To his mother, David Hance was a shy, nerdy Puerto Rican kid from the Bronx who had an unhealthy obsession with video games. To everyone else, he was Allied—a world-class esports champion, whose boisterous live-streams garnered thousands of views. For years, Hance navigated these disparate identities with ease. But then, at age 24, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer.
In a new documentary from The Atlantic, Hance’s family undergoes the emotional process of reconciling the David they knew with his secret identity—a professional gamer and tragic hero, beloved by a large online community.
“[Family is] the people you choose,” says Brandon Nance, David’s closest friend and a fellow Smite player. “Allied chose us. And we chose Allied.”