What Are 'Mind Goblins'? The Ligma-Style Joke About 'Goblin' Things And Its Memes Explained

Bait and switch humor is as timeless as jokes about Deez Nuts. From Ninja "dying" of Ligma to Rahul Ligma and Daniel Johnson being "fired" from Twitter, the internet's tendency to repeat and play off of meme-wordplay is a testament to how low-brow humor never really goes out of style.

In line with this tradition is a new bait joke about "Mind Goblins" but that isn't the only use for the term. Mind Goblins are also how the YouTube gaming team Super Best Friends Play describes some psychological gaming quirks that might hurt a player's gameplay.

Here's everything you need to know about the term and how to properly use it (or not get caught with the bait yourself).

What Is A 'Mind Goblin' In Gaming Terms?

YouTubers "Super Best Friends Play" are often credited for coining the term "Mind Goblin" to describe certain detrimental psychological quirks exhibited by gamers. A common example of this is how some players feel the need to hoard useful items without realizing that not using them is affecting their game.

But Mat and Pat of Super Best Friends can't take all the credit for the term, as it was reportedly coined by Pat's wife Paige Boivin.

What Is The 'Mind Goblin' Bait Joke?

The "Mind Goblin" bait joke relies on how similar the term sounds to the phrase "mind gobbling." The typical bait joke using the phrase thus takes the form of baiting someone into asking what a "mind goblin is," only to hit them with a "Mind Goblin Deez Nuts?" or some other humorous-sounding variation.

The earliest known post about the joke can be seen in a screenshot of a Discord conversation, posted to the subreddit /r/Ligma by Redditor /u/digbickenergee in May 2021, subsequently spreading from there over the last few years.

What Are Some Memes About 'Mind Goblins'?

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