Raid Shadow Legends, a mobile role-playing game, has taken the internet by storm over the past couple of years. But more than the game itself, it’s the ubiquitous Raid Shadow Legends copypasta that has embedded itself into the cultural consciousness. As a social media marketing expert, I‘ve witnessed firsthand how these viral trends propagate across digital platforms and shape online culture. In this post, I‘ll unravel the origins, evolution, and significance of the Raid Shadow Legends meme – from its satirical roots to its widespread legacy.
What is a Copypasta?
For the uninitiated, a copypasta is a block of text that gets copied and pasted repeatedly across the internet. Copypastas often contain humor, absurdity, sarcasm, or references to popular culture or current events. They spread virally when people copy and paste them in online discussions, social media posts, comment sections, chatrooms, and more.
While some copypastas originate organically, many begin as sponsored content or advertisements, which then get parodied and spread as satirical memes. The Raid Shadow Legends copypasta falls into the latter category.
Origins of the Raid Copypasta
Raid Shadow Legends is a mobile role-playing game developed by Israeli gaming company Plarium. It was released in 2019 and has since gained major popularity, amassing over 15 million players and counting.
Part of Raid’s success can be attributed to its aggressive marketing strategy, which relies heavily on influencer sponsorships and paid advertisements across YouTube, Twitch, and other platforms. The verbose, over-the-top script used in these sponsored ads is what spawned the now iconic Raid copypasta.
When content creators were paid to advertise Raid Shadow Legends, they would recite a lengthy spiel describing the game in effusive detail. Here’s an excerpt from one of the original scripts:
“RAID: Shadow LegendsTM️ is an immersive online experience with everything you‘d expect from a brand new RPG title. It‘s got an amazing storyline, awesome 3D graphics, giant boss fights, PVP battles, and hundreds of never before seen champions to collect and customize.”
This pretentious, hyperbolic advertising style was ripe for parody. Meme creators began satirizing the ad by copying and pasting portions of the script in ironic or absurdist ways.
Some of the first popular iterations included a Twitch chat spamming the copypasta whenever Raid was mentioned, and YouTuber PewDiePie reading it aloud in a mocking tone.
Over time, the original Raid ad morphed into a full-fledged multifaceted meme, iterated on endlessly by the internet masses. There are now dozens of spin-offs and variations referencing Raid Shadow Legends, with more emerging every day.
Breakdown of the Copypasta Format
While the Raid copypasta has many versions, there are a few key ingredients that give the meme its signature flavor.
Lengthy and effusive game description
The copypasta usually opens with a verbose, buzzword-laden synopsis portraying Raid Shadow Legends as an epic and addictive gaming experience. Phrases like “visually stunning,” “immersive online experience,” and “hundreds of never before seen champions” are par for the course.
“Currently X million players…”
A highlight of Raid’s massive popularity and rate of growth. Sometimes formatted as “Currently almost 10 million…” or “Over 10 million…” or an exaggerated number for comedic effect.
Perfect Play Store score
Mention of Raid’s “almost perfect score on the Play Store” and number of “300,000 reviews.” This emphasizes the supposed quality and community approval of the game.
Faction Wars hook
Reference to the launch of Raid’s big new multiplayer feature Faction Wars, presenting it as exciting news fans have been eagerly awaiting.
Special offer/codes
Details a time-sensitive special offer for new players, like bonus silver and champions, using special codes or links often found in the video description box below.
Call to action
Direct call to action urging the audience to download Raid Shadow Legends using the aforementioned links and promo codes.
While these 6 elements form the copypasta’s framework, the humor lies in how meme creators subvert, exaggerate, or add absurd new details to the script.
Variations and Parodies
The adaptability of the Raid copypasta has given rise to many hilarious variations:
Absurdist/surreal versions
These take the copypasta wildly and nonsensically out of context. Like interrupting a solemn speech to interject the spiel or attributing it to an unexpected figure like Barrack Obama.
Ironic reviews
Satirical app store reviews raving about how Raid Shadow Legends ruined the reviewer’s life in some way.
Here‘s an example:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Raid Shadow Legends has given me a reason to live. Before finding this game, I was a hopeless opioid addict with no job, family, or stable home. Now, I devote 18 hours a day to grinding on Raid and have lost everything in my life that had no value – only the sweet loot boxes matter now. Thank you Raid Shadow Legends!"
UwU speak
The copypasta written in baby talk with lots of stuttering and hitched speech meant to be annoying.
For example:
“W-Waid: Shadow W-WeegendsTM️ iws an immersive onwine expewience wif evewyfing yuw'd expect fwom a b-bwand new WPG titwe. I-It's got an amazing stowywine, awesome 3D gwaphics, giant b-boss fights, PVP b-battles, and hundweds of n-nevew befowe seen champions to c-cowwect and c-customise.”
Bait and switch
Starting with an unrelated topic then abruptly switching to the copypasta. Or visa versa, beginning normally then derailing into something ridiculous.
Tragedies/extreme circumstances
Describing tragic life events caused by addiction to Raid Shadow Legends, like homelessness, divorce, or choosing the game over family. One redditor posted:
I’ve never felt so hurt. I’ve tolerated his gaming habits for the entirety of the relationship because I don’t want to be the controlling wife and I want him to be happy. It’s only the past 3 years that he’s come to bed extremely late. He talks about the game all the time and I let him indulge in his info dumping. I’m set to go to the hospital on Monday as I might be close to delivering our first child. He said that his raid with his guild is on Tuesday and Thursday and he’s fighting the final boss of mythic and this might be his only chance to do it. The baby might be delivered next week. I don’t know how I feel about this or how to process this. I’m so afraid he will choose the game over us.
Unfitting contexts
Using the enthusiastic copypasta to promote something mundane or unexciting rather than an epic game.
Corporate jargon
Replacing gaming terms with business and marketing lingo.
This is just a small sampling – new satirical renditions of the copypasta are born every day across the internet. The meme mutates faster than the game developers can keep up.
Why the Meme Resonates
At its core, the Raid meme is a commentary on the ubiquity of shameless advertising and sponsorships in the modern digital landscape.
It arose at a time when YouTube, Twitch, and every social media platform were saturated with ads for mobile games like Raid Shadow Legends. Cynical viewers found the overused marketing tactics laughable.
The copypasta format was the perfect vessel to mock the invasive sponsorship model. Memes allow us to take the serious and absurd, and highlight those absurdities through repetition and modification.
In a time when ads invade so many aspects of online entertainment, memes like the Raid copypasta let audiences reclaim some power by means of ridiculing the very companies manipulating them.
Through collective satirization, people transform irritating promotional scripts into improvised comedy skits. Audiences are attracted to inside jokes that foster a sense of community and make them feel like they‘re beating advertisers at their own game.
According to Google Trends data, searches for "Raid Shadow Legends ad copypasta" have a high correlation with terms like "funny" and "parody," highlighting the comedic motivations behind the meme‘s creation.
The Raid meme also touches on relatable themes like addiction and obsession. It encapsulates the stereotype of the overzealous gamer who spends endless hours grinding, isolated and withdrawn from real relationships. This exaggerated portrayal resonates across demographics, even for non-gamers. We all feel occasionally pulled into online worlds while being aware of their sometimes detrimental effects IRL.
Legacy and Significance
While some viral trends fade quickly, the Raid Shadow Legends copypasta has remarkable staying power even years after its inception. As a social media marketing professional, I‘m impressed by any meme that manages to stick around so stubbornly.
It remains ubiquitous online and continues to spawn new variations at a steady pace. A recent tally on Reddit counted over 168 unique iterations of the meme circulating the platform.
Like all successful memes, it’s highly adaptable, reflecting our culture and capturing the absurdity of modern advertising. Even those unfamiliar with Raid Shadow Legends recognize and appreciate the humorous intent behind the copypasta.
No matter how advanced ad targeting gets, memes remind us that the audience ultimately controls virality. Through collective mockery, online communities can reclaim their autonomy and collude playfully in the face of corporate interests vying for their attention.
In the fast-paced world of social media, memes preserve cultural touchpoints that bring us together and strengthen community bonds. The Raid copypasta likely won‘t be fading from the internet consciousness anytime soon.
