Arbeit Arbeit comes from the German localisation of Warcraft III, Blizzard's 2002 strategy game. Orc peons, the worker units who gather gold and lumber, answer orders with short comic responses, and the English line work, work became arbeit, arbeit in German. Players quoted the peon lines for years because they were heard constantly during every match. Clips later spread through meme edits and soundboards, where the German version gained a second life as a shorthand for grinding, working hard and being sent to do yet another task.