distraction from the pain, sure, but not distraction from reflection.
playing games like this does not prevent you from reflection. i haven't played elite dangerous yet, but other games like it. these games are not a mindless distraction. they can be, but they don't have to be. you play an intelligent being, and how you act in the game reflects on how you act as a person.
being confined to the hospital, the game allowed michael to break out of its confines and act as the human being that he is within a virtual world. doing that allows plenty of opportunity for reflection on your life. and i am sure he did his fair share of it.
in the end, death is not a punishment, but a release from suffering.
someone once said that handicapped people are a test for everyone else around them, how they react and treat them.
the elite dangerous community has passed that test, and hence michael was allowed to leave this earthly plane and ascend.
That's a very big assumption, and one to be very careful about when making decisions about what choices to encourage others to make in their final days. In fact, it's a belief itself, yet you're treating it as if it's a fact and one we can safely live by and encourage others to live by. That's very serious.
whether this belief is reasonable or not, you'll need to decide for yourself by researching relevant sources. i did not intend to encourage anyone to live by it, rather my intention is to console those who are grieved by the loss of a loved one.
If there is anything after this life, I want to wake up to it on a positive note having spent my last hours happy.