There’s a storied legacy behind the PogChamp meaning, and it all began way back in 2010. For years, PogChamp has been one of the most popular reaction emotes on the likes of Twitch, YouTube, and Twitter, and even the word itself has become commonplace in streaming and social media circles. If you’ve ever been called ‘my little PogChamp’ or wondered why so many people spam the PogChamp emote, then this guide really is for you.
In this walkthrough, we’ll break down the PogChamp meaning, explore the foundations of the PogChamp original video, and answer an all-important question: Why was PogChamp removed from Twitch? Strap in – it’s meme-learning time!
What is the PogChamp Origin Video?
For the longest time, the PogChamp emote was an exaggerated facial expression of Ryan Gutierrez, otherwise known as Gootecks. Once upon a time, Gutierrez was a fighting game streamer, but he has since grown into a role as a company founder, educator, and author. In a video posted in 2010 (which now has 7.4 million views), Gutierrez reacts to something with his co-host and pulls an exaggerated face, and there you have it – the PogChamp origin is revealed.
Below, you can see the PogChamp original video in all its glory:
It was around a year later that another video was released on the channel, this one a promotional piece talking about the ‘Pogs Championship’. In this video, Gutierrez was declared the ‘Pog Champion’, winning the event that was played out via a game of ‘Pogs’. It’s something that has since passed out of recollection, but Pogs was once upon a time a popular and entertaining game – and it’s thanks to this game that Gutierrez ultimately became known as the Pog Champion.
Pog Champion.
PogChamp.
It’s reported that Gutierrez was paid between $50,000 and $100,000 by Twitch for allowing them to use his likeness on the site.
So, that’s where the PogChamp meaning comes from – you’re welcome!
Why Was PogChamp Removed from Twitch?
In January 2021, the original PogChamp emote was removed from Twitch, arguably the world’s most popular streaming platform. Following a dramatic turn of events where rioters stormed the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. during a protest, the PogChamp himself, Ryan Gutierrez, posted a controversial message on the social media platform, Twitter. It was inflammatory, and it was enough for Twitch to remove the PogChamp emote from the platform, given its association with Gutierrez.
Here’s the original explanation from the Twitch social media channel:
However, that wouldn’t be the end of PogChamp. Later in 2021, Twitch started issuing changes to the PogChamp emote, not willing to retire it entirely. For a while, Twitch rotated the emote, putting a new face in its place once every 24 hours. It showcased various other streamers reacting in a similar way to the PogChamp origin image. Following backlash from the community – because you can’t please everyone – Twitch decided to ultimately settle on a new target for the PogChamp emote…
A Komodo Dragon.
On February 11th, 2021, Twitch viewers voted the Komodo Dragon into the history books, and since then, that has been the feature of the PogChamp emote.
Read also:
What is the PogChamp Meaning in Esports?
There are a lot of esports tournaments hosted on Twitch, and every time they go live, there will be occasions where PogChamp is spammed in the chat. Typically, it’ll be spammed in the Twitch – or YouTube – chat during a shocking or exciting moment in an esports event. If a player pulls off an epic clutch, secures a ninja defuse, or just goes on a killing spree against the opposing team, you’re very likely to see PogChamp spammed in the chat – it’s just a reaction thing.
This is what it’ll look like:
Pogchamp
Over time, PogChamp has entered the Twitch vernacular in other ways, being amended over the years and becoming something much shorter. For example, from Pog Champion, it became PogChamp, and from there, it became ‘Poggers’. Then, finally, as short as it could be, it became ‘Pog’. So, if in an esports event a player does something impressive, people will say ‘Pog’ as a way of expressing how excited they are
What is ‘Time to Throw PogChamp’
In 2021, one of the world’s most popular streamers, xQc, became embroiled in a competition with Minecraft speedrunner, Forsen. They went back and forth attempting to beat one another’s speedrunning record in the game, and often, xQc would watch Forsen’s attempts, streaming his reactions live to his audience.
During one video, the conversation turned to ‘throwing’, which is a term used to describe someone almost deliberately sabotaging at attempt at something. If someone tries to throw a no-damage speedrun, they’ll deliberately charge at an enemy recklessly enough to take damage, for example.
In the clip below, you can see how a donation was made to trigger a text-to-speech function, with the input being ‘time to throw PogChamp’. As text-to-speech cannot translate text into emotes, that’s all the bot said, over and over again, at the exact moment that Forsen failed his speedrun attempt and died, much to xQc’s delight.
Does That Clear It Up?
So, there you have it – the complete history of the PogChamp emote. If you don’t understand the PogChamp meaning by now, then unfortunately, there’s nothing more that we can do for you! IT doesn’t end there, though – we have many more guides for Twitch terminology…
Do you know the MonkaS emote? What about the KEKW meaning? Find it out more also about the Kappa meme and the Jebaited meaning!
Read also: Press f to pay respect meaning.
