Internet Checkpoint: A Save Point for the Soul

You are filled with determination.

Have you ever heard of a strange corner of the internet known as the Internet Checkpoint?

I first learned of this concept when I was looking for background music to work to on YouTube and came across a recommended video of “Stickerbush Symphony” (Togetoge Taru Meiro, from Donkey Kong Country 2).

A curious, nearly motionless video set to classic game music from the SNES era. For whatever reason, the comment section was filled with people pouring out their life stories.

From tragedies like losing a close friend or a house burning down, to future milestones and aspirations—taking an entrance exam tomorrow, dreaming of becoming a game developer.

Every imaginable kind of personal story was laid bare, with strangers replying to comfort and encourage one another.

But how on earth did it become like that?

The Birth of the Internet Checkpoint#

The phenomenon of the Internet Checkpoint originated with a series of video game music uploads by YouTube user taia777.

taia777 had been uploading SNES-era game music paired with beautiful imagery. In April 2012, their upload of “Stickerbush Symphony” was mysteriously picked up by YouTube’s recommendation algorithm and served to countless users, drawing people of all ages and backgrounds into the comment section.

Immersed in the nostalgia radiating from the video, they began opening up about their lives as if talking to an old friend—laying bare their joys and sorrows, their regrets and hopes, entirely unfiltered.

Connections to Modern Aesthetics#

Having come to serve as such a communal haven, the video eventually came to be known as the “Internet Checkpoint.”

In gaming, a “checkpoint” means a “save point.” And indeed, tracks like “Stickerbush Symphony” or “Corridors of Time” (from Chrono Trigger) truly evoke the soothing comfort of a save point.

Yet it isn’t merely that the music is great.

The Internet Checkpoint also shares common ground with modern aesthetics like liminal spaces and vaporwave.

A liminal space refers to a place situated on the threshold between the ordinary and the extraordinary, carrying a surreal atmosphere. Vaporwave is a genre characterized by a nostalgic, dreamlike mood that borrows from ’80s and ’90s aesthetics, often sampling music and commercials from that era.

I feel taia777’s videos evoked a similar vaporwave-esque nostalgia by pairing retro game music with visuals. You could certainly say they anticipated that very aesthetic.

Stepping away from the real world for a moment, resting in an absolute safe zone where no enemies can encounter you, looking back on the past, and thinking about what to do next. Sharing each other’s life stories, like travelers crossing paths in a tavern.

…That sort of imagination is surely at play.

In Closing#

Unfortunately, taia777’s “Stickerbush Symphony” video was eventually taken down. However, the video was archived by volunteers, and it lives on today alongside the original comments from back then.

とげとげタルめいろスーパードンキーコング2"

Welcome traveller. You have reached the checkpoint of the internet.This is an age-old story beginning with taia777 in 2012, where people from all walks of li...