Category: Pop Culture

Examples: IrateCartman, DTenacious, StJimmy521, GHOSTGUNDAM, Frostythebatman, Scareface neilo, Yoda 40111, Kornholio33, S1LENT H1LL, Zelda64

The possible motivations behind referencing a famous piece of pop culture - be it a movie, TV show, comic book, musical group or even videogame - are many.

Emulation is one reason. Rather than pretending to be a murdering madman, a legendary lover or an adored animal, players choose to embody the essence of a character or celebrity. Cartman and Scarface don't take guff from anyone and neither do they!

Or is it a blatant bid for popularity and acceptance? By associating themselves with something they know to be extremely well liked, gamers hope to be automatically lumped together with the "cool kids." Even obscure references are carefully constructed to receive approval... in this case, from the cultural elite who are hardcore enough to understand them.

Dr. Frederiksen: "Conformity is a common theme in many pop references. The gamer is expressing his or herself by identifying with a pop icon. Oddly enough, even the reference to characters that symbolize non-conformity or rebellion can be a type of conformity itself."