Last Updated on June 9, 2024 by Jhonni Jets
Gamers have long found humor in the silliest aspects of games and gaming culture. With so much time spent immersed in virtual worlds, it’s no surprise that memes have become such an integral part of gaming communities. Here are some of the most classic and hilarious memes that have emerged from the gaming world over the years.
1. Press F to Pay Respects
This meme originated from the 2014 first-person shooter game Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. In one scene, the player’s character attends a funeral where the prompt “Press F to pay respects” appears on screen. Players found the oddly specific and robotic prompt amusing, and it soon took on a life of its own as a meme used to jokingly pay respects in irrelevant or absurd situations. To this day, gamers will comment “press F” as a joke whenever something unfortunate happens both in games and in real life. It perfectly captures the dark humor prevalent in gaming culture.
2. Skyrim Stealth Archer
The beloved 2011 open world RPG Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim allowed for a great deal of character customization and roleplaying. However, players quickly discovered that one of the most overpowered and easiest ways to play was as a stealth archer – using a bow from ranged stealth for maximum damage. This playstyle was so ubiquitous that it became a staple joke among Skyrim fans. Memes poked fun at the inevitability of every player gravitating towards stealth archery, no matter their initial character intentions. It highlighted the underlying game mechanics that subtly nudged all players down the same path. To this day, any new open world RPG release is greeted with jokes and memes anticipating it too will fall victim to the allure of the stealth archer.
3. Hadvar or Ralof?
At the start of Skyrim, players must choose whether to follow the Imperial soldier Hadvar or the Stormcloak soldier Ralof out of Helgen after it is attacked. This seemingly innocuous choice launched a years-long debate among fans over who to pick. Memes arose pitting the two against each other and lampooning the intense stakes some players assigned to the decision. It highlighted the endless theorycrafting and replayability players found in Skyrim’s open-ended roleplaying. To this day, any game with an early binary choice immediately leads to jokes comparing it to the legendary Hadvar vs Ralof debate. The meme endures as a reminder of fans’ dedication to examining every minute detail in beloved open world games.
4. Doom Guy vs Pokemon Trainer
In the fighting game Smash Bros, beloved characters from all gaming franchises come together for combat. This led to endless speculation among fans about which characters would make worthy additions to the roster. One of the most hype-inducing but unlikely suggestions was the Doom Marine, better known as Doom Guy, facing off against popular Pokemon Trainer. Imagining the ultra-violent space marine battling cheerful Pokemon trainers with their cute pocket monsters delighted fans and spawned a wealth of memes and fan art. It perfectly juxtaposed the adorable and brutal sides of gaming. Though Doom Guy is yet to be playable, the meme lives on as a testament to Smash fans’ endless creativity in imagining unexpected crossovers between properties.
5. “Welcome to Dark Souls, B***h!”
FromSoftware’s notoriously punishing Dark Souls franchise terrified as many players as it delighted with its unforgiving difficulty. Many found the games’ learning curves intimidating. However, the community surrounding the titles was welcoming and encouraging, helping new players get their bearings. When the franchise took off in popularity, memes arose jokingly “welcoming” new victims to the genre by emphasizing just how brutal their gaming lives were about to become. Though meant in good humor, it perfectly reflected both Dark Souls’ reputation and the more seasoned players’ sense of smug camaraderie in experiencing things the hard way. To this day, any challenging game release is inevitably greeted with versions of this meme, cementing Dark Souls’ influence on modern gameplay difficulty expectations.
6. “It’s been 84 years…” Titanic Old Rose Meme
In the iconic 1997 film Titanic, elderly character Rose DeWitt Bukater reflects back on her time aboard the ill-fated ocean liner. A scene of her as a much older woman earned her the nickname “Titanic Old Rose” among fans. Her delivery of the line “it’s been 84 years…” soon became a popular meme used by gamers to jokingly convey the passage of time while waiting for a game to load, finish downloading, or become available. The absurdism of such a gravitas-filled line being applied to mundane tech-related waiting underscored gamers’ short attention spans and impatience. To this day, any prolonged loading screen or delay is provably greeted with versions of this meme, showing its enduring relevance to capturing modern gaming pet peeves.
7. Distracted Boyfriend
A 2017 stock photo of a young man glancing over his shoulder at an attractive passing woman while accompanying his visibly upset girlfriend on a walk became an instant hit as the “Distracted Boyfriend” meme. It provided the perfect template for jokes about being torn between multiple desirable options. In gaming, it was used endlessly to represent players switching between their favorite titles at any given time or genre. Practically every major game release saw versions juxtaposing it against players’ current preoccupations. The meme channeled gamers’ tendency to constantly juggle huge backlogs and the ways developers competitively vie for players’ time and money. Its simple visual format made it one of the most ubiquitous and adaptable gaming memes.
8. “It’s just a prank, bro!”
In multiplayer gaming parlance, “it’s just a prank, bro!” emerged to jokingly excuse bad behavior like trash talking, trolling, or greifing other players under the guise of being comedic rather than malicious. Often said with smug sarcasm after upsetting or offending someone, it highlighted the darkly humorous side of gaming competitiveness and led to memes depicting players with mischievous smiles getting carried away in the name of “just messing around.” Though meant to poke fun rather than condone toxicity, it recognized an aspect of multiplayer culture where lines can easily be crossed. To this day, the phrase endures as a self-aware joke among gamers about their tendency to fiercely rivalry and how far is too far in competitive environments.
9. “He’s beginning to believe.” The Matrix Meme
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A famous line from The Matrix describing Neo “beginning to believe” he has superpowers became another meme template for gaming. Players used it to joke about the “main character powers” their avatar seemingly gains in games like Skyrim from leveling up and accumulating abilities and gear that make them nigh unstoppable demigods. It poked fun at the power fantasy dimension of RPG progression while acknowledging a shared feeling of empowerment players got from personalizing harrowing journies through fantastical worlds and threats. To this day, any hype surrounding a new open-ended game or character build is liable to draw comparisons to “beginning to believe” and underscore the fulfillment gaming provides in becoming the hero of our own stories through perseverence.
10. “You Died” Dark Souls Death Screen
The ultimate Dark Souls meme had to stem from its signature dark yet humorous death dialogue. Upon expiring in these punishing games, players are smugly informed “You Died” against a simple background. In gaming’s most challenging franchise where failure is all but guaranteed, this terse statement perfectly captured players’ reactions transitioning from intense frustration to gallows humor. Memes blossomed taking the recognizable “You Died” text and attributing humorous subtitles to represent failures and futility in all aspects of modern life. Peak gaming meme culture, it revealed Dark Souls’ ability to represent true adversity and brought its message to all walks of existence. The inevitable death screen text will likely echo through gaming memedom for years to come.
These ten memes represent just a sampling of the endless comedic gems that have developed within gaming communities over decades. They showcase fans’ creativity in finding new layers of enjoyment and perspective even in failure or mundane activities. Whether reminiscing over beloved titles and franchises or bonding over shared frustrations, gaming memes have grown right alongside the medium into a staple genre of pop culture humor.