Slang terms can come from anywhere, and while some of today's newly coined vocabulary can sound a little silly, what's important is that people understand each other when they communicate.
If you've scoured your fair share of the internet over few years, chances are you've seen "PogChamp" or "poggers" in the comments of videos or articles. But what does it mean?
Here's everything you need to know about it...
What Pogchamp Means and When to Use It
PogChamp is the name of a Twitch emote—one of the oldest ones on the platform, in fact. Both the emote and the emote name are used to express excitement or surprise, in either a genuine or sarcastic way.
Twitch emotes are exactly what they sound like: emojis, emotions, or pictograms exclusive to the Twitch app and website. They're used by viewers and streamers to express different feelings in chat.
The term "PogChamp" is derived from the phrase "Pog Champion" or "Play of Game Champion", while the phrase "Play of the Game" is believed to have been popularized by Overwatch, a competitive first-person shooting game. Overwatch has a feature wherein at the end of every match, a highlight reel showcases the "best" play of that match.
"PogChamp" and the sentiment it describes has spawned many derivatives. Both "poggers" and simply "pog" have gained a significant presence in online slang. It's common to see streamers react with excitement to something by saying "poggers".
And while it has made its way onto forums and other corners of the internet, you wouldn't use it with most acquaintances in daily life unless they're also aware of the term's context.
The Origins of the PogChamp Emote
The iconic, overexaggerated shocked face of the original PogChamp emote was first seen in a YouTube video by Cross Counter TV in 2010.
In it, internet personality Ryan "Gootecks" Gutierrez makes a face with both his eyes and mouth wide open in response to the cameraman bumping into the tripod. Sitting right next to him is fellow streamer Mike Ross.
Eventually, the meme-worthy reaction became a Twitch emote.
According to Kotaku, Twitch personalities whose likenesses are used for emotes are paid on a per-usage basis. This means that there is a charge every time someone uses the emote.
It is estimated that Gutierrez used to make around $50,000 per year off of Twitch users spamming the image of his face in chat. On top of that, Gutierrez was paid somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000 upfront—just to allow Twitch to use his likeness.
However, Gutierrez would not represent PogChamp forever. On January 6, 2021, Twitch banned the original PogChamp emote, stating that the original image was to be removed from the platform.
As a result, the platform has created a new PogChamp emote. Twitch has since had a variety of online creators become the new PogChamp face; streamers with varying backgrounds and audience sizes.
The emote carries the same meaning as the original—expressing a surprised, excited, or shocked reaction. However, the emote itself has changed.
And even with the Twitch ban on the PogChamp emote with Gutierrez's face, the use of "poggers" and "pog" in internet slang will likely continue unaffected.
PogChamp Expresses Excitement, Joy, or Shock
PogChamp is one of the oldest Twitch emotes, but it also happens to be one of the most versatile.
Because of its ability to describe both positive and negative reactions, PogChamp will likely continue to be used all over the internet, even if the face attached to the name won't always be the same.