Leeroy Jenkins at 20: How a WoW Joke Became a Gaming Legend
Leeroy Jenkins, the legendary World of Warcraft meme, is now 20 years old, launching onto the internet on May 11, 2005. The iconic cry of “Leeeeeeroy Jenkins!” has been a defining meme for gamers since.
Blizzard Entertainment released World of Warcraft on November 23, 2004, beginning two decades of dominance within the MMO space, and one of its most iconic moments is the legendary Leeroy Jenkins meme, which is now 20 years old.
The video, uploaded on May 11, 2005, to Warcraftmovies and available via the Wayback Machine, went viral after player Ben Schulz screamed “Leeeeeeroy Jenkins!” before sprinting into a raid while his group was still planning a strategy.
The Origin of Leeroy Jenkins
In May 2005, a WoW guild called “Pals for Life,” decided to attempt Blackrock Spire, but while the group was strategizing and even talking about the supposed “32.33” percentage of victory, Schulz, took matters into his own hands by charging into the dungeon, drawing disbelief and panic among the group as they hilariously attempted to salvage the situation in the sudden chaos.
Players have often wondered if the whole event was staged, and in 2017, Schulz admitted it was staged to attract new members to the Pals for Life guild. Although, as Kotaku pointed out, Ben “Anfrony” Vinson, the person who recorded the video, said they never expected it to go viral, stating: “We didn’t think anyone would believe it was real, we thought it was so obviously satire.”
To show it was staged, Anfrony and Schulz released the first attempt at creating the video, which you can watch below.
How the Meme Took Over the Internet
Leeroy Jenkins was a meme before memes, going viral, before many knew the word, playing a pivotal role in early meme culture. The original video, titled “Leery Jenkins – A Rough Go,” went on to become “a pop-culture phenomenon, says Dictionary.com, being referenced on TV shows such as South Park and My Name is Earl.
According to the site: “The idea of pulling a Leeroy quickly came to be synonymous with being the one person who, through their own impatience and impulsiveness, sabotages a carefully planned situation and causes the colossal failure of whatever goal they were working to achieve.”
Leeroy’s Legacy 20 Years Later
Since his viral video, Ben Schulz appeared at BlizzCon in 2017 and has been a guest on many interviews. Leeroy has become a character in his own right, with Barney Stinson quoting the iconic character in How I Met Your Mother, and he even appeared on Jeopardy as a question.
Blizzard has also paid tribute to it over the years, including giving him his own card in Hearthstone and adding him as a non-playable character in the Warlords of Draenor expansion.
It’s safe to assume that Schulz didn’t realize what he was creating in 2005, but as the saying goes, “not all heroes wear capes.” But they do often wear guild tabards.
Conclusion
Leeroy Jenkins is now 20 years old, first appearing on Warcraftmovies in 2005. Do you think Leeroy is the most popular gaming meme? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Fueled by a passion for gaming and the ever-evolving world of gaming news, Daniel loves connecting with seasoned and new players to bring games to life on the page, exploring their narratives and gaming trends. A self-published fiction and fantasy author, Daniel has nearly 20 years of experience writing gaming news and a love for storytelling that drives his enthusiasm to deliver breaking news, in-depth analysis, and industry innovations. You will find him in-game as "Windfell."
Download the Allkeyshop Browser Extension Free
For all the latest video game news, trailers, and best deals, make sure to bookmark us.
You can find all the best and cheapest online deals on CD keys, game codes, gift cards, and antivirus software from the verified CD key sellers on our store pages.
To not miss any news on Allkeyshop, subscribe on
Google News
.
MORE RELEVANT ARTICLES
