Death in SAO before Kayaba announcement I was wondering if in the novel we knew about some deaths occurring before Kayaba announcement. I remember that in the anime, Kirito plays a bit with Cline before realizing that the log off option has disappeared. Then all the people are summoned to the city and learn about the fact that if they die in the game, they also die in real life.

I don't remember any players dying before the announcement in the anime, except for those who are not waking up and their relative pulling off their NerveGear thus causing death, but maybe in the light novel, some guys died without even knowing it just while being defeated by a mob (which seems awful for me).

Do we know about some players dying before that while thinking they are still in a normal game?
So, I read the beginning of the novel, and like Ayase Eri said, Kayaba is fair so he hadn't killed the players before doing an announcement.

This is written on page 71 :


  The first person to get the honor of having his name crossed out
  appeared three hours into the game. The reason for death was not losing to a monster. It was suicide.
  
  He believed in the theory that "according to the structure of the NerveGear, if a person is cut off from the system they'll automatically regain consciousness." He climbed over the iron fence at the north end of the city, or the edge of Aincrad, and flung himself off.


So, it clearly means that it was after Kayaba did his announcement because he tried to escape the game.

The anime followed that as well and if I remember it right, we see that first death (but I do not remember if it was during the first episode or a flashback that we see it).

The author really kept the characteristics of every character to this point.