What began as a quirky splash screen message in a video game has turned into a meme and a humorous rallying cry for fans of Sega’s Yakuza series. What does that phrase mean, and how did it become this familiar within gaming culture?
Origin of the Phrase
“Real Yakuza use a gamepad” first came into being about the Hit PC port of Yakuza 0, which came out for consoles in 2015, and hit PC in 2018. When players started the PC version, the phrase appeared on screen:
“Real Yakuza use a gamepad.”
This was intended as a gentle poke from the developers at Sega, to tell people that it was preferable to use a controller over a mouse and keyboard to play the game, given that Yakuza 0 itself was developed for the console, and so combat mechanisms, menus, and movement were all optimized for a gamepad experience.
Why It Struck a Chord
Within a short time, the line covered itself in meme dust for a few reasons:
- Absurd Juxtaposition: Tough, gritty gangsters’ association with something mundane as a game controller is in itself pretty damn funny. It brings out the contrast between the assassin world and the deadly, serious image of the yakuza, with the lighthearted world of gaming.
- Community Identity: To fans of the Yakuza, the message became some kind of inside joke or badge of honor. Using a gamepad was not only about making the player enjoy the game; it became part of the “real fan” identity.
- Meme Culture: Gamers have ironic humor; hence, it was quickly assimilated, remixed, and put into circulation on social media platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and Discord, where it was constantly being used to gatekeep for fun or to poke fun at “hardcore” gamer attitudes.
Conclusion
Beyond the Meme, which again just points out the detail at which even the littlest throwaway lines can be turned into something of a lifeform in the fan communities. It also affirms much about the power of humor in game development and marketing, as measured by which players remember and share anything funny to them.
Which is to say, either you use a keyboard, or you have a gamepad, or you are playing it on your mobile phone-the underlying message is quite clear: actual Yakuza-or at least real fans-would not be taking themselves too seriously. And perhaps, just perhaps, a gamepad is what makes the punches feel a bit more powerful.
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