Missing Source Textures

About

Missing Source Textures refer to the default checkered pink-and-black textures replacing normal textures in video games based on the Source game engine. Usually a result of Counter-Strike: Source not being installed on a computer, in 2018 the textures saw a surge in popularity as a recurring theme in various memes.

Origin

On November 1st, 2004, team FPS game Counter Strike: Source by Valve was released for PC^[1]. The FPS was the first game to use Valve's new Source game engine featuring advanced physics and facial animations.

On December 24th, 2004, Facepunch Studios released Garry's Mod^[2], a sandbox physics game mod for Half-Life 2 based on the Source Engine. The game relied heavily on assets from Valve Source games, including Counter Strike: Source. As a result, if a player did not have Counter Strike: Source installed on their computer, some of the textures in the game were replaced with default checkered pink-and-black textures. The same applied to any missing textures in other games based on the Source engine, including Team Fortress 2 and Left 4 Dead. Additionally, missing 3D models were replaced by red 3D "Error" messages.

Spread

A well-recognized element of many Source games, the pink-and-black textures have been a popular trope in jokes inside the gaming community, with earliest examples dating back to at least 2015. On April 22nd, 2015, Redditor^[3] C_hase posted a joke based on the trope to /r/Minecraft subreddit (shown below, center). The post gained over 3,300 upvotes in six months. On August 2nd, 2015, an anonymous Quickmeme^[4] user posted another meme based on the joke, which gained over 9,200 shares in three years (shown below, right).

In 2018, memes referencing the pink-and-black textures saw a surge in popularity, with notable examples appearing on Twitter^[5], Instagram^[6] and ironic subreddits such as /r/okbuddyretard^[7] and /r/comedynecromancy^[8].

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References