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Memes

The ‘I Love Video Games’ meme is a perfect riff on men, women, and gaming culture

me too

Photo of Rebecca Leib

Rebecca Leib

I love video games meme with screenshot from 500 Days of Summer with Joseph Gordon Levitt saying 'i love video games' and zoey deschanel saying 'me too'(l), Same screenshot with video game covers next to Joseph and The lana del Rey song video games album over zoey(r)

The I Love Video Games meme is a two-panel meme based on a still image from the romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer, used to convey humor around diverging cultural tastes and interests between genders.

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Meme from 500 Days of Summer where one character is asking another 'do you like video games' in portugese. The other character replies yes. The first one meant ACTUAL video games, however, and the second meant the song by Lana Del Rey.
@honeyonthevine_/X

What is the I Love Video Games meme?

The I Love Video Games meme is a two-panel meme based on a still image of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel from the 2009 romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer.

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In the meme, the two characters are browsing in a record store. Gordon-Levitt’s character, Tom, is captioned with the line, “I love video games,” while Deschanel’s character, Summer, responds, “Me too.” The second panel reveals the type of video games each character likes: Tom enjoys popular games Red Dead Redemption, The Witcher, Elden Ring, and Resident Evil 4 (among others) while Summer likes the 2012 the Lana Del Rey song “video games.”

A photo of the 'I love video games meme' but the guy likes sillier games and the woman likes darker ones
@1544cimn/X

In the template version, the second panel is used to land the meme’s joke, depending on what the first panel says.

A variation on the 'I love video games meme' but with Wednesday; guy likes the actual day, girl likes the TV show
@1544cimn/X
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What does the I Love Video Games meme mean?

The meme is meant to humorously explore intellectual, relational, and cultural chasms between men and women, often relating to gaming and popular culture, and (like the original meme) sometimes using a song to land the joke.

A variation on the 'I love video games' meme but with Euphoria; guy likes the tv show, girl likes the track by BTS
@yoongerinelab/X
@yoongerinelab/X
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Origin and spread

X account @elyelgow first posted the meme in Portuguese on Nov. 5, 2024, receiving hundreds of reposts and thousands of likes. Four days later, it was translated into English by @honeyonthevine_, which also received considerable internet attention.

Meme from 500 Days of Summer where one character is asking another 'do you like video games' in portugese. The other character replies yes. The first one meant ACTUAL video games, however, and the second meant the song by Lana Del Rey.
@elyelgow/X

The image quickly spread, with meme authors using the template to create parodies and commentary about culture and gender dynamics.

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A variation on the 'I love video games meme' but with Eternal Sunshine; guy likes the movie, girl likes the Ariana Grande Song
@sunshinesnation/X

The most popular was user @cookimyun‘s version of the I Love Video Games meme, posted on Nov. 10., 2024. In it, Gordon-Leavitt’s character likes video games generally considered to be basic, while Deschanel’s character likes more intense and sophisticated video games (turning the original meme on its head).

Meme from 500 Days of Summer where one character is asking another 'do you like video games' in the first panel, and the other character replies yes. In the second panel, we see the first character likes very basic video games, while the second one likes far more nuanced ones.
@cookimyun/X

Meme basics:

  • Meme creator: @elyelgow
  • Meme type: parody, humor
  • First appearance: Nov. 5th, 2024
  • Origin source: X
  • Used to convey: irony, nerd culture
  • Peak popularity: Nov. 12th. 2024
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A photo of the 'I love video games meme' but instead of the Zooey Deschanel character saying 'me too' and it referencing the Lana Del Rey Song, her character likes The Sims
@FrolicRoom/X

Rooted in the complicated relationship between the two characters in (500) Days of Summer, this meme gives way to people’s perceptions of how men and women relate (or don’t relate!), in addition to author’s perception of each gender’s taste in culture.

A photo of the 'I love video games' meme but instead of the Zooey Deschanel character saying 'me too' and it referencing the Lana Del Rey Song, her character ALSO likes video games 'albeit different ones from the Joseph Gordon Levitt Character.
@memescentrai/X

Meme variations

Variations will play with gender likes and dislikes, cultural confusion, and the perception and reputation of different types of video games.

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Meme from 500 Days of Summer where one character saying 'I love blue' and the other says 'me too,' but in the second panel we see they like two totally different artists named blue.
u/Ok-Cap6895 via Reddit
Meme from 500 Days of Summer where one character is asking another 'do you like video games' in portugese. The other character replies yes. The second character meant the song by Lana Del Rey, and the second character likes video games, flipping the meme.
u/Ok-Cap6895 via Reddit
@ultrxviolence Fun fact: my fiance won my heart once he told me he was a LDR Fan & he’s seen her live 💕#lanadelrey #videogames ♬ Video Games – Lana Del Rey
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A variation on the 'I love video games meme' but with coding; guy likes basic coding programs, girl likes the hardcore stuff
@ankiitamalik/X

Sometimes (very rarely) men and women can enjoy the SAME thing (as a treat).

A photo of the 'I love video games meme' but instead of them thinking it's about different things, they both like 'league of Legends.'
@ankiitamalik/X

More video game memes:

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