About

I'm Using Tilt Controls! is a phrase used online in the game Mario Kart 8. Online, the phrase has become a common copypasta in the Live Chat of YouTube videos and has seen use in parodies of the game.

Origin

The phrase comes from the Nintendo game Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U and it's enhanced port for the Switch, where it is one of the pre-set messages players can use while waiting until the race starts in an online match. In the game, a player can opt to steer their car by tilting their controller. However, this is generally considered an inferior and less-precise method of play.^[1] It is also more specific and a non-sequitur compared to the other pre-set messages, leading players to spam it in the waiting area of games.

Spread

Shortly after the game's release, the phrase was widely spammed in the online waiting area of the game. This led to multiple parodies in the Mario Kart community. For example, on June 18th, 2014, Redditor WowZipZipBoomBoomWow posted an image of a car crashed into a house with the phrase as a caption, gaining over 240 points in /r/MarioKart^[2] (shown below, left). On May 13th, 2017, Redditor inktivate^[3] posted a Mocking Spongebob meme about the phrase to the subreddit, gaining over 210 points (shown below, right).

The phrase has also been mocked on YouTube. Videogamedunkey made several jokes about the phrase in his video about Mario Kart 8 (shown below, left). User DruzzedOut InAGate posted a video of a car crashing into a mall with the phrase, gaining over 79,000 views (shown below, right). The phrase has also been used in the Live Chat of YouTube Videos, particularly Nintendo Directs.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References