By now, you’ve been around Twitch and other streaming platforms a good amount. You like watching people play games and maybe even have found yourself an esports scene or two that you like to follow. As you watch more and more, you catch on to the different memes and emotes that filter through the chat.
Every now and then, however, you might stumble across a meme you’ve never heard before. The popular language of streaming is constantly changing, and it’s difficult to keep track of all the new memes. One of those memes might be Copium.
Copium is a word regularly tossed around on streams, in chats, and even in esports broadcasts. But what does it mean, and what emotes are associated with the word? If you’re feeling a bit lost, we’ve got everything you need to know on the meme below.
What does Copium mean?
Copium is a portmanteau or a word that’s created by smashing two different words together. In this case, the words are “cope” (or “coping”) and “opium.” Put together, they reference the addictive properties of believing a loss or a bad play isn’t actually as bad as it might seem.
Essentially, if someone comes up with an excuse for their performance that explains what happens to them favorably, they might be huffing some of that sweet, sweet Copium. Sentinels lost the first two maps, but these last three are some of their best? Copium. You lagged out a couple of times in a game where your team got stomped? Copium. All gamers enjoy some Copium every now and then.
Where did Copium come from?
The first known public use of the word “Copium” is as the title of a 2003 album by Keak da Sneak. Copium, as it’s used today, is believed to be a 4chan meme initially, surfacing on message boards in 2018. It originally saw popularity as a political meme that people would use on message boards and social media threads to make fun of people trying to find silver linings after their preferred politician lost an election.
Soon enough, the meme made its way to gaming, quickly settling in as a widely recognized and used streaming meme.
What is the Copium emote?
There are several variations of the Copium emote, but the most well-known Copium emote is one that features Pepe the Frog. The emote also had an oxygen mask and tank attached to Pepe, with “COPIUM” written on the tank.
Tears are rolling down Pepe’s cheeks to drive home the point that Copium users are just trying to avoid the reality of a bad loss. Copium might make you feel a little better, but it’s not a drug that will cure your win/loss record.
Copium goes beyond Twitch emotes, with the word becoming the standard streaming language for any sort of excuse someone might give for any conceivable reason, like a messy room.
Copium comes in many shapes and sizes, but if there’s one thing that Copium users should know, it’s that usually, it really is that bad.
