The fourth instalment of the online World of Warcraft franchise came out in 2004. A year later, a video was released which has since settled in YouTube and meme history.
Warcraft Movies debuted the clip 12 years ago today. It shows a bunch of users, known as the Pals for Life clan, talking about a very complex battle strategy before launching their next encounter. When I say complex, one of the characters even says they have a 32.333 percent chance of survival - the tactics were THAT specific.
The character of Leeroy Jenkins was there, but his human user, Ben Shultz, was making food and missed the detailed war plan. He came back unaware of the plot and charged in like a boss, but not before yelling his name in an incredibly funny way.
Check out the footage here:
Credit: YouTube/andrew55
He later told National Public Radio: "[The players] were drinking 40ozs and just yelling at each other so now I'm famous for that."
The video went viral and has since been viewed more than 46 million times. The footage reached executives at World of Warcraft and they decided he should be honoured. He was featured in the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game in 2006 and was made into a figurine two years later. EA Games also offered him the chance to be a game tester but he turned it down (Why?).
Not only that, but World of Warcraft created an achievement called 'Leeeeeeeeeeeeeroy!' which is awarded to players who kill 50 of the rookery whelps within 15 seconds.
While the video has survived through the ages as internet gold, it was also suggested as a tactic to help the American army advise Iraqi troops that they were training. Yep.
In the Armed Forces Journal, an article was published in 2009 titled 'Leeroy Jenkins and the American way of advising'.
Captain Robert Chamberlain wrote the feature story, saying: "One of the most important conceptual trends in counterinsurgency in Iraq has been the steady broadening of our intellectual horizons to include tribal leaders, local businesses, infrastructure, demographics, media and more. Sadly, the same cannot be said of our approach to the Iraqi Security Forces.
"The video, which has been viewed more than 10 million times, is analogous to the disparity between the deliberation with which American forces approach counterinsurgency and the blunt ignorance with which they approach advising."
There is speculation that the video was staged by the Pals for Life clan to point out how some people take the game way too seriously by meticulously planning every move instead of just enjoying the experience.
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But regardless of whether it was fake or not, it's fucking hilarious and will continue to be praised as one of the earliest Internet memes.
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/andrew55