Do You Understand These References?
The gaming world has its secrets, its catchphrases, and its legendary game consoles. There are certain things only hardcore gamers can instantly recognize. From retro classics to modern memes, here are 20 things only real gamers can name.
1. Finish Him
Only hardcore fighting game enthusiasts know the dread that immediately sets in when they hear those words, “Finish Him!” Said in the last few seconds of a match, it's a prelude to unleashing a bloody final combo to obliterate your enemy. Saying it brings back memories of button-mashing, fatalities, and ultra-violent arcade wars that encapsulated an entire generation of players.
2. NES
The NES brought home gaming into the 1980s, with Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. Its gray, boxy console and rectangular cartridges are instantly recognizable to pre-HD graphics generation gamers. Real gamers recall blowing on the cartridges and hoping their save files hadn't been erased.
3. Wii Controllers
The Wii Remote brought a revolution in gesture-controlled gaming. Swinging for Wii Sports or aiming in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, it transformed gaming into an active, social activity. Any gamer who has racked up hours of virtual bowling or tennis wars with friends recognizes the controller's distinctive silhouette and motion-sensing wizardry.
4. Press F to Pay Respect
The source of this meme comes from Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. When you press F during a funeral for the characters in the game, it's supposed to be a sign of respect, but it became an international meme. This meme is one only a true gamer can understand because it is a mix between being heartfelt and internet ironic humor.
5. Game Boys
The Game Boy is a game console released in 1989 and was the flagship handheld of the 1990s. Carrying classic games like Pokémon and Tetris, the Game Boy allowed players to take gaming on the go with them. The gray, rectangular design and the green screen display have become one of gaming's most iconic looks, instantly familiar to anyone who made it through school recess with their Game Boy in hand.
6. Pac-Man
The yellow, chomping icon is not just a game. It's a cultural touchstone. Navigating mazes, eating pellets, and avoiding ghosts captured arcades and home consoles everywhere. Real gamers know mastering Pac-Man takes timing, strategy, and an almost obsessive love of the high score.
7. NES Cartridges
Pre-downloads and discs, NES cartridges were king. Shoving it in, blowing on the contacts, and praying to the gaming gods it would work is a universal experience. Each one held the potential for adventure, rage, and many an hour of lost productivity.
8. Poké Balls
No gamer or Pokémon fan will ever forget the satisfaction of hurling a Poké Ball in an attempt to catch a wild Pokémon. Whether in the Game Boy games, card battles, or the animated series, Poké Balls are a symbol of skill, tactics, and striving for the best collection. Only real gamers know the true perfect timing and luck it takes to capture rare Pokémon.
9. The Cake is a Lie
The eerie line from Portal has become a staple of gamer culture. Warning of false promises and subverting expectations, it perfectly captures the game's dark humor. True gamers know it as a mark of smart design and twisted narrative.
10. Plumbob
The floating green diamond over a Sim's head in The Sims is instantly recognizable to anyone who has raised and simulated digital life. It represents mood, control, and the infinite capacity for chaos or happiness in the game. Dedicated gamers are the only ones who instinctively know what it is, and the hours needed to keep it green.
11. Zork
Zork is a classic text-based adventure game in which your mind's eye populates the game world while you enter text commands such as "go north" or "take lamp." Remember Zork? Real gamers do. The feeling of spelunking in a dungeon with only words on a screen is an experience only hardcore players share. Puzzles, treasure, and notorious death traps; these were the trappings of early PC gaming.
Robert Nelson from Tarpon Springs, Florida, USA on Wikimedia
12. Prince of Persia
The 1989 Prince of Persia is notable for introducing fluid, realistic character animation, along with platforming gameplay and difficult platforming puzzles. Players recall timing their jumps to the limit to escape spikes, pitfalls, and patrolling guards. Cinematic presentation and the precision of its controls made Prince of Persia a groundbreaking game that hardcore gamers still praise.
13. Space Invaders
Space Invaders is a legendary arcade shooter in which the player must shoot down a column of aliens while avoiding their counterattack. True gamers will recall the palpable suspense of the inexorably descending alien hordes, the intoxicating pursuit of high scores, and a brilliant and timeless formula that would help shape an entire generation. It's the quintessential classic arcade experience.
14. Text-Based Adventures
Long before the days of graphics, the text-based adventure required players to be resourceful. Using typed-in commands, you had to discover and explore worlds as in Zork or Adventure. Creativity, logic, and imagination were all put to the test. Only the most true retro gamer can love the power of a game that is nothing but words.
15. Floppy Disks
Floppy disks were a video game mainstay, storing save files or full games for PCs and consoles. Gamers remember gingerly inserting them into drives and praying their progress didn’t get lost. They're small squares of plastic that hold a universe of nostalgia for retro gamers.
16. Joysticks
Before controllers took over, joysticks were for flight simulators, arcade ports, and early home consoles. Old-school gamers can still hear the click, feel the crisp movements, and smell the occasional snapped cable after a bloodbath. It's the quintessential gaming muscle memory.
17. Dial-Up Modems
Multiplayer over dial-up was an endurance trial of squealing tones and agonizingly slow connection speeds. The true gamers among us remember this was how we played with our friends: great lag, random disconnects, and the warm fuzzy feeling of the entire beginning of modern online gaming.
18. Arcade
Arcade machines were the place to be in the ’80s and ’90s. From beat-em-ups to shooters, the games were endless. Gamers remember dropping quarters into the machines and frantically tapping buttons for that high score. The lights, sounds, and excitement will never be forgotten by those who experienced it.
19. Game Boy Cartridges
Game Boy cartridges are the portable gaming aesthetic of the ’90s, home to titles like Pokémon, Tetris, and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. Nostalgic gamers remember blowing on the contacts, swapping cartridges mid-bus-ride, and the thrill of entire worlds in your pocket. Every cartridge was a portal to hours of immersive play.
Guillaume Capron from Issy les Moulineaux, France on Wikimedia
20. “It’s Dangerous to Go Alone! Take This”
Anyone who has adventured through Hyrule on the NES will know this quote from The Legend of Zelda. It signals the beginning of an action-filled journey and the chance to venture out into the world with a sword and the possibility of danger and exploration. Gamers of all types will be able to relate to this quote as it is so much more than a line of game character dialogue.
