If we can thank the internet for one thing, this generation, let it be the explosive growth of “meme culture,” which manages to be at once cultural significant, culturally damning, and usually hilarious. In addition to the figurative ocean of delightful memes floating around online, we’ve also seen the emergence of games based on those memes…which may or may not possess all of the same traits described above. Appamatix is happy to present an accumulation of the 10 best meme games that we’ve found online, for your viewing pleasure (or eye-rolling pleasure, as you like.)
The fun thing about memes is, you probably have already encountered several even if you don’t know the meaning of the word (and there are many, many out there who don’t know it!) The most common definition of “meme” is, “an element of culture or aspect of behavior that’s passed from one individual to another, usually through social interaction.”
What is the internet, if not a gigantic, hot, beautiful mess of social interaction? It’s no small wonder that humor is what brings people together amidst that mess, and we’d be hard pressed to disagree with the fact that the most popular memes being shared are pretty damn funny.
The thing is, some people take their memes very seriously. So seriously, that they have their own, user-imposed categorical system by which you can search them.
…I know. This is serious business. If you’re not wearing your serious face, put it on.
From troll face to overly-protective girlfriend to nyan cat to “therefore aliens” to philosoraptor (whew), memes have practically become their own image-based language, a lexicon through which we can communicate. And trash talk. And poke fun at the ridiculous tendencies of our own culture, just as easily as they can bring levity to a tragedy.
With so many people using, sharing, modifying, and embracing these elements of meme culture, it’s no surprise that it’s spawned a plethora of games, most of which were programmed and designed by only a handful of people, and all of which you can play for free. The barrier of entry is extremely low, meaning that you can probably play them from any computer that has an Adobe Flash-equipped web browser.
You can also find most of these games localized in the same places, which has allowed their popularity to spread more than it otherwise would. Though they number in the dozens, here are 10 of the best meme games that you can currently find online.
My Garbage Cat Wakes Me Up at 3AM Every Day
Who knows which meme, exactly, spawned this little gem. Garbage cat doesn’t have a face, so much as its a gross representation of the neediness of all domestic felines, but the origin matters less than the fact that this game is…pretty fun, for the right kind of person.
In a cruel twist, you’re playing as the garbage cat, and your nemesis is the man who’s trying to gain a few blissful hours of sleep. Your mission? Knock everything off the walls, scream, yowl, and knead your adoring owner until he finally wakes up. Simple? Oh, absolutely. You won’t find hours of replayability here, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be laughing by the end of it.
Click here to play!
Nyan Cat: Lost in Space
Okay, we can pretty easily identify the culprit behind this little beauty, and like the title above, it’s going to capitalize on everything that you know about cats in order to make you laugh. It especially takes advantage of the common knowledge that cats are capable of interstellar travel, and regularly exit our atmosphere to explore space.
You’re on a mission for milk, candy, and cake. In space. You can hop in a rocket and move through space faster. You can grab a “crack pill” and become Crack Nyan, which makes the screen shake, flash, and vibrate to the bass rhythms of heavy electronic music.
If that sounds up your alley, then check it out. If it doesn’t…then dear God, why not? You can even download it on iOS!
Trollface Launch 2
Defying every expectation about meme games, this is a title where you’re doing nothing gross, indecent, provocative, or outright meaningful in any way. You play as trollface, sat atop a toilet throne, trying to keep speeding across a landscape full of other memes while racking up a higher and higher score.
Items that you pick up (including Facebook-esque “likes”) will boost a meter that allows you to propel yourself via belching. If you want to jump, you need only flush your toilet. As your score gets higher and higher, you somehow accrue money (???) which can be spent on upgrades for Trollface and his very mobile toilet.
If it sounds ridiculous and you’re still onboard, follow this link to check it out. A warning to your health and safety, though–it’s incredibly addicting!
DogeMiner
Your target? The moon. Your quest? Earn the 50 billion doge coin that it’s going to take to get there. Wow! Such many!
I hope your clicking finger is in good shape, because every click is a mined doge coin, and you’re going to need a lot of doge coin to get to the moon. Thankfully, you can spend your coin to hire everything from slave kittens to doge kennels, and also upgrade your doge miners’ helmets to fedoras for…better tipping.
Right! It makes about as much sense out loud as you’d imagine, but doge is one of the most popular memes online, and we should be so honored to take charge of the mining operating that’s going to send him to the moon. Follow the link to play, and wear out the left-click button on your mouse that much quicker.
Meme Generator
If you follow meme culture at all, you’ll probably know that there’s no way to predict what’s going to become the next big meme. Many have tried, all have failed. They seem to spring out of nowhere, innocuous moments that might otherwise have gone unnoticed…if someone hadn’t slapped that text on an otherwise unassuming image and turned it into a cultural phenomenon.
The point is, you can’t make memes, but with Meme Generator, you can make memes. They might not be lasting memes, but they’ll be your memes, and you should be proud of your memes. Check out the link, and slap together some of the most recognized meme images into something unforgettable (even if it’s only just for you.)
LOL Eater 2
Think of it like freestyle Pacman, except not like Pacman at all because there are no boundaries, no walls, and moving your little Lol Eater around the screen is as easy as moving your mouse. It might not be the most engaging experience ever, but hell if it isn’t one of the most addictive.
The rules are simple: eat the green memes, avoid the red memes. Hitting a red meme will end everything while eating green memes will slowly allow your grotesque little avatar to grow in size. Combo points and other modifiers can be picked up if you’re fast enough, and the game throws new curveballs at you as your score increases. Check it out here!
Gangnam Run
This is a game about running. It’s also a game about Psy’s hit single “Gangnam Style,” and it somehow also manages to be loosely about the Gangnam district. Don’t ask me how all of these things come together, but they do. The game only uses two buttons on your keyboard. Jump with the “arrow up” key and enter “Gangnam Dash” mode by hitting the space bar when it’s appropriate. Maybe it’s never appropriate. Maybe it’s always appropriate. Maybe that isn’t for me to see.
Either way, this is an addictively simple little platformer that you should check out. Oh, and if you get sick of the music (who would ever?!) hit “M” to mute it.
Trollface Quest 6
In this riveting adventure, Trollface meme tackles sports. He doesn’t tackle them particularly well, and mostly it’s going to be dependent upon some simple clicking from you, but you are here for meme games! This is what you signed up for, so get clicking.
If you get sick of playing it in your browser, don’t worry–this addicting little gem is available on the iOS App Store and the Google Play store, too. There’s no escape and…after a few minutes playing it, you may not want to escape anyway. Check it out, here!
Cookie Clicker
I’m not sure if this is a mean joke (or maybe a “meme” joke) or what, but it is a deathtrap for people like me, that will click something for even the most meager reward. In this case, it’s an increasing number of cookies per second and evolving text to recognize how many cookies you’ve clicked.
Yes, you click cookies. Yes, it’s a thing, and no, I’m not even joking a little bit. Click on over and check it out, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
The Best Meme Game
Look, you can’t even blame me for this. It’s a list of meme games! You should have seen it coming! I make no apologies.
The list of available Flash games based on memes is practically endless, and if we’d let this list get out of control, we’d be in the hundreds–not these amazing ten. Still, if you want to find more, you won’t have to dig particularly far. Check out some of the available links in our guide, and get to digging (just hopefully not for more doge coins!)
As long as the meme sickness hasn’t set in, why not let us know how you enjoyed our list of the 10 best meme games? Drop your comments below, and if you enjoyed this list, share it on Facebook and Twitter!