Meaning
What does Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right mean?
Up up down down left right left right are the initial steps of the notorious Konami Code, a universal cheat code, appearing in several Konami and non-Konami video games.
The whole code goes as “up up down down left right left right B A”.
Origin
What's the origin of Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right?
The code was developed by Kazuhisa Hashimoto, for the 1985 video game Gradius, which he found too difficult to play while developing, so he created a cheat giving the player the full set of power ups.
The code, “up up down down left right left right B A” was supposed to be removed from the game, prior to its release, however, the game was already in mass production by the time the team realized the forgot to remove it.
Fearing that removing the code could result in a series of glitches and bugs, the team decided not to remove the cheat.
Spread & Usage
How did Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right spread?
The Konami Code was among the first and most iconic cheat codes for video games, and many games would include it in later years.
Players would press “up up down down left right left right” in games series such as Contra, Castlevania, as well as the early Metal Gear Solid games.
External resources
- Mentalfloss.com – 23 Places Where the Konami Code Lives On
- Howtogeek.com – What Is the Konami Code, and How Do You Use it?
- Npr.org – Kazuhisa Hashimoto, Creator Of Famous ‘Konami Code’ Gaming Cheat, Dies