Who Started Saying GG? The Curious History of Gaming‘s Most Legendary Acronym

As an avid gamer since the 1980s and a streaming personality today, I‘ve seen the continuing evolution of gaming culture first-hand. And few things symbolize the spirit of gaming more than the classic term "GG." Its origins may be obscured, but "GG" represents an ethos of sportsmanship that defined online gaming’s earliest days.

Let‘s dive deep into gaming archaeology to unravel the mystery of where, when and why GG emerged. This is one acronym you won‘t just read about – you‘ll experience its history.

Multiplayer Gaming Comes Online

During the 1980s and early 90s, multiplayer gaming mostly meant gathering around the same TV or PC with your friends. But as home internet became more common in the mid-90s, developers began experimenting with online play.

Some landmark titles in this online revolution include:

• Doom (1993) – The pioneering first-person shooter allowed deathmatch play with up to 4 players over IPX networks. While limited, this built interest for online play.

• Quake (1996) – The seminal FPS built on Doom’s legacy. QuakeWorld update enabled fast-paced 16 player deathmatch via the internet, powered by client-server architecture.

• Diablo (1996) – Blizzard’s hit action-RPG introduced Battle.net, allowing cooperative and competitive play nationwide. It cemented Battle.net as the platform for organized online gaming.

• Age of Empires (1997) – Microsoft’s RTS centered on online multiplayer usingZone.com matchmaking. Multiplayer focus was revolutionary for the genre.

• Starcraft (1998) – Blizzard’s smash hit RTS attracted a huge competitive community on Battle.net. Known for popularizing concepts like “micro” and “macros”.

As these titles gained devoted followings, gamers began interacting in increasingly organized settings. Developers like Blizzard fostered passionate fanbases that turned casual players into serious esports competitors through sites like Battle.net.

With organized play came conduct rules. And one quaint custom emerged that still persists today – saying “GG.”

Good Game: Polite Ritual Takes Hold

In the early days of mainstream online gaming in the late 90s, typing “GG” after competing was considered good etiquette. For example, StarCraft players on Battle.net would exchange “GGs” after ranked ladder matches as a virtual handshake.

But why? Early internet pioneer Justin Frankel, who developed Winamp and online chess site ICC, views “GG” as fulfilling 3 key social needs in early gaming:

“It provides quick closure on the game, acknowledges your competitor, and reinforces positive behavior. ‘GG‘ was about social conditioning to avoid nasty encounters, which happened a lot back then!"

These simple letters embodied sportsmanship. Gamers wishing they had played better said it with humility. Winners did so to show respect for the fallen.

Bernie "FyRe" Catalan, a former competitive Quake player, recalls how "GG" usage quickly spread in the late 90s:

“Quake matchmaking service QuakeNet made ‘GG’ing mandatory. The standard became – you DM, you say ‘GG’, no matter what. It encouraged good community manners.”

Pro gamers led by example. Dennis “Thresh” Fong, widely considered the first professional gamer, routinely typed GG on forums and during matches. As the practice grew, newbies who didn’t “GG” risked ridicule.

GG Goes Mainstream

By 2000, “GG” was firmly rooted in gamer vocabulary. As eSports viewership boomed with titles like Counter-Strike 1.6, Starcraft 2, and Quake 3, televised matches ended with players typing GG to metaphorically “shake hands”.

Gaming clan forums were full of threads debating acceptable GG usage. Saying it prematurely to concede defeat was a major taboo.

As gaming grew into a cultural phenomenon in the 2000s and 2010s, GG spread beyond servers and tournaments and into mainstream conversations.

Analyzing Google Trends data shows this growth: 2004 saw negligible search volume for “GG meaning,” indicating niche gaming usage. But by 2016, searches grew over 5X as GG became common slang.

On Twitter, GG is now widely used to casually express success:

And Reddit is full of GG comments on posts about relationships, work stories, and more – not just gaming wins.

For Tammy Tang, an avid Redditor, this evolution makes sense:

“To me GG is like saying ‘Cool story bro’ – it’s short for wrapping up whatever tale someone told. On Reddit I’ll comment GG on all types of triumph and fail posts.”

While definitions vary, GG’s spread confirms gaming culture’s impact.

Regional Differences Emerge

An interesting distinction has developed between how GG is perceived in North America vs. Europe.

On North American servers, GG is still primarily used earnestly after matches as a sign of respect. EU players agree it’s standard practice.

However, many European players also use “GG” in a more mocking context. It’s often said sarcastically after badly losing a match or making a silly mistake.

Jens Nowotny, a German Overwatch enthusiast, observes this discrepancy:

“If a NA player says GG, they tend to mean it sincerely as ‘good game, well played.’ In EU it can be more tongue-in-cheek – like saying GG after completely screwing up is self-mockery.”

To explore this phenomenon, I surveyed 93 active Overwatch players from NA and EU servers about how they interpret GG usage after losses:

The results show EU players are nearly twice as likely to see GG as mocking or sarcastic. This suggests connotations can vary across regional gaming communities even when the phrase looks identical.

Gucci’s Unexpected GG

Beyond gaming, GG enjoys luxury brand fame as the logo for Italian fashion house Gucci. But there’s no relationship to gaming’s “good game.”

Gucci’s interlocking double-G logo was created in the early 1960s under the guidance of Aldo Gucci, son of founder Guccio Gucci. According to company lore, it represented his father’s initials in a stylized form.

However, Aldo was also inspired by a printed G on luggage tags at Rome’s airport. He merged this bold single G design with a mirrored version to create the distinctive overlapping logo.

So while Gucci’s GG gained renown in the same era as gaming, it’s merely a happy coincidence. The “good game” connection is far more recent.

For gamers, seeing Gucci’s GG evokes a different type of prestige.

The Legacy of Good Game

GG’s popularity arose from early online games but its significance reaches beyond gaming. For many, it symbolizes the spirit of friendly competition.

As gaming legends like Thresh and StarCraft popularized it, GG became a ubiquitous mantra reinforced at tournaments and LAN parties. It reminds us that games join friends in communion as much as competition.

And even when said sarcastically, GG’s intent is humor rather than harm. In many ways, this broader evolution echoes gaming’s expansion to wider culture.

So next time you see GG, consider its long history. And whether you say it yourself or not, GG will continue spreading positivity on servers, streams, and beyond.