Memes are one of the main components of modern Internet culture. Short jokes that help not only to joke, but also to convey the right idea as accurately and quickly as possible, are firmly rooted in the daily lives of users. Gamers were no exception – we use many memes, the meaning of which is clear only to us. However, some part still broke out of the game and became popular everywhere. We will talk about five of these in this material.
Kojima is a genius
Game designer Hideo Kojima is a cult personality in the gaming industry. The developer actually invented the stealth genre: his Metal Gear was the first game based on stealthy levels. Kojima is also known for the difficult directing of cut scenes and the periodic breaking of the “fourth wall”.
There are several memes associated with Kojima in the gaming community. Starting with the Hideo Kojima Game, ironic over the many mentions of the name of the game designer in each game, and ending with the Buryat origin of the Japanese. However, only one escaped from the community.
The genius of Kojima adds 276 thousand search results
Initially, Kojima was called a genius for his services to the industry and specific games. After the release in 2015 of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, the frequency of using the phrase reached a critical point and acquired a more ironic tone. Everything that the developer did began to be recognized as genius by definition.
A new wave of Kojima popularity in Russia came in 2019, when the game designer announced his visit to Moscow on IgroMir. Fans of Metal Gear and ordinary gamers were so excited about this event that they forced the entire Russian-language Internet google “Who is Kojima?” Non-core publications began to write about the game designer, trying to figure out his genius, they devoted the issue of “Evening Urgant” and several news reports of federal television channels to him. And why? Because Kojima is a genius.
– 小島 秀 夫 (@Kojima_Hideo) November 21, 2019
Leroy jenkins
One of the most legendary memes in the history of video games. The original video appeared in 2006, it was recorded by the guild Pals for Life from World of Warcraft. At the beginning of the video, a group of heroes discusses the attack tactics in detail, but the paladin Lira Jenkins destroys all plans. Instead of following the instructions of his comrades, he without hesitation attacks the opponents, shouting his own name, which leads to the death of the entire detachment.
Since then, the cry “Lira Jenkins” has become a symbol of an ill-conceived attack that leads to defeat. References to him appeared in many games not related to World of Warcraft. Therefore, if you meet an NPC with a similar name, know that it will die very soon and very stupidly.
Leeirooy Jenkins! | Source: atcmemes.com
The popularity of the meme not only provided him a place in the Video Game Hall of Fame, but also paved his way to other forms of art. With the cry “Lira Jenkins” the characters of the series “Barry”, “My name is Earl”, “Family Guy” and others rushed to the attack. And the characters “How I Met Your Mother” and “Clinic” shouted their own names in a similar manner.
The only thing that can upset in “Leeroy Jenkins” is his staging. Until recently, I wanted to believe that this famous story was a coincidence. Although players in World of Warcraft from the very beginning suspected a staging. The authors recognized it only in 2017.
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Press F to pay respects
Familiar to many, F owes its popularity to another similar meme – Press X to win. He beat a lot of QTE-scenes in modern titles, a small amount of active gameplay and low complexity. Therefore, when Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare came out in 2014, the anger of the gaming community spilled over onto it.
The scene at the beginning of the story campaign, where the protagonist is present at the funeral, was criticized. At some point, the game requires you to pay tribute to the deceased by pressing the F button. Users have not rated such a game design solution. Some said that it was inappropriate in the context of the situation, while others felt that the developers are trying to lazily indicate what emotions need to be experienced.
About the discontinuation of Windows 7 | Source: originpc / twitter.com
This hype surrounding the Advanced Warfare and the funeral scene contributed to the meme’s rapidly growing popularity. Dissatisfied gamers began to use F in an ironic manner, ridiculing the game, and later without reference to Call of Duty. Viewers wrote F when the streamer was wrong, and commentators – under the news about the closure of the studios, the cancellation of competitions or the termination of support for titles.
In the end, the Press F to pay respects meme went beyond the gaming community and spread over the Internet. Now they know and even use it by those who have never complained about the abundance QTE is not familiar with Captain Price’s love of doors. Most surprisingly, over time, the letter F began to lose its ironic connotation. Increasingly, you may notice that it is being printed in order to express sincere condolences.
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Spent
“Spent” is very similar to Press F to pay respects – in fact, both memes are used to respond to someone else’s failure. However, unlike the previous meme, this one did not absorb the tragedy of the circumstances, and remained a joke.
It should be noted that “Spent” is popular in many countries, but it received a special color in the Russian-language segment of the Internet due to an incorrect translation. In the games of the Grand Theft Auto series on the screen of death, the slang word Wasted is used, which describes the dead or intoxicated. The automatic translator, used to localize unlicensed copies of GTA: San Andreas, did not understand the details and produced the literal “spent” along with “cooling”, “carbon fiber” and other pearls.
In addition to the lack of tragedy, “Spent” differs from F also in execution. The latter is usually simply printed in the comments, while the former is most often used in images and videos. In this case, overlay the GTA: San Andreas interface or decolorizing effects like GTA V.
“Spent” also knows how to change the names of books | Source: eksmo.ru
Knuckles from Uganda
This meme is a great demonstration of the Internet in its if not worse, then certainly not the best manifestation. He appeared by chance, tied several unsuccessful jokes, sharply gained popularity, and was equally forgotten by all. Admit, you did not immediately remember what it is, but once you couldn’t hide from them.
Knuckles is a red echidna, a character in Sonic games. In 2017, YouTube Gregzilla drew a parody version of the hero for the review of Sonic Lost World. The image was shown in less than a second, but users liked it and spread across the network. Later, a rough three-dimensional model was made, which then appeared on the social platform VRChat.
Half of Knuckles search results are memes
The creators of the application advertised it using anime girls with whom users could chat, but in fact in the winter of 2017-2018. everyone was greeted by wild flocks of local knuckles who rushed at others, shouted, spat, sniffed at the “queens” and looked for a “way”. The latter is related to the phrase from the low-budget Ugandan movie Who Killed Captain Alex, which was turned into a joke by players in PUBG and picked up by VRChat users.
A local meme from a not-so-outstanding game could have disappeared into obscurity, if not for the Internet. Memes with knuckles began to appear on social networks, forums and other entertainment venues. For several months, the caricature echidna annoyed even those who had never touched VR or video games in their lives.
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