It’s safe to say that most of us on this site are gamers, or at least have dabbled in gaming. Whether your favorite console was Nintendo or PlayStation, or whether you prefer shooter games or classic adventure, we’ve all had some fantastic experiences with gaming (and probably some frustrating ones). It’s a way to have an adventure without having to leave your house.
I got started in gaming when I was a kid. Watching my brothers play Zelda, Mario, and Metroid was pretty fun, and soon I wasn’t satisfied with just watching. Playing a good video game is like watching a movie, but being more involved in the story. For me, gaming meant that I didn’t live one life, I lived many.
But as fun as video games are, they do have a lot of quirks, and some can be very annoying. Whether it’s difficult gameplay or just some elements of the game that don’t make sense, there is a lot to poke fun at with video games.
And that’s what memes are for! The best way to describe memes is inside jokes with those that can relate. Video game memes are even more like this. If you haven’t played the game, the meme on it wouldn’t make much sense. But if you are a fan, it becomes a hilarious joke. There are countless memes surrounding video games, the habits of gamers, and the little quirks a particular game has.
So here are 25 hilarious memes about your childhood games. Only true fans will get these memes, so let’s see if you know your games. Think we missed some good memes? Make sure to comment below!
25 Do Monkeys Even Like Watermelon?
Donkey Kong 64 was a pretty fun, but also kind of strange game. It was definitely one that you shouldn’t take too seriously since there was a lot of silliness going on. Even the lighter color scheme is a pretty good indication that this game is just meant to be fun. And it is! But there are a few things that don’t make a ton of sense, like the health.
In this game, your health is measured in watermelon, and that’s how you get health back, by eating watermelon. Maybe I’m stereotyping, but I thought something like bananas would make more sense for this group of monkeys to eat to regain health. (They do have bananas in the game, but they have a different purpose.) Plus, out of all the fruit, why watermelon? That’s kind of random, don’t you think?
24 You Are A Disgrace To Your Species
Remember Frogger? That crazy game where you had to run around as a frog, avoiding certain obstacles, and usually getting destroyed in somewhat gruesome ways? (Demise by lawnmower was one I remember rather vividly).
The game itself was pretty fun. It was all about timing, your reaction skills, and a bit of luck.
But there was one thing about Frogger (okay many things) that didn’t make sense. One of the obstacles that could eliminate Frogger was water. If he jumped in the water, he would drown. But. . . he’s a frog. What kind of frog can’t swim? Seriously, what’s that about? This meme questions that, wondering why an amphibian wouldn’t be able to swim. Maybe the guy is hydrophobic and he panics whenever he’s in the water. I don’t know.
23 I Hated It When This Happened
Money was an interesting thing in Zelda games. In some, you could never seem to find enough rupees, while in others, your wallet couldn’t hold it all. This seemed to happen more in the games that introduced things like Silver and Orange Rupees. These rupees were worth 200 and 300 rupees, so getting one was a real treat… unless your wallet was full.
This happened more often than you’d like. You’re wandering along with your wallet pretty much full, and of course, that’s when you find a huge rupee. So, it ends up going to waste. Apparently, enough gamers had a problem with this that it became a meme. I guess it’s a weird thing to complain that your wallet is full, but it does take away the satisfaction of finding one of those valuable rupees.
22 These Two Shouldn’t Be Left Unsupervised
In Kingdom Hearts, there’s no stronger friendship than between Sora, Riku, and Kairi. They’ve all done so much for each other, willing to sacrifice themselves to save each other. Even when Riku goes to the dark side for a while, Sora is still there to try and help him.
No matter what, they will be there for each other.
It’s also no secret that Riku is the slightly more responsible friend, mostly because he’s not quite as reckless as the other two. So, this meme totally shows what Sora and Kairi would do without Riku. I love this meme because it’s so applicable to many characters, and Kingdom Hearts fans will likely agree that this meme is pretty accurate. I could see Kairi and Sora doing something like this, while Riku just stares at them in confusion and exasperation.
21 The Bananas Will Destroy You
Anyone who’s played Mario Kart will understand the frustration this game inevitably brings. You could be doing great the entire race, but then make one mistake towards then end and you go from 1st place to 10th. And if you fall off the track, you’re just screwed.
So, this meme is a great explanation of just how evil banana peels are in Mario Kart. While they may not be as deadly as, say, blue shells (I hate those things), a banana peel can ruin your run pretty easily, if you’re not careful. One slip could lead you to losing your control, falling off the track, and there goes your hopes of winning 1st place. It’s frustrating, but it’s also incredibly hilarious when it’s not happening to you, so that’s probably why we still play this game.
20 It’s A Mini Mario!
You know, there’s a lot about Mario that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Where even is the Mushroom Kingdom? Does this place actually exist, or is Mario hallucinating? Why are we riding dinosaurs to go take out a giant turtle that stole a woman?
It’s all a little strange.
But this meme tackles one funny aspect of the classic Mario games that we don’t think much about: Mario shrinks when he takes damage. If you think about it, that’s kind of weird. He gets hit by something and he shrinks down to a smaller, squattier version of himself. What’s the physics behind that? And how do the mushrooms make him big again? And why does he then perish the when smaller version of him gets hit? Maybe there’s some things about Mario that we just shouldn’t question.
19 The Laws Of Physics Are More Like Suggestions
Mortal Kombat was a great, if surprisingly bloody, fighting game. And who doesn’t remember the awesome theme song? The catch-phrases in that game have become pretty iconic, like “Finish Him!” and “Fatality.” Even if you’ve never played the game, you’re pretty familiar with the theme and the characters. But the game wasn’t without its quirks.
This meme covers one quirk with the character Sub-Zero. If you get hit by his ice blast, you are frozen for a short amount of time. But what happens when you’re in mid-air when his blast hits you? Well, you stay suspended in mid-air. Apparently, the laws of physics don’t apply to Mortal Kombat. Either that or Subzero’s blasts are so powerful, it can freeze time around you so you just stay suspended in the air. But it’s probably just gaming logic.
18 I Think Inception Inspired This
Did you know that the first Portal game came out ten years ago? I don’t know about you, but that makes me feel a bit old. Anyway, the game was a great mixture of a puzzle game with something more sinister lurking under the surface. And the idea of a portal gun is so cool! Seriously, I want one.
But besides just solving puzzles, you could do some pretty crazy stuff with this gun.
And that’s what this meme is all about. Not only can you create portals, but you can create portals within portals and . . . you get the idea. There’s a lot of mind-bending stuff going on here that will just hurt your brain if you think too hard about it. But that’s what makes this game pretty awesome!
17 I Am No Man
There have been many crazy plot twists in video games over the years. But I think one of the most iconic ones that took many gamers by surprise was the twist at the end of Metroid. The entire time, you’ve been playing this character Samus and have been fighting off several monsters, proving your strength and agility.
But the end of the game reveals a rather important detail: Samus is actually a girl! And many gamers were completely shocked. Granted, her armor didn’t really give much away (it’s armor doing its job). It’s also kind of sad that it was so shocking to gamers that a totally tough and awesome space bounty hunter could actually be a woman. But Samus has gone on to become one Nintendo’s strongest and most iconic female characters. You go, girl!
16 This Guy’s Weakness Makes No Sense
Sonic was pretty much Sega’s Mario, and he proved to be a pretty amazing character. While his newer games have been hit and miss (mostly miss), you can’t deny his classics were just that: classics.
But that doesn’t mean the game doesn’t have a few quirks that don’t make a lot of sense.
And this meme talks about probably the weirdest one. If Sonic falls into lava, it’s bad, but not necessarily the end of the world; he just loses some rings. But if he falls into water, he’s done. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought lava was supposed to be a lot deadlier than water. Wouldn’t having it the other way around make a lot more sense? Seriously, what the heck is Sonic made of where lava doesn’t hurt him too badly, but water is instant doom?
15 This Was Such A Good Feeling
You can’t get much more classic than Tetris. It was the ultimate puzzle game that could get surprisingly intense. (Seriously, it’s so stressful when the blocks are building up and you can’t seem to find the ones you need, and ugh.) And, sometimes it felt like the game was conspiring against you, giving you all the blocks you didn’t need and not the ones that you really needed.
And the most coveted block was the famous straight-line block. If you played it right and got a straight block, you could take out so many lines. But these things didn’t show up a ton. And nothing was worse than when you would get one, but mess up and put it in a spot that didn’t help. But when you got it right, man, that feeling was way more satisfying than it ever should’ve been.
14 Seriously, I Don’t Need To Hear An Explanation Again
Skyward Sword had a mixed bag of reviews. Some liked it, some hated it, and some liked some elements while hating other elements. I personally liked the story of Skyward Sword, and I liked the lighter color designs, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the gameplay. (And don’t get me started on the Imprisoned battles, I freaking hated those.)
This meme covers one element that could get incredibly annoying after a while.
Throughout the game, you could gather different elements, like bugs, rocks, and other things. You could then use them later to upgrade armor and make more powerful potions. But what was annoying was that when you picked up the element, it would then pause the game and tell you what it was, even if you had picked up over 36 of these already. Seriously, so annoying.
13 Now Whip It!
Castlevania was a great fantasy game that eventually had you going up against Dracula himself. The game has gone through quite a few variations and even has its own Netflix series (which is amazing, by the way). As a Belmont, you fought many monsters and demons with the world’s most powerful weapon: The Vampire Killer, which is… a whip?
Yes, one of the most powerful weapons in this game is actually a whip. (Now all I can think of is Indiana Jones becoming a vampire hunter. I would watch that.) But don’t be fooled; this thing can actually do a lot of damage, not only to vampires, but also demons and even the Grim Reaper himself. So, this meme basically pokes a little fun at the whip, quoting “Whip it!” which is both hilarious and kind of accurate. If all else fails, just whip the vampire!
12 Donkey Kong Is Such A Hipster
You know when all those hipster memes were super popular? Like the idea of just putting glasses on a character and have them say they were doing a certain thing before it was cool. Sometimes the meme was annoying, and sometimes it was fantastic. It often depended on the character that was getting hipsterfied.
And I think in the case of Donkey Kong, this meme works surprisingly well.
Considering the Donkey Kong game was one of the first games with Mario and Donkey Kong and one of the early games of Nintendo, the meme is pretty accurate. But now, I’m just imagining hipster Donkey Kong with his glasses and just saying this to somebody, and it’s a fantastic scenario in my head. Someone make this into a comic, please?
11 Hey, Summoning Is Hard
The Final Fantasy series is pretty popular, filled with all sorts of fantasy-themed violence, crazy battles, and interesting characters. But the games can have a few quirks that can frustrate gamers. One difficult aspect of the gameplay involves summoning your retainers in Final Fantasy XIV.
This meme shows the annoyance of this game mechanic. If you try to summon your retainer while its still out and active, it can’t be summoned. You then have to go and talk to your retainer directly, or you had to try a different ward to summon them. For many gamers, this caused a lot of problems, especially if you forgot your retainer was out, but then needed it. This meme is perfect at showing what probably every gamer felt when they had to read those words.
10 What Is Up With These Proportions?
If you’ve never played Frogger, just know that it could be a very frustrating and stressful game that often depended on a bit of luck. Now, there’s a lot of things about this game that doesn’t make sense, but one big one is the design.
Have you actually just looked at the sizes of everything in Frogger?
You’ll notice that something is off. And that’s what this meme is talking about. The fact that this frog is the same size as many of the cars is strange enough, but when you realize the crocodiles are also the same size as these cars and trucks, it’s a little freaky. And the whole concept that this frog is hopping across the street, over the water (which he can’t swim in, apparently) avoiding giant crocodiles and trying to get to the other side to… something. We don’t actually know. This game makes no sense.
9 Gaming Withdrawal Is Real
Ever had a gaming hangover? No? It’s probably also called something like End of Game Depression. (I completely made that up, but it makes sense.) Basically, it’s that moment when you finish a game, and you get depressed because the thing you spent so much time on is now over, and you’re not sure what to do now. So, all you do is lie on the floor (or your bed, or couch, or whatever) and just stare into space, still lost in the world of that game.
Apparently, enough gamers go through this that it became a meme. It’s hard to let go of something you loved, especially when you put a lot of time and effort into it. Even if the game had the absolutely perfect ending (which is rare), there’s still that moment where you just think, “Now what?”
8 Mario Is Very Forgiving
Mario and Bowser have been enemies for a long time, and you can see why. Bowser stole Mario’s girlfriend and has tried to take over the Mushroom Kingdom and destroy Mario multiple times. Bowser has caused a lot of grief for Mario, so what does Mario do?
He invites Bowser to come play golf, of course!
Yeah, if you put all the multiplayer games like Mario Party,Mario Kart, and Mario Golf in context with the other games, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. Here we’ve got these two mortal enemies just playing golf like it’s no big deal that Bowser tried to off Mario a couple of days ago. Either this whole Mario and Bowser fighting is a ruse or Mario is a lot more forgiving than he has any right to be.
7 She Needs To Keep Better Track Of Her Stuff
Throughout most Metroid games, you find pretty cool upgrades to your armor and weapons. You can get things like stronger armor, grappling hooks, and different kinds of beams for your gun. So, in Metroid Prime, Samus is equipped to deal with just about anything. And then she loses it all.
Seriously, in the beginning of the game, due to an explosion, her suit is damaged and she loses most of her upgrades, reduced to just her basic suit and her power beam. This is actually a common theme in Metroid games. You start out all-powerful, but you then lose all the cool fancy upgrades due to something happening. You then spend the rest of the game finding your upgrades again. I get that it’s a game mechanic and playing the game wouldn’t be that fun if you already had all the cool gadgets. But seriously, Samus, you need to watch your stuff more carefully.
6 Such Inspiring Words
You know the memes where they take characters and put inspiring quotes they’ve said in games next to them? There are actually some pretty amazing quotes out there, said by these characters we’ve played and grown up with.
And then there’s Pacman.
I actually love this meme of taking characters that don’t actually say anything, or only make sound effects, and putting them in a quote, like they’re saying something profound. The idea of Pacman just addressing the audience as a motivational speaker and saying “Waka waka waka” so seriously is such a funny image in my head. Then again, maybe the dude is saying something profound and we just don’t know it. Or maybe he’s just messing with us. Either way, I now want to see Pacman as a motivational speaker.
