What Is The Dreaded 'Gamer Dent'? The Meme Mocking A Headphone-Shaped 'Dent' On The Skulls Of Gamers Explained

The internet may have found a new bodily insecurity to hyper-focus on for months on end, with many streaming enthusiasts pointing out the disturbing tendency of gaming streamers to have headphone-shaped "dents" on their heads. Discussions about such Gamer Dents caused a few people to speculate about whether the phenomenon is a permanent indent or just a temporary impression on one's skull.

Here's a recap of the internet streamers who sparked off discussions about the Gamer Dent, from Tyler1 to TimTheTatMan.

Who First Noticed And Coined The Term 'Gamer Dent'?

The practice of wearing heavy headphones for gaming purposes is not an entirely recent or novel idea, giving the impression that the "gamer dent" phenomenon was likely noticed prior to the late 2010s. However, the phrase "gamer dent" did not enter online discourse until the year 2018.

Redditor /u/shimylogo posted a still image of streamer Tyler1 with his headset off in a subreddit dedicated to the streamer in January 2019, with Redditor /u/UnhealthySloth eventually sharing an edited version of the image making the dent even more prominent. The exaggerated image became a widely shared example of the gamer dent phenomenon.

How Did The Term 'Gamer Dent' Grow Popular?

The edited version of Tyler1's gamer dent continued to make the rounds for subsequent years, with a video of Tyler1 accidentally flashing and then hiding his dent going viral on YouTube, gathering over 11 million views.

A clip of streamer TimTheTatman examining his head dent floated around various parts of the internet for weeks, with a YouTube upload of the clip gathering over 300,000 views.

As the idea of having a "gamer dent" grew, audiences began encouraging streamers to see if they have one too. Streamer @curtosslive shaved his head on stream to see if he had a gamer dent, a clip that Dexerto reposted to viral effect.

Streamer finds a headphone indent on his head while shaving for charity pic.twitter.com/3RiIlnjYeX

— Dexerto (@Dexerto) June 5, 2023

For the full history of the Gamer Dent, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.