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Tyler Smith

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Tyler Smith

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October 6, 2021

What does POG mean on Twitch?

Don't know what POG means on Twitch? Read more for the definition of POG, when to use it, and where it came from.

The two PogChamp emotes side by side. Meaning of Pog on Twitch

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If you have spent any time on Twitch there’s likely some words or phrases that you have heard and weren’t sure what they meant. One of the popular words recently on Twitch (and other gaming platforms) is “POG” or sometimes even “POGGERS!” I’m sure you didn’t learn this word in school and your wondering what it means.

What does POG mean on Twitch?

POG is an acronym that means “play of the game”, but is mainly used by gamers as an expression after something incredible, epic, or exciting has taken place. POGGERS can be used synonymously with POG.

For example, if a streamer on Twitch just clutched a huge victory they might say, “POG” or even “That was POGGERS!” Similarly, if the streamer makes a big play or hits a big achievement you might see the chat light up sending messages that say “POG” or “POGGERS.”

But where did the term POG come from and where did it originate from? I’ll dive into the details of this Twitch jargon below.

Understanding POGChamp

While the acronym POG has been around and we can’t say for certain when it became popular in the jargon and vernacular of the Twitch community, we can say for certain that it was made more popular by the POGChamp emote.

What is POGChamp?

The POGChamp emote is an emote that’s used by viewers to express excitement, surprise, or to hype up the channel. The original emote is a photo of Ryan “Gootecks” Gutierrez with an open mouth and surprised look across his face. Since its release the original POG Champ emote has been removed from Twitch, and replaced with a komodo dragon that has an expression of surprise.

The original POGChamp emote was created from an image of Ryan while he was on a film set. He watched a camera man knock over a tripod and this was his natural expression. Ryan was shocked, mouth agape, and a surprised expression across his face.

The photo was taken and turned into an emote which became incredibly popular. Ryan “Gootecks” Gutierrez face also became other emotes such as WeirdChamp.

Ryan Gootecks Gutierrez POG face

Due to a bad take on the Capitol Riots, Twitch decided to ban the Gootecks version of PogChamp and replace it with a komodo dragon that has a similar face expression as the original.

Currently, the PogChamp emote on Twitch looks like the image below:

Even with the change to a new look for the PogChamp emote on Twitch, it continues to be one of the more popular emotes on the platform. If you have spent any time on the Twitch platform I am sure you have seen it spammed like crazy when something hype or exciting happens on the stream.

I have been watching channels where the streamer pulled off an incredibly unlikely maneuver to win a game and saw the entire chat spam PogChamp to show how excited they were.

How did the new Komodo dragon version of PogChamp get selected?

KomodoHype that is the new PogChamp

After the former face of PogChamp made comments inciting for more violence following the Capitol Riots, Twitch decided to remove the Gootecks version of PogChamp from Twitch.

Instead they announced that they would be rotating other versions of PogChamp from streamers every 24 hours. While I thought it was a good idea, it ended up causing a lot of harassment to some of the streamers who were featured as the face of PogChamp.

Eventually the entire Twitch community was able to vote on the new face of PogChamp. The winner was KomodoHype - a face of a Komodo Dragon with its mouth wide open. It’s the perfect emote to express shock, hype, and excitement. KomodoHype was then transformed into the new PogChamp.

How To Get Access To PogChamp Emote on Twitch

Every single Twitch user has access to the PogChamp emote and can be used for free in channels that you have permission to chat in. It should be noted that you have access to the Komodo version of PogChamp, and that the version of Ryan “Gootecks” Gutierrez is no longer accessible on Twitch.

The Ryan “Gootecks” Gutierrez version of PogChamp used to also be available on Better Twitch TV, but after his Capitol Riot remarks it was also removed from BTTV as well.

While some emotes can only be used if you subscribe to a channel and some are earned from Twitch features like a hype train, the PogChamp emote is a global emote that is free for also users. As soon as you create an account you will be able to use the PogChamp emote.

As with all emotes, you can only use emotes in channels that you have permission to chat in. If you’ve been timed out or banned from a Twitch channel you will not be able to use the PogChamp emote or send any message for that matter. Another reason why you wouldn’t be able to use the emote is if a channel is in follower or subscriber only mode and you’re neither a follower or subscriber. This is usually done by streamers to avoid trolls, bots, and spam.

How To Use the PogChamp Emote on Twitch

Type out "PogChamp" into the chat input field and click ENTER to use the emote.

You can use the PogChamp emote on Twitch by typing out “PogChamp” in the chat and clicking enter. It’s important that you capitalize the “P” and “C” in PogChamp or it won’t actually work. The other option is to search for PogChamp in the emote menu.

typing PogChamp in Twitch menu
Type in "PogChamp" into the emote menu to find the new PogChamp

When should I use the Pog Champ emote?

The perfect time to use the PogChamp emote on Twitch or other gaming platforms is when something hype, exciting, surprising, or shocking happens. It can happen when a streamer accomplishes something, says something, or does something that prompts the chat to get hyped up.

Questions You’ve Asked About PogChamp

Will there be a new PogChamp emote?

There is no news from Twitch saying that there will be any new changes to PogChamp since the official announcement that the Komodo is now PogChamp. I can’t imagine the Komodo making offensive remarks inciting violence, and so I imagine that the Komodo will now forever be the PogChamp.

Does PogChamp have anything to do with the game POGs?

No PogChamp has no relation to the game of Pogs. Pogs was a popular game years ago that involved circular papers called pogs that were used as part of a game. PogChamp has nothing to do with this. The only similarity is the name pog.

What is PogU?

PogU is a variant of the original Ryan “Gootecks” Gutierrez PogChamp emote. PogU is an emote that shows Ryan’s face with a surprised wide-mouth expression. Similarly to PogChamp, this emote can be used when something exciting, hype, or incredibly cool is done on the stream. Many times it’s spammed in channels to help build hype.

Does PogChamp have a different meaning on TikTok, Facebook, or other gaming communities?

While not all platforms have a PogChamp emote, it generally means the exact thing on any platform. You will often hear other gamers say “pog” or “poggers” after successfully doing something awesome. I’m part of many gaming communities and have heard other gamers say “pog” while they game even if they’re not streaming. It’s part of gaming jargon now, and just means “that was awesome.”

Poggers means the same thing as pog. You can almost switch it out for awesome. Instead of saying “That was awesome” you could say “That was poggers” or just “poggers” by itself.

You can only get the PogU emote on BTTV and FrankerFaceZ. PogU is not available as a global emote. The emote has become slightly more popular ever since the original Gootecks PogChamp emote was removed from BTTV and Twitch.

Wanting to grow your Twitch stream?

It is not easy to grow a Twitch channel, but we are here to help. Join the weekly streamer growth school newsletter that goes out each week to get info, news, tips, and tricks on growing a healthy streaming community. There are no hacks to quick growth, but there are techniques that you can employ to build a community around your streaming channel that is vibrant and healthy. Join the newsletter!

Lastly, if you are looking for insights from experienced streamers I would recommend checking out the Streamer Growth School Podcast. The podcast consists of interviews of streamers who are growing their channel with original content. Each episode dives into a streamer’s journey and their experience as a streamer. You are guaranteed to walk away from each podcast with practical advice that you can apply to your own stream. Streaming isn’t easy, but learning from the mistakes and successes from others can really help. Listen to the podcast now.

I hope this article has helped you understand what pog means. Did I miss something? Tell me on Twitter as that’s the best way to reach me these days. Hope you have a poggers day.

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