to the Alien Arena community was a simple contribution, for which he was very grateful. It was because of this and following interactions that I contributed to Alien Arena. You could always count on an honest critique of something if you asked. I only knew of him as our evil martian overlord (his self title). It sounds as if he led a full and interesting life. My condolences. Rest in peace John.

People knew me as Xenos

Please accept our deepest sympathy for your loss.  There are no words that can ease this pain, but we hope you find comfort in the love and support from the family and friends around you. Our thoughts are with you and your family.

With deepest sympathy,

Leading Solutions