How Leroy Jenkins Has Changed Gaming

In a computer generated dungeon, a group of wizards, dwarves, and paladins stand in a rough approximation of a circle. Through a door to their left, a room full of dragons wait.

Solemn and focused, they discuss the method they'll use to take on the room. The group's leader asks for an estimated chance of survival: one member offers up the answer at a grim 33.3%.

Their plan is set. Their nerves are steel. Their resolve is steadfast.

Suddenly, a less serious voice comes over the game.

"Alright, guys, let's do this. LEEEEROOOOOYYYY, JEEENNNKINNNS!"

The other players watch in horror as one of their members betrays the plan to run into the dragon cave, alone. They run to save him, yelling "stick to the plan! Stick to the plan!"

Alas, they're doomed to fail.

The carefully laid plan quickly falls to pieces as they're picked off one at a time by the dragons.

"Leroy, you are just stupid." one of them says.

"At least I've got chicken."

Several days later, the video of the fateful game was posted to the video website YouTube.

The fallout was tremendous. The video has easily become the most popular clip in all of the World of Warcraft, and has been mentioned in numerous pop culture outlet from Jeopardy to the Howard Stern Show. For some reason, Leroy Jenkins seems to have a weird form of universal comedic appeal.

Leroy Jenkins' clan, Pals 4 Life, immediately began selling Leroy Jenkins shirts and merchandise. Leroy became an overnight superstar in the gaming community and the world at large.

Maybe people are laughing at his dim-witted destruction of a well-made plan. More likely, they're laughing at the prank of a kid who doesn't take himself too seriously. In any case, the video's fame has changed how the world sees gamers; the geekiness of the other characters is, of course, pretty stereotypical, but Leroy has shown the world that gamers have a sense of humor, too. Even in the most time consuming, life wrecking game around (World of Warcraft), there are regular jackasses like Leroy Jenkins waiting to burst pretentious nerds' bubbles.

It's not much, but it is one more step towards gaming becoming a socially acceptable pass time. Leroy Jenkins is cool in his weird way, and he represents a sect of gamers that understand that their hobby isn't supposed to be taken seriously. They're normal, they're well adjusted, they're funny, and they game.

And they like chicken.