Computer games developer dies of Covid after not getting jab because of fear of needles

Stewart Gilray’s widow has urged people afraid of jabs to get vaccinated

Colleagues have paid tribute to the ‘immensely talented’ games developer (Stewart Gilray)

A computer games developer who avoided getting vaccinated because he had a phobia of needles has died after contracting Covid.

Stewart Gilray, 51, was taken to hospital with the virus on December 20 and died on Thursday.

Now, his grieving widow has issued a plea for people to get jabbed, even if they feel nervous.

In a Facebook post from hospital shortly before he died, Mr Gilray wrote: “I’m not doing that great. The amount of oxygen they have me on to keep me over the magic 95% is the maximum.”

He shared a picture of his hand fitted with a cannula, writing: “Those that know me well enough know I hate needles etc.

“This picture shows what I’m going through right now to fight this!”

The father-of-two’s condition rapidly deteriorated, and he was put in an induced coma. It emerged he had a previously-undiagnosed lung condition, and the virus left him unable to breathe.

Mr Gilray, from Aberdeen, was a prominent figure in the gaming industry. He was the CEO of development company Just Add Water and helped revitalise the Oddworld series, a video game adaption of Doctor Who and Sniper Elite VR.

His widow Bec Gilray told The Daily Record he had such a serious fear of needles he avoided seeing the doctor in case he needed a blood test.

“The truth is Stewart wasn’t poorly in the 25 years I knew him,” she said. “He was fit - he could have lost a stone or two like the rest of us - but he genuinely believed he was going to survive this virus because he was healthy.”

Before her husband was intubated, he told her there was nothing to worry about: “I’m going to be fine. I just need a little rest.”

She said her husband was dedicated to their children, three-year-old Darcey, and Elliot, 15.

“He loved his life, he loved what we had and what he built in his business,” she said. “He wanted to retire early and spend more time with us, to be with the kids more. He had all these plans and Covid got him. Please, just get vaccinated.”

Tributes to the award-winning game developer have been pouring in, with colleagues describing him as “immensely talented” and “one of the most loved people in the industry”.

American video game programmer John Romero tweeted: “It’s hard to believe he’s gone.

“Stewart Gilray was a good friend and always there whenever anyone needed him, including me.

“He was one of the good ones. I’m grateful for our friendship and thinking of his wife Bec, kids and many friends he’s left behind.”

Miles Jacobson, CEO of Football Manager creators Sports Interactive, tweeted: ‘This morning I lost another friend to Covid. Someone my age, who also ran a games studio.

“A life lost far too early leaving a wife without the love of her lives and two children losing their dad.

“Get vaccinated, wear a mask, care about your fellow humans, because life is too short to not.”