guides
Why Do People Want 'Shorter Games With Worse Graphics'? A Gaming Meme Explained
The video game panic du jour concerns publishers shutting down AA gaming studios, even if they produce well-liked games that sell well.
The most headline-grabbing of these recently was to Tango Gameworks, which was shut down by Microsoft after it made last year's very well-received Hi-Fi Rush. That game was short and scored exceptionally well, but that apparently wasn't enough for Microsoft.
Meanwhile, publishers continue to ship massive games promising state-of-the-art graphical fidelity, even if they're not very well-liked. Amid this current state of gaming, a refrain has seen rise into memedom: "I Want Shorter Games With Worse Graphics and I'm Not Kidding."
Here's where the catchphrase originated, what it means and how it became a meme.
What Does 'I Want Shorter Games With Worse Graphics' Mean?
The full phrase was originally tweeted by X / Twitter user @Jordan_Mallory in June 2020, and it reads, "I want shorter games with worse graphics made by people who are paid more to work less and I'm not kidding." At the time, "crunch" was a major topic of discussion in the gaming industry (and it still is), as there were reports of developers being forced to work obscene hours in order to make their deadline.
Thus, the "shorter and worse graphics" phrase is an expression of a consumer saying they would rather have a modest title made by people who are adequately compensated and not forced to work inhumane hours.
How Did The Phrase Become A Meme?
By far the most popular image to feature the phrase uses the Sonic the Hedgehog Alone on a Friday Night? template.
That was tweeted later in 2020 by Twitter user @MsFeliciaRondo. From there, most of the memes featuring the phrase feature a character in a pose similar to Sonic's.
Furthermore, the phrase itself has become a phrasal template used to express various opinions, both general and unpopular. The Sonic template is also commonly used with these.
For the full history of I Want Shorter Games With Worse Graphics and I'm Not Kidding, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.
