The Oregon Trail meme stems from the educational computer game of the same name, first developed in 1971 and popularized in schools during the 1980s and 90s. The most iconic element is the blunt 'You have died of dysentery' message, which became a symbol of the game's brutal difficulty and unexpected outcomes. In internet culture, the meme is used to represent sudden, unavoidable failure or to satirize modern problems using the game's primitive 8-bit aesthetic. It serves as a nostalgic touchstone for Millennials and Gen Xers, often crossing over into 'only 90s kids will remember' territory while remaining a staple of retro-gaming humor.