It's that time of year again and soon the rumors will either be confirmed or denied as E3, the massive video game convention, is finally here. The annual E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) is being held once again at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will bring together scores of gamers who want an awesome experience and a sneak peak at a sample of upcoming games.

Among the biggest names, we are expecting to see this year are Far Cry 5. So far we know it will be in the United States and will feature a maniacal cult as the antagonists, but we've been given little in the way of specifics. We're cautiously excited to sink our teeth into more information about Call of Duty: WWII. After a year off, we're anticipating a prequel for the Assassin's Creed series that will (if leaks are to be trusted) take us back to ancient Egypt to get a better glimpse of the earlier days of the Assassins vs Templars war.

Of course, on top of all these titles are rumors of a new BioWare game (probably in an all-new universe),  Destiny II, God of War, The Last of Us II, a couple of racing titles, the usual offerings in terms of sports games (nothing that special, NBA and NFL), and hopefully a look at South Park: The Fractured But Whole. While the rumors are plentiful, nothing is set in stone until a developer confirms.

What is already known for sure is that E3 will likely be as it has been for over two decades: an awesome get-together involving all manner of gamers, cosplayers, and excited, awesome people sharing a passion. It will also be meme gold. From painful realities of the gaming world to awkward events from years past, here are fifteen E3 memes that are hilarious.

15 They're Coming

Okay, if you just rolled your eyes and said "well, this goes without saying," yes, there is a "Brace yourself" Game of Thrones meme for just about every event under the sun that generated any fanfare, controversy, or feeling whatsoever. Sometime in the near future, an aging Millennial will be recovering from a hip replacement and post this picture on Instagram with the phrase "Brace yourself, the get well soon cards are coming." But we digress, this is a roundabout way of saying this is an easily reused and retooled meme.

But if you have gamer friends, you will see a tsunami of posts detailing their positive, negative, and absurd thoughts about everything at E3. It may well get hard to navigate social media in the wake of this event (and does to some extent every year), and while it may get annoying, seeing people overreact to stuff is part of the fun.

14 That Right There Is A Painful Truth

Obviously, this is a comical extrapolation, but the basic message of this meme rings true. How many times have you seen "in-game visuals" in a commercial or at E3 and thought "wow, that's so beautiful I don't want to live in the real world anymore" only to buy the game months down the road and think "why did this ever look special to me?"

Of course, this doesn't necessarily apply to every game, but developers are certainly guilty of dolling up their products to ensure some easy money. Who can blame them? Remember several weeks ago when we were treated to that intriguing release announcement for Call of Duty: WWII? The visuals looked stunning, but I will eat my laptop if the finished product looks that good.

13 Less True These Days But Still Funny

This isn't news to anyone, but video gaming used to be a boys' club. For a long time, in fact, decades, women gamers were few and far between, and more often than not, they were looked upon as some sort of magical unicorn. These days, when a beautiful woman says "yeah, I'm into gaming" the standard reaction is something to the effect of "cool" and then the conversation continues.

Still, the idea of a video game convention's men's room getting all the use, while the ladies' is almost untouched is a funny one. For the record, we have no idea if this is at a previous E3 or not. It may actually be a different event that attracts a primarily male crowd.

12 Just Have To Find A Way

It almost goes without saying that the cost is huge if you actually want to attend this event. This year's tickets were $149 for a day or $249 for three. Of course, if you aren't in the L.A. area, transportation is on you, along with accommodations. It's a worthwhile trip to do once, and if possibly spending a thousand bucks (easily more) is no big deal to you, then by all means, have fun and enjoy your amazing life.

But after taking in all of the awesome at the convention, then you have that painful realization that the spending has only just begun. Chances are, if you're there seeing the game demos live, you're going to be significantly more hyped up than you would if you watched the trailers at home. If you're lucky and frugal, only five of the games will catch your interest, but slim chances there. Then the need for a decision comes: sell a kidney or get a second job?

11 Those Creators And Their Tangents

The featured image is Shigeru Miyamoto, one of the most famous game designers in the industry, and a Nintendo icon, having been a major player in the creation of the Mario franchise, and of course Zelda, among others. We can't stress it enough that the message in this meme can be recycled for just about any creative mind in the business whose mind doesn't always stay on track. We don't want it to seem like we are bashing Nintendo (we'll leave that to the Sony and Microsoft fanboys).

Don't get us wrong, the music in Zelda is impressive, but this meme is spot on, and several years ago, Miyamoto spent far more time discussing music, rather than...well...everything else about which he could have been talking. While it is captivating to see some of these creative minds share their passion, sometimes they have a tendency to veer off course and go on never-ending tangents.

10 Hilariously Awkward

This phrase (and the meme that it became) is now about ten years old. If you feel old or immature because you're still laughing at it, you are, but we don't judge. Back at the E3 conference in 2007, the Regginator, Reggie Fils-Aime, famously said "my body, my body is ready" before hopping on the Wii balance board. For those who are unaware, Fils-Aime is the President and COO of Nintendo of America, and a fan favorite because of his likable personality and jovial public persona.

While it was just awkwardly laughed at back then, the internet got hold of it a few years later. While the joke, as used today, has very little to do with E3, it is one of those incredible moments that will always be associated with the Nintendo Wii.

9 Some Companies Lose, Some Win

This scene is an unforgettable one from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The mission "No Russian" puts the player into combat as an undercover CIA agent tasked with infiltrating the workings of a Russian terrorist cell. On this day, that cell is shooting up an airport full of civilians and blaming it on the United States. It was one of the missions that people had the option to skip, but we doubt anyone actually did.

This meme is from a couple of years ago when Sony had a particularly impressive showing at E3. For any other given year, the logos on the gun-wielding terrorists could easily be changed with those on the civilians. While Sony has run away with a few of the last few E3 conventions, it really is anybody's game every year.

8 Shots Fired, Sony

This was back at the Sony presentation in 2013, just a few months before that system and the Xbox One were both released. As we all know, the Xbox One was initially met with serious criticism for numerous aspects of the system. There were rumors that you'd need constant internet connection all the time while playing, and that the system would not support used games. Obviously, if you have one of these, used games are fine, and the internet connection is just for the initial setup.

Of course, Sony picked up on some of these features that were causing havoc among the gaming community and used them perfectly to their advantage while promoting the PS4 at E3 that year.

7 Right In The Feels

So way back in 1998 this awesome game came out. It changed the world of video gaming for the better and we still remember it fondly for a brilliant story, awesome graphics (at the time) and a really cool overall concept. Six years later a sequel came out that was just about as good. Ever since then, we've been drooling over the idea of Half-Life 3. We hope you're not crying, but know that recalling these games and thinking about that third one that may never be (will never be) is just as painful for us.

At the same time, maybe if we just give up hope Valve will surprise us with a third...oh wait, that is a form of having hope. Damn. We aren't really sure how to go about forgetting this game.

6 Nerds/Gamers Should Know about E3

With any consumer media there will be casual and dedicated fans. There are tests to determine who is an enthusiast and who is a pretender. If someone claims to love classic rock, but has never heard of Stairway to Heaven, that is a red light. If a mixed martial arts fan says Conor McGregor is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time), that is also a red light. Most damningly, if a "gamer" tells you they love games, but don't know what E3 is, you're right to question everything they have ever said to you — they are not to be trusted. We're kidding, they may have other good qualities, but an informed gamer should know what this event is, without a doubt.

5 A Rare But Magical Breed

This is a gem that some outstanding meme expert has taken from the world of sports and repurposed for the world of gaming, and a fine job they did too. The gent in the picture is of NBA forward Kevin Durant, who was giving his acceptance speech after being named the league's most valuable player in 2014. His speech seemed like any other, thanking fans, coaches, and teammates, but the highest praise went to his dear mother: the real MVP.

In this case, the meme is spot on, those developers who talk the talk at E3 but end up peddling the same crap year after year are a dime a dozen. But those rare few, who show up with something new and exciting at E3 and then surprise us further when it comes time to play the real game, they are the real MVPs.

4 Gee, There Sure Are A Lot of...Announcements

This really is all that E3 is: a massive convention for stuff to be announced. But of course, there are plenty of announcements before E3, such as the announcement that a developer will be presenting certain games. Then, of course, there are the announcements to declare that there will be an announcement made at E3. Then the magical few days rolls around, we all tune in to Los Angeles and see an announcement of new features for certain games and reasons to buy others. Then they announce that official release dates will be announced later. Then they announce a delay. Then they eventually announce a solid release date, and we can finally play the damn thing. It almost seems that the video game business is little more than an exercise in constant announcements, punctuated with a new game every so often.

Okay, we won't say "announce" again in this article.d

Announce.

3 How We All Feel After E3

This meme came about back in 2014 after the reveal for Fallout 4. While it specifically references that profoundly awesome franchise, it works for E3 as a whole and to get even broader: all of gaming. Despite all our complaining, critiquing, and overall whining, if the products weren't pretty awesome, we wouldn't keep making the purchases. In this year's case, it may as well be an Egyptian Assassin, a Stromtrooper, or possibly a young Kratos throwing those dice, but the message stays the same. If you're a gamer, the importance of sleep, work, and, of course, relationships with other human beings will likely go out the window once we see what we get to play in the near future

2 So...This Is Japanese History?

The giant crab meme is one that goes back over ten years to E3 2006, when Sony was getting ready to release the PlayStation 3. Many people were already sold on the console, and that is a good thing because Kazuo Hirai's overall presentation was pretty awful, even by the standards of gaming a decade ago.

As we said, the entire presentation was poor (between pointing out "selling points" that were already industry mainstays and reminding people the system would cost $600), but the most ludicrous part, which featured the giant crab, took place during a description of Genji: Days of the Blade. Hirai mentioned that some of the events in the game are based on battles that took place in Japanese history. Immediately after this, a giant crab burst onto the screen. Was this crab a part of Japanese history? Sure, we knew about the massive dinosaur that came out of the ocean, but the history books seem to have forgotten about this crab.

This awkward moment at the 2006 Expo has lived on hilariously in infamy ever since.

1 Annnnd One More Half-Life 3 Mention, Just for Good Measure

Why mention it again? Because it's hilarious, and this post pretty much nails what everyone wants to hear from Gabe Newell virtually every time he opens his mouth — especially at E3. The problem with this is that some of us may well get so caught up praying and begging for Half-Life 3, that some of us forget that Valve makes almost exclusively great games. Obviously, this is more than up for debate, but there is a strong case to be made supporting the idea that Gabe Newell and his company have never produced a game that is not at least, by consensus, good. But getting back to the point at hand, there is no way, as long as there is air in our lungs, blood in our veins, and a memory of the Half-Life games in our minds, that we will ever stop hoping for a third game.