Leeroy Jenkins is a character name for a player character created by Ben Schulz in Blizzard Entertainment's MMORPG World of Warcraft. The character became popular due to a video of an incident in the game which circulated on the Internet. Knowledge of the incident has spread beyond the game's community and into other online and mainstream media.
Video Leeroy Jenkins
Video
The original video was released by a World of Warcraft player guild to video-sharing site Warcraftmovies on May 11, 2005. The video features a group of players discussing a detailed battle plan for their next encounter while Leeroy is away from his computer, preparing a plate of chicken. This plan is devised to help Leeroy, but is ruined when Leeroy returns and, ignorant of the strategy, immediately charges headlong into battle shouting his own name in a stylized battle cry. His companions rush to help, but Leeroy's actions ruin the detailed plan and all the members of the group are killed.
The irony in the video was the detailed battle plan itself, which, evident only to fellow players, demonstrated a fundamental lack of understanding of the game's characters' abilities and would have led to the plan's failure even without Leeroy's forlorn charge.
The Internet meme started with the release of the video clip called A Rough Go to the World of Warcraft game forum in a thread titled "UBRS (vid) ROOKERY OVERPOWERED! blue plz.", which ironically presented the video in a serious context. The thread requested that other players provide help with strategy and that Blizzard reduce the difficulty of the encounter. The video spread as an Internet meme, and Leeroy's response to the other players' chastisements, "at least I have chicken", was also much mimicked.
When in April 2008 he was asked about his actions in the video by National Public Radio, Ben Schulz said the players "were drinking 40s and just yelling at each other." As time went on, some began suggesting that the video may have been staged. Schulz had refused to confirm or deny whether the video was staged. Later, in December 2017, Schulz, along with Ben "Anfrony" Vinson, the cameraperson of the video, released the first take/dry run of the video. Regarding the video, Vinson stated, "We didn't think anyone would believe it was real, we thought it was so obviously satire." Schulz wrote a post in the Battle.net forums stating:
Hey Chums,
In an attempt to keep attention on Net Neutrality, Anfrony has posted a never before seen first take of "A rough go". Hope you all enjoy!
This should answer the on-going question that we all already knew the answer to, and hopefully support a good cause:
https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comments/7ljljs/leeroy_jenkins_first_takedry_run_unreleased_new/
Cheers,
-Leeroy Jenkins
Maps Leeroy Jenkins
Merchandise
The character's popularity resulted in his inclusion in the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game released on October 25, 2006, with art by Mike Krahulik.
A "Leeroy Jenkins" Legendary card was later released in Blizzard's online TCG game Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, as part of the game's base ("Classic") set, and using the same art as that of the WoW TCG. Leeroy is considered an "aggressive" minion, as he is both dangerous but fragile, and also has the "charge" ability (allowing it to attack on the same turn it is played). When played, Leeroy also spawns dragon whelps for the opposing player - which can easily neutralize him on their next turn. Some of Leeroy's famous quotes are played when the minion is summoned, attacks, or is killed.
Upper Deck Entertainment released a World of Warcraft Miniatures game in late 2008, which included a Leeroy Jenkins figurine. As a reference to Leeroy's famous claim, the figure is seen holding a chicken leg in his left hand.
Reaction
The August 2005 issue of PC Gamer UK featured an article on the video, titled "The Ballad of Leeroy Jenkins". The article took the position that the video was designed as a negative commentary on the kind of "nerd-guilds" whose members fastidiously plan raids with all the seriousness of actual military tacticians. They added that they felt Leeroy is the hero acting against the geekiness of his guild.
Blizzard eventually paid tribute to Leeroy within World of Warcraft itself creating the achievement "Leeeeeeeeeeeeeroy!", which awards the title of "Jenkins" to players who kill 50 of the rookery whelps from the video within 15 seconds. Also, in the new expansion Warlords of Draenor, Leeroy returns as a non-player character and will join the player's garrison if they help him find the Devout Shoulders he was seeking in the video. Blizzard also added a "Leeroy Jenkins" card to their popular online card game Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. When entering the battlefield, Leeroy gives his famous battle cry. While attacking, he says "Time's up, let's do this!" And when he dies, he says, "At least I have chicken." In addition, the adventure mode "Blackrock Mountain" added a new game board themed on the mountain. In the bottom right section, there is a pink tabard with a white heart lying on the ground, a reference to the guild Leeroy was in, <PALS FOR LIFE>.
Leeroy Jenkins went mainstream when he was mentioned as part of a clue on the November 16, 2005, episode of the game show Jeopardy! as part of their college week tournament, though no contestant rang in. The meme spread further in 2009 when the Armed Forces Journal published an article titled "Let's Do This!: Leeroy Jenkins and the American Way of Advising". The article, by Capt. Robert M Chamberlain links Jenkins to the American approach to advising the indigenous armed forces in Iraq.
The United States Air Force Pararescue (PJs) use this sound bite to notify them of an upcoming medevac mission on the show "Inside Combat Rescue"
Non-Internet appearances
- In the episode "Little Bad Voodoo Brother" of My Name Is Earl, Randy charges out to "fight thirty people at once" while shouting "Leeroy Jenkins!"
- In Armada by Ernest Cline, two of the characters rib their friend and the book's protagonist, Zack Lightman, by calling him "Leeroy Jenkins".
- In several episodes of Heroes Reborn, Miko and Ren shout out "Leeroy Jenkins!" as going into battle.
- In the episode "Last Night Gus" of Psych, protagonist Shawn affirms one Leroy Jenkins to be their new prime suspect by yelling the name.
- In a deleted scene on the DVD release of Year One, a re-enactment of the famous video is staged as an assault on a city with Vinnie Jones instructing the gathered soldiers on the plan to assault while Christopher Mintz-Plasse runs in shouting "Leeroy Jenkins!"
- In the episode, "Of Lice and Men" of The Cleveland Show, when Rallo and Cleveland Brown Jr. are playing with their imaginations on the playground, Rallo shouts "Leeroy Jenkins!"
References
External links
- Leeroy Jenkins on YouTube
Source of article : Wikipedia
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