# Gamers During WW3

Gamers During WW3 refers to Reddit comparison memes from January 2020 that imagined how fanbases of different video games would behave if conscripted into a global war, each playerbase weaponizing in-game mechanics. By January 5, 2020, the format had settled into a structured template on /r/dankmemes.

## Origin
The concept predates the January 2020 spread. Sketch troupe The Whitest Kids U' Know aired an episode called "Call of Duty" on February 3, 2009, which showed three soldiers who turn out to be players in an online multiplayer match[7]. On October 23, 2018, an anonymous 4chan /b/ user wrote a greentext imagining Generation Z drafted to fight Vietnam in 2020, and the screenshot was reposted to /r/4chan the next day where it collected over 20,700 upvotes[9].

The format took off alongside World War III memes in early January 2020. Redditor JPGameGuide posted the first Fortnite WW3 image to /r/memes on January 3, 2020[2]. Within an hour, Redditor Rthanos uploaded a near-identical meme to /r/dankmemes, which collected over 94,400 upvotes in five days[1].

- **Platform:** Reddit
- **Creator:** Unknown
- **Date:** 2020

## Overview
Typical posts picture Fortnite players throwing up wooden walls mid-firefight, Grand Theft Auto players hauling an entire suitcase arsenal, and Call of Duty veterans walking off headshots like respawn timers[1]. That joke targets how each playerbase's muscle memory would translate, badly or absurdly, into actual combat[3].

Most examples follow a side-by-side comparison layout. One January 2020 meme by Redditor zulhilmeme stacked Call of Duty, Fortnite and Team Fortress 2 players against each other, with every caption playing on a signature mechanic[4]. Fortnite's rapid building became the running centerpiece because its playerbase was already the main target of Reddit ridicule at the time[2].

## How to Use
Pick two or three video games with distinct mechanics, then show each fanbase applying its in-game habits to a real World War III scenario. Common convention is a vertical comparison layout, with the Fortnite player always building a wall and the Call of Duty player handling combat like a respawn match[5].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Gamers During WW3?
A Reddit comparison format from January 2020 that imagines how fanbases of different video games would act if drafted into World War III, with Fortnite building and GTA inventory jokes as the usual punchlines[3].

### Where did Gamers During WW3 come from?
The format took off on Reddit on January 3, 2020, with Fortnite WW3 memes by JPGameGuide and Rthanos, the latter reaching over 94,400 upvotes on /r/dankmemes in five days[1].

### What does Gamers During WW3 mean?
The joke is that each playerbase would try to use in-game mechanics as real tactics, so Fortnite players build walls, Call of Duty players treat death as a respawn, and GTA players carry an impossible loadout[4].

### How do you use Gamers During WW3?
Make a comparison image showing two or three games side by side, with each panel captioned by how that playerbase would use a signature mechanic in combat, as in ThunderCobra72's January 5, 2020 template post[8].

### Is Gamers During WW3 still popular?
The format is tied to the January 2020 World War III meme spike and quieted after that window, though the January 4 stalinisOURdaddy comparison with over 42,000 upvotes is still cited as a reference point[5].

## References
1. [https://www.reddit.com/r/dankmemes/comments/ejcuyr/we_are_all_going_to_die/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/dankmemes/comments/ejcuyr/we_are_all_going_to_die/>)
2. [https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/ejcikl/only_2_days_into_2020_and_we_have_this/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/ejcikl/only_2_days_into_2020_and_we_have_this/>)
3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/gamers-during-ww3](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/gamers-during-ww3>)
4. [https://reddit.com/r/tf2/comments/ejjg3g/trump_start_the_wae/](<https://reddit.com/r/tf2/comments/ejjg3g/trump_start_the_wae/>)
5. [https://www.reddit.com/r/dankmemes/comments/ek14gg/made_by_a_nonamerican/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/dankmemes/comments/ek14gg/made_by_a_nonamerican/>)
6. [https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/ejh2sw/deflect_those_bullet/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/ejh2sw/deflect_those_bullet/>)
7. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Whitest_Kids_U%27_Know](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Whitest_Kids_U%27_Know>)
8. [https://www.reddit.com/r/dankmemes/comments/ekb5b5/thatll_be_enough/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/dankmemes/comments/ekb5b5/thatll_be_enough/>)
9. [https://www.reddit.com/r/4chan/comments/9qyd57/trump_declares_war_on_vietnam/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/4chan/comments/9qyd57/trump_declares_war_on_vietnam/>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/gamers-during-ww3
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