If You're Over 25 and Own a Computer This Game Is a Must-Have meme depicting a tree with a face and a knight kneeling before it.

Wise Mystical Tree / If You're Over 25 and Own a Computer, This Game Is a Must-Have

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Updated Sep 25, 2023 at 10:44AM EDT by Philipp.

Added Sep 21, 2022 at 03:37PM EDT by Philipp.

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About

If You're Over 25 and Own a Computer, This Game Is a Must-Have, also known as the Wise Mystical Tree and Must-Play Tree, refers to clickbait ads for several browser games that feature a human-faced tree character and a knight kneeling in front of it, with the text often claiming that if you're above a certain age and own a computer, then you must try the game. In 2017, the ads went viral on 4chan's /v/ board as users parodied and mocked them, with the ads again going viral in September 2022 on Twitter. The images later gained popularity as a video caption and remix format, and have often been combined with the composition "Secunda" from the Skyrim soundtrack.

Origin

Several fantasy artworks depicting a knight standing near a human-faced tree were commissioned by the mobile game company Plarium for the purpose of advertising their browser game Stormfall: Age of War.[1] The best-recognized artwork, which shows a knight kneeling in front of the tree (shown below, left), was traced from a photograph of a tree in a forest (shown below, right).



The ads have also been used by Plarium for advertising their other games Vikings: War of Clans and ThroneL Kingdom at War and usually feature one of several captions, most notably:

  • If you're over 25 and own a computer, this game is a must-have!
  • If you own a computer you must try this game!
  • This game will keep you up all night

Prior to becoming a meme, the image achieved some online recognition as clickbait ads for Stormfall: Age of War appeared on various sites in the spring of 2017. For example, on May 3rd, 2017, Twitter[2] page @USgamernet made a post about the artwork (shown below, left). On May 11th, Tumblr[3] user letshearitforthisclown made a post about it, which received over 8,000 likes and reblogs in roughly five years (shown below, center). On June 11th, 2017, Twitter[4] user @snakepixel posted a tweet that gained 20 retweets and 100 likes in a similar timeframe (shown below, right).


USG USgamer @USgamernet You've likely seen this ad for Stormfall online. I love the tree's expression. "You're asking me for war strategies? I'm a damn tree, son." Stormfall: Age of War 5:00 PM - May 3, 2017 TweetDeck Sponsored letshearitforthisclown Vikings: War of Clans If You Own A Computer You Must Try This Game! hes just gonna f----- kill that innocent ass tree letshearitforthisclown like he can't move Sponsored Play Now

On June 23rd, 2017, an anonymous 4chan[5] user posted the artwork to the /v/ board, writing, "ITT games you need to play if you own a computer" (shown below). The thread received over 90 replies in roughly five years.


26KiB, 300x225, 2e11a86e00cce1963fb7b8060c49c64b_3.jpg View Same Google ImgOps SauceNAO Anonymous Fri 23 [91/22/?] Jun 2017 22:29:10 No.381618296 View Original Re port Quoted By: >>381618895 >>381619264 >>381619374 >>381619891 >>381620238 >>381620519 >>381620725 >>381620750 >>381620974 >>381622448 >>381625858 ITT games you need to play you own a computer if

Spread

Starting in late June 2017, the meme started to spread on 4chan's /v/ board, with users referencing the ads in their posts. For example, on June 28th, 2017, a /v/[6] user referenced the ads in the opening post of their thread (shown below, left). The meme gained major recognition on the board after July 14th when a user posted a screenshot of a clickbait ad with another artwork of the tree (shown below, right).[7]


159KiB, 239x251, 1498396716703.png View Same Google ImgOps SauceNAO Anonymous [8/2/?] Wed 28 Jun 2017 07:58:15 No.382107 736 View Origi nal Report Quoted By: >>382108147 >>382108780 >Can't afford all those must-play games on your PC If you're over 25 and own a computer, this game is a must-have!

Starting on July 18th, users on the /v/ board posted memes based on the artworks across multiple threads[8][9][10][11] centered around them (examples shown below).


0 KTHIS UGLY SON OF A BITCH Is F------ 25 Year Old+Chicks and basically, you are f------ stupid How? ...Just Watch The Free Video > the main difference between JRPGS AND WRPGS [-] Anonymous 11/21/11(Mon)20:06 No. 117629506 Hide [!] Wow. Are you s------- me? There are actually people here who prefer the tree on the left to the tree on the right? Wow. F------ wow. All my questions about /v/'s s--- taste have just been answered. How anyone, ANYONE, could possibly prefer that s-----, awful tree on the left to that beautiful god among plants on the right is f------ beyond me. I can only assume the plebs who prefer the tree on the left have just been surrounded by shittytrees their entire sad lives and thus are unable to recognize true greatness when they see it.

Between 2017 and 2022, the meme largely fell into obscurity, although several posts referencing it appeared during that period on Reddit[12] and iFunny.[13]

In September 2022, the meme resurfaced on Twitter after user @marisagender tweeted[14] a montage showing multiple "If You Own a Computer" ads with the tree on September 18th, 2022. The video accumulated over 250,000 views, 5,500 retweets and 36,400 likes in three days. The video was originally posted on Twitter[15] by user @JacobKluding on September 17th, 2022, with the post not gaining significant traction (shown below).

Various Examples


18 Are you 257 Or are you over 25 ? Jaden Smith @officialjaden How can gaming computers be real if you're under 25?
PS4. 25 www.pegi.info Only On PlayStation® CHRONE OF VIKINGS ONLINE CONNECTION REQUIRED AOXO SEASON PASS INCLUDE: DANTE FROM THE DEVIL MAY CRY SERIES NAUGHTY DOG If you're over 25 and own a computer, this game is a must-have! this tree is f----- up bruh

Templates


147

Search Interest

External References

[1] Jdigital – Stormfall

[2] Tumblr – ikupo

[3] Twitter – @usgamernet

[4] Twitter – @snakepixel

[5] arch.b4k – /v/ Thread #381618296

[6] arch.b4k – /v/ Thread #382107736

[7] arch.b4k – /v/ Thread #383904213

[8] arch.b4k – /v/ Thread #

[9] arch.b4k – /v/ Thread #384366382

[10] arch.b4k – /v/ Thread #384373350

[11] arch.b4k – /v/ Thread #384492045

[12] Reddit – If you are over 25 and own a computer you MUST play this game

[13] iFunny – Jagi

[14] Twitter – @marisagender

[15] Twitter – @JacobKluding

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