AOL Instant Messenger, or AIM for short, was the messaging app of choice back in the day. Think of it as old-school Facebook Messenger or What's App. For those of us of a certain age, our AIM away messages were a form of self-expression. When we went away from our screens, or AFK as the cool kids say, we'd leave a piece of our personality there for others to find. Simple statements like "need to eat" were often accompanied by self-expression in the form of quotes.
Some people quoted their friends, possibly to prove they had some, but many others left movie, music, or TV show quotes on their away messages. To honor the seemingly forgotten tradition of trying to impress people with your away message, I've searched high and low through the best video game quotes to find those that would have absolutely crushed it as AIM away messages for every kind of user.
6 The Person Who Wanted You To Love The Game They Love
"Praise the sun!" - Solaire of Astora, Dark Souls
This classic and quotable Dark Souls line is the more modern equivalent of something like "It's dangerous to go alone, take this." from The Legend of Zelda. It's simple, recognizable, and is short enough that people will actually read it.
It would have been perfect for AIM users who wanted to slide in an easy-to-spot reference to their favorite game that fans will see and think "Hey this person loves Dark Souls, like me, they must be cool!" At least I've always assumed that was the intention.
5 The Person Who Wanted To Encourage And Inspire Everyone
"The courage to walk into the Darkness, but strength to return to the Light." - Parables of the Allspring, Destiny
This Destiny quote falls firmly into the realm of inspiring and encouraging sentiments. It conjures up images of walking into dark times with courage and being able to come back out of the other side stronger.
AIM always had users who loved a good inspiring quote. These people really wanted to feel like they were adding some good to the world by posting a quote about positivity and fighting back during difficult times. Quotes about dark and light were classic and this one is a great example.
4 The Person Who Wanted To Make A Girl Power Statement
"Nothing is more badass than treating a woman with respect!" - Mr. Torgue, Borderlands 2
AIM was around in the late 1990s, at the same time as the Spice Girls were bringing their version of feminism to the masses. They took the world by storm with their catchy tunes and popularization of girl power, a slogan credited to US punk band Bikini Kill. As such quotes on this topic were often to be found on AIM.
This classic line from Borderlands 2 would have been splashed all over the pages of gamers with a love of looter shooters, especially female ones. The idea of girls playing games was still considered uncommon and a girl quoting this would feel like the real badass. A gaming quote about feminism from a girl who plays games? Tiny minds would have been blown.
3 The Sentimental Person Who Wanted You To Know That They Love Everyone
"I don’t need a weapon; my friends are my power!” – Sora, Kingdom Hearts
Every messaging platform has people who just love everyone and seem to be high on life. You know the ones. They like to post about how they "live, laugh, love" and will post numerous photos of their friends, family, pets, and pretty much anyone they've ever spoken to. All accompanied by sentiments about how grateful they are to have these people in their lives.
This Kingdom Hearts quote is perfect for those who love to tell you they have friends who are the very best in the world. They don't call their best friends crude nicknames like the rest of us. No, not them. They spread only love, joy, and happiness. Granted, most of them aren't likely to be gamers. But if they were, then this is undoubtedly the quote they'd choose.
2 The Person Who Wanted You To Know That They Know A Secret
“Would you kindly…” – Bioshock
This quote is synonymous with Bioshock, but only those who have played the game through to its conclusion understand the true depth and significance it has. Therefore, quoting it would likely be seen as a sign that you've played, and loved, the action-adventure classic.
There were always AIM users who wanted to be seen as in the in-crowd, regardless of if they actually were or not. A quote that is directly linked to a secret twist in a popular game is the ultimate "in the know" gaming brag and was likely to be used by anyone who wanted to be in the cool gamer club.
1 The Person Who Loved Anything Weird And Niche
“Do you like hurting other people?” – Richard, Hotline Miami
Amongst the AIM Away messages there was always one that was a bit odd. Something that would grab your attention because it was gross, weird, unusual, or unsettling. Usually, it would be about blood, guts, death, or sex. Often it would come from a song or movie most people had never heard or seen. This Hotline Miami quote is for those people.
Hotline Miami is crammed with violence, gore, bad language, and blood. Lots and lots of blood. It's also a cult classic with this quote being one likely to grab the attention of fellow fans. It's a nod from the gamer who loves a bit of blood and guts to fellow fans of unsavory content. GTA quotes also work, but this one is for the truly initiated since the title is far less mainstream.