# /v/

/v/ is the video games board on 4chan, an English-language imageboard. Created in 2004, it is dedicated to the discussion of video games and gaming culture.

## Overview

/v/ was established as one of 4chan's earlier boards and has grown to become one of the site's major video game discussion platforms. The board aims to focus on general video game discussion, which led to the later creation of several spin-off boards including /vg/ (Video Game Generals) in 2012, /vr/ (Video Game RPGs) in 2020, /vm/ (Video Games/Multiplayer) in 2020, /vst/ (Video Games/Strategy) in 2020, and /vmg/ (Video Games/Mobile) in 2020.

## Cultural impact

The board has been the origin point of several notable memes in gaming culture. Most notably, it created the NPC Wojak meme in 2016, derived from the gaming term non-player character. The meme was used to describe people perceived as not thinking for themselves or making their own conscious decisions.

### Gamergate

Also in August 2014, 4chan was involved in the Gamergate controversy, which began with unsubstantiated allegations about indie game developer Zoë Quinn from an ex-boyfriend, followed by false allegations from anonymous Internet users. The allegations were followed by a harassment campaign against several women in the video game industry, organized by 4chan users, particularly /r9k/. Discussion regarding Gamergate was banned on 4chan due to alleged rule violations, and Gamergate supporters moved to alternate forums such as 8chan.

## Additional video game boards

Following the growing popularity of /v/, 4chan created several specialized video game discussion boards to accommodate different gaming interests and discussion formats.

### Video Game Generals (/vg/)

The /vg/ (Video Game Generals) board was created in 2012 to host recurring discussion thread (known as "general" threads) dedicated to specific games, series, or gaming topics. The board was established to reduce clutter on /v/, which had become overwhelmed with persistent discussion threads about popular games. Unlike /v/, which focuses on general gaming discussion, /vg/ maintains long-running threads that focus on specific titles or series.

### Video Games/RPG (/vrpg/)

/vrpg/ is dedicated to role-playing video games. The board covers discussion of both Western and Japanese RPGs, including traditional RPGs, action RPGs, MMORPGs, and tactical RPGs. It was part of a broader 2020 expansion of gaming-specific boards.

### Video Games/Multiplayer (/vm/)

/vm/ focuses on multiplayer gaming, including competitive gaming, cooperative play, and online gaming communities. The board covers discussions about multiplayer games, tournaments, team recruitment, and online gaming experiences.

### Video Games/Strategy (/vst/)

/vst/ is dedicated to strategy video games, including real-time strategy (RTS), turn-based strategy, grand strategy, and tactical games. The board serves as a platform for discussing gameplay tactics, sharing strategies, and debating game mechanics.

### Video Games/Mobile (/vmg/)

/vmg/ was created alongside the other specialized gaming boards, focusing on mobile gaming platforms and applications. The board covers discussions about mobile game releases, gameplay mechanics, and the mobile gaming industry. These boards were created as part of 4chan's effort to better organize gaming discussions by specific genres and formats, allowing for more focused conversations within each gaming category.