What does "pog" mean in gaming? Explained

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What does "pog" mean in gaming? Explained

What does pog mean in gaming?

'Pog' is a gaming term used to describe something exciting and/or impressive. It’s typically used after a skilful play is made in a game, or in Twitch chat when the audience has been hyped up.

  • “That character skin is pog” = the character skin looks cool.
  • “Pogggg I can’t believe they hit that” = a player’s made a high-level play.

What is the origin of pog?

Back in 2012, Twitch implemented a new emote on their site titled ‘PogChamp’. It pictured streamer and professional fighting game player Ryan "Gootecks" Gutierrez looking surprised after a camera operator bumped into his camera.

Twitch users shortened the term PogChamp down to ‘pog’, ‘poggers’, and ‘pogU’ for ease of use, even creating additional emotes for each of these terms.

In 2021, the original version of the emote was removed from Twitch due to political controversy surrounding Gootecks after comments he made about the 2021 US Capitol riots. Twitch held a subsequent competition to find a replacement for the PogChamp name, where an image of a Komodo dragon opening its mouth came out on top.

The emote’s name derives from the video it was sourced from: ‘Pogs Championship’. In the video, streamers compete in a game of milk caps—or Pogs—which is an older, in-person game that was big in the 1990s.

Why was it called PogChamp?

The emote’s name derives from the video it was sourced from: ‘Pogs Championship’. In the video, streamers compete in a game of milk caps—or Pogs—which is an older, in-person game that was big in the 1990s.

Why did pog become so popular?

‘Pog’ has grown in popularity alongside Twitch, until it’s now a universal term in gaming and internet culture. It’s a short, easy-to-use phrase that can quickly convey excitement, hype, and anything in between.