Since its inception, Twitch has been responsible for creating moments that
we'll remember forever.
Shroud: So, listen...
I'm gonna hide the evidence...
...alright?
Screaming child: Nooooo!
[screaming child]
Drama, sadness and hype, all abound in the broadcasted
lives of esports pros,
streamers
and even special one-offs like Twitch
Presents.
Kappa dominates sarcasm
Pogchamp and TriHard bring the hype
and Biblethump harnesses our sorrow
However, when it comes to humor – a staple of
Twitch – no emote dominates so completely as LUL.
But, believe it or not,
LUL wasn't even
an official Twitch global emote until recently.
To find its origins we
have to go back to 2013.
LUL actually started life as a photograph of John
"TotalBiscuit" Bain – a popular figure in the video game community.
Now known for game
reviews and his love of both Starcraft and Warcraft,
Bain's involvement in gaming
goes back into the distant past...
TotalBiscuit: This is World of Warcraft Radio,
my name is TotalBiscuit
and I have to fill two hours with talk
and general drivel.
Josh: At MLG Anaheim 2013,
event photographer Jonathan Tayag
also known as "itsjustatank" took this now famous
image of TotalBiscuit.
The image would come to be used
on TotalBiscuit's Twitch stream as a sub emote called
"Cynical Laugh".
However, Tank later claimed that the image was used without his
permission and he issued a takedown request for the original image
in July of 2014.
Bain claimed Tank made no attempt to
contact him before issuing the takedown request
and would have gladly paid for rights.
Tank said his issue was that the emote
was hidden behind a paywall,
it was a sub emote only, after all.
Had it been free for all to use, he said he would
have had no issue.
Now here's where things get really interesting.
While "CynicalLaugh" was gone as a sub emote for the moment,
it was also added
to Better Twitch TV.
Better Twitch TV is a browser add-on that enables new
emotes on Twitch, but you only see them if
you have the add-on installed.
If you don't,
all you see is the command used.
The emote's command was "LUL"
and because anyone can install BTTV,
that meant the emote was available to everyone.
So the add-on was able to use the original, contested
CynicalLaugh image that Tank had taken,
and it was through Better Twitch TV
that the emote and command became popular.
Chris Farley: Well, La-dee-FRICKIN-da!
Josh: Why name it "LUL" in the first place though?
The term had begun to gain popularity as a distortion
or variation of L-O-L, or
Laughing Out Loud.
Some sources suggest that it stands for
"Lame Uncomfortable Laugh",
which seems pretty unlikely.
My favorite, is that if you say L-O-L– "lol"
out loud it usually sounds more like "lul".
The term "lulz" and "for the lulz" had
previously been connected with hacking group
Anonymous and internet culture generally
as early as 2007.
It meant doing something just for the laughs or
just for the hell of it.
Of course the media back then was a lot less savvy to
internet culture and so we got reports,
like this...
Reporter: They attack innocent people
like an internet hate machine.
???: They get laughs, they enjoy doing this..
They get what they call "LULs".
Reporter: But truly epic LULs
come from raids and invasions
branded on the Anonymous website with an "I".
Like their nationwide campaign
to spoil the new Harry Potter book ending.
Josh: The connotation that LUL has
implies that you're laughing at someone or something specific
It's not really a general laughter,
but more often targeted and often with a generous
amount of cynicism.
Perfect for the cynical Brit himself, TotalBiscuit
Another thing that's definitely true about LUL,
is that it means "dick" in Dutch.
I'm not kidding, it means a big ol'
Carnival Worker: One-eyed monster,
step right up and see
the one-eyed monster.
Josh: Anyways,
LUL had a greater destiny than simply
remaining a BTTV emote.
In August 2016, TotalBiscuit teased "CynicalLUL" –
a new version of the emote on Twitter.
It featured a stylized depiction of the expression
seen in the original photograph,
thus avoiding further legal
issues with the photographer.
But the real coup came on September 1st 2017,
when LUL was made a global emote.
It should have been a big moment for the
emote...
The problem?
Twitch used TotalBiscuit's new, 2016 version
of the emote
and not the LUL that BTTV fans were used to
and because it used the same command
L-U-L
it caused some disruption with fans.
TotalBiscuit explained that due to the
previous dispute with the photo,
Twitch wouldn't use the original and to his
credit he took some enjoyment from the
outrage, offering up this new subscriber
emote that used the rallying cry of BTTV LUL loyalists:
Not My LUL.
Thankfully,
Twitch revolution was averted when the original LUL
emote was reinstated as L-u-L.
That's right... Capital Ls, small U.
Peter Weller: Well, halle-f***ing-lujah!
Josh: And that's the story of LUL.
But one thing that always bothered me is
whether everyone using LUL in chat
even understood that it was a BTTV emote?
What percentage of viewers simply parroted LUL understanding it
instinctively as a form of LOL
without BTTV actually installed?
We'll never know for sure,
but if you're one of those people...
Nice work,
LUL.
Miles: What the f*** is with these endings?
Every week it gets worse and worse,
Josh: I thought –
Miles: Like what the f*** is wrong with you, dude?
Josh: I wish people could understand
that the setup is like the camera and your face
it is right next to the lens, basically.
But in the background, so like I can immediately see if
I f***ed up.
Like there's no time...
Miles: I haven't got a very good poker face either...
Josh: No, you're like...
[laughter]
Josh: Like somebody's needling you or
like bamboo under the fingernails.
[laughter]
Josh: Ok.