Summary
The 2000s saw the release of several iconic games, such as Portal, Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead, and Counter-Strike, which spawned a variety of memes. One of the most popular memes of the era was "The Cake is a Lie" from Portal, which refers to the game's antagonist, GlaDOS, who uses the promise of cake to motivate the player's progress, only for it to be revealed as a fabrication.
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Another popular meme was "Gabe Newell" from Valve, which references the company's rise to power in the 2000s.
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The "Giant Enemy Crab" meme was born from a presentation of the PlayStation 3 game Genji: Days of the Blade at E3 2006
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, while the "Leeroy Jenkins" meme originated from a World of Warcraft player's solo charge into a room full of powerful enemies in 2005.
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Finally, the "Rules Are Made To Be Broken" meme is based on the warning not to blow into Nintendo 64 cartridges.
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