I guess get them “physically” and semi conceptually, but I don’t understand the context/culture behind them or where the idea comes from or when they’re used/how/why/where. Like is it all conceptual or is it literal regarding video game creation? Or is it the ‘creation’ of some random and specific pocket of the internet? And how did it become a semi-mainstream concept to where it is in my consciousness and I’m asking this question? TIA.
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The back rooms is specifically [a creepy pasta](https://www.creepypastastories.com/the-backrooms/) from a few years ago.
The concept comes from “liminal spaces.” Which are areas in a building that exist to get from on place to another. Think stairwells in a school, office hallways, apartment lobbies, etc. Liminal spaces are weird because they only really exist to get us from one place to another. And because of that they tend to blend in with one another and all vaguely feel familiar yet void of other people. Like there’s one stairwell in my workplace that’s a very liminal space. It has a few paintings, fake plants, a stairwell, and nothing else. No one hangs out there for more than the thirty seconds spend getting from one floor to another. But it can be unsettling because this space is so bland it can be literally anywhere and so boring it’s meant to be forgotten and blends in with any other stairwell I’ve been in. So I guess the real horror of the back rooms comes from the feeling that it’s vaguely familiar because it’s like any other forgettable office anyone has ever been in.
Edit: [Here’s an article](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/rabbit-holes/the-pleasant-head-trip-of-liminal-spaces) on liminal spaces for a better explanation.
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