A gaming company is reportedly begging customers to stop huffing exhaust fumes from their consoles.
Valve’s Steam Support released a response to Steam Deck handheld console owners in an attempt to end the potentially harmful meme of sniffing the warm air the device exudes, according to a Tuesday post on Reddit, IGN reported.
“As with all electronics, it is generally not recommended you inhale the exhaust fumes on your device. While there are no safety concerns with general usage, directly inhaling the device’s vent fumes should be avoided,” Steam Support wrote to a user who filed a help request on the topic. “We understand that it may be a meme, but please refrain from this behavior for the safety of your health.”
“Eh, I’m just gonna keep doing it,” the user who posted the screenshot of Steam Support’s response wrote.
Steam Deck owners have joked about smelling the console’s exhaust since its release in Feb. 2022, according to the outlet. Reddit threads from nearly two years ago reportedly exist in which users banter about the scent reminding them of “walking into an old Blockbuster” or “ripe plastic.” (RELATED: Virtual Pet Fish Commits Credit Card Fraud While Playing Video Game)
The guilty pleasure quickly morphed into a meme among the console’s the online community, the outlet reported.
I just huffed the new electronics fumes directly from the Steam Deck’s vent.
That’s goooood shiiiiiitttttt
— Lawrence Sonntag (@SirLarr) June 21, 2022
“I just hugged the new electronic fumes directly from the Steam Deck’s vent,” one user wrote on Twitter in June 2022. “That’s goooood shiiiiiitttttt.”
Reddit users reacted to Steam Support’s response with humor.
“‘We understand that it might be a meme’ is not something I thought I would see in a company message,” one user wrote.
“If Valve released an air freshener with that smell … oh man I’d buy it,” another user commented.
“The adult version of eating tide pods,” a third user wrote.