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You are on the way to destruction. Thanks to World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, pretty much everyone we know is headed back into Azeroth. And that got us thinking about one of our favorite things to come charging out of Blizzard's great MMO.
Leeroy Jenkins.
You know the fella -- and if you don't, you will, shortly. But Leeroy isn't the only internet meme to spring from video games. In fact,
some of the best known memes were born out of our beloved pastime, and while they
might not be as fuzzy as a LOLcat or as rapturous as a double rainbow, they're just as potent.
Leeroy Jenkins --
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is responsible for plenty of pop-culture
tidbits, but none have been as headstrong as this proud, ridiculous warrior.
The hubbub began when a video surfaced showing a group of
Warcraft players plotting a complex strategy for an upcoming battle, only to
have their plans dashed by party member Leeroy, who ignores the tactics and
charges into the fray while screaming "Let's do this!" followed by
his own name. The party is killed, Leeroy is admonished, and an internet
sensation is born, though it didn't stay stuck on the web for long.
Leeroy Jenkins has since blown up, earning a spot in the
Emmy-winning South Park episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft," getting
his own card in the World of Warcraft collectible trading card game, being the subject of a Jeopardy! question, and even appearing in a Toyota Tacoma commercial.
[Warning: The following user-made video contains strong language. Viewer discretion is advised.]
All your base are
belong to us -- Zero Wing
"With the help of Federation Forces, all of your bases have been taken
over by CATS."
Well, that was the idea, at least.
But thanks to the lamest translation effort of all time, this seemingly innocuous line found in the introduction of the otherwise unremarkable 1991 video game Zero Wing was turned into the world-famous meme, "All your base are belong to us."
The fire started courtesy a simple Flash animation, which
turned the crazy phrase into a globetrotting, techno-driven foray into
Photoshop heaven. Eventually, though, it went mainstream, gracing t-shirts,
appearing in movies, and even started a small panic when an April Fool's joke went awry
in Michigan.
Clearly, someone set up them the bomb.
I'm in ur (X), (verb)-ing your
(Y) -- Starcraft
What started as a simple declaration of fact during a competitive game of Starcraft has spawned enough insane Photoshop captions to turn the entire Internet into a slideshow of embarrassing pictures.
It all started with a screenshot posted at the site SomethingAwful in which one StarCraft player is asking the other where they happen to be. The elegant answer?
"im in ur base, killing ur d00dz."
Goodbye Zerg,
hello world.
The phrase has since been mangled to the point of being nearly unrecognizable, though it's still used frequently to describe the shenanigans of adorable cats.
The Konami Code -- Various
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. And sometimes Start.
First appearing in the Konami side-scrolling shooter Gradius
for the original NES, the most famous cheat code in game history is also its
most widespread. It's shown up in well over a hundred other games, from Konami
classics like Contra and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to newer non-Konami games
like Plants vs. Zombies. And recently, it's even managed to go beyond the
console by randomly appearing as an Easter Egg on various websites, including
Facebook, ESPN, and even your Google Reader.
The Cake is a Lie --
Portal
Scrawled throughout the walls in the smash hit 2008 game
Portal, this eerie sentence was a warning to NOT believe the game's seemingly
pleasant robot guide GLADOS, who promised that following the Aperture science
test experiment, players would receive delicious cake.
But like all good game memes, it quickly took on a broader
meaning. According to Urban Dictionary, "the cake is a lie" means
that "your promised reward is merely a fictitious motivator." In
other words, don't get your hopes up, because that cake ain't coming.
Of course, we could go on. "Giant enemy crabs"..."Do a barrel roll"..."A winner is you"...the
list is endless. What are some of your favorite game memes? Let us know in
the comments!
