Well, that may be their—admittedly odd—way of saying thank you. Could also be that it’s some whacky humour as they are not explicitly insulting you. In such a case I’d definitely prefer if they solve it at the end, like adding “<jk>” or something. Otherwise I might just reply with “OK, let’s get drunk somewhere.”
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it is just a meaningless phrase, but i find ‘good game’ a little bit offensive. unless its after the game and it really was quite an interesting one. up front it seems like a bit of demand. unfortunately, a lot of the time i don’t play a very good game. afterwards, if i played poorly, it can’t do anything but make me feel worse.
but its nothing compared to ‘good luck’. i know its supposed to be cheery, but this isn’t a game based on luck. if i win, its because i read deeper than you. i don’t want or need luck. i want to take the trouble to play properly, and thats all on me. i know thats super fussy 
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I think that’s exactly the reason people are so willing to wish good luck to their opponents. I used to play online poker and the phrase is much less popular there 
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Lots of great points here. I just wanted to add that, for myself, every game of go is a good game.
Each one is a unique learning experience, especially when I lose.
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Hf! = Have fun! is how I open usually. GG and ty, is usually how I close. Is it meaningless? Yes and no. No more than Oneigasmasu. It is acknowledging your opponent and being polite. Sometimes lately I close with ty for the game, instead.
I believe civility and good manners encourages proper behaviour, and makes for a more pleasant atmosphere.
I find it annoying when an opponent does not greet in any fashion. Also when an opponent whines and says how they could have won, etc… Thats poor sportsman and ladyship.
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To me, roughly speaking:
glhf=Hi.
gg=Bye.
gg does not have a whole lot of meaning, but it isn’t meaningless. “Hi/Bye” do not have a whole lot of meaning, but they aren’t meaningless.
Couldn’t you just type “That was seriously a really good game”?? Do we need to abbreviate everything?
I don’t know. A game of go is also a conversation. After “talking” (with stones) in depth for almost an hour, I usually think that I communicated enough for one day.
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I want to add a lot of games here are 10 min or less. I generally do not think of them as serious as a 30 min or more game. I think longer games where opponents invested more time and energy deserve more than an abreviation.
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I’m also of the opinion that this is not polite, but it’s not a big deal either. Who knows why the total stranger I’m playing with remains silent? He might be in a bad mood. He might have a different idea of politeness. He might have some kind of disability that makes typing painful. For all I know, he might be an ancient Japanese ghost who doesn’t know ‘hi’ from ‘bye’. As long as we’re having a decent game, should I really care? 
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Well, in Asia and in Go a lot of the gestures you do are there for politeness. Like placing the stone on the upper right corner means you’re showing respect to the stronger player. So that he doesn’t have to bend over the board to play his first move. Also it’s sort of like a bow. I think “gg” is just the modern way of showing the same respect. Originated from people playing other computer games. “gg wp” was once a polite gesture but nowadays it seems more taunting unless the game was indeed a good and close or exciting game. Quite honestly I try to avoid it. It doesn’t take that much longer to write down “have a good game!” and use the more common (in go) Thank you for the game, at the end. It atleast seems more polite in my opinion. You can sit down for hours and play a game of go, but you can’t spend the extra like 0.5 seconds to write the words down? … Now now… In blitz is where these shorties belong! 
…
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Why don’t we poll?
What does gg mean to you?
- “I wish you a good game.” (genuine)
- “I had a good game.” (genuine)
- “I wish you a good game.” (formality)
- “I had a good game.” (formality)
- Nothing, but I say it anyway
- I don’t say gg
- Other
0
voters
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gg has a wider meaning to me, as well.
I say gg when I’m kibitzing, again as a game-ending formality, even though I’m commenting on someone else’s game – the intended meaning is “That was a good game.” (formality).
I also use gg as a way to say “the end of the game”, eg.
if White kills that group then it’s gg
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I notice a lot of gg’s at the beginnings of game and I’ve always used it as game ending comment. Like, that was a ‘good game.’
My greetings often will change depending on the reaction or if my opponnent greets me first. I’ll also say ‘gg’ when I think I just made a horrible mistake that lost the game for me. Like hands up, shoulders shrug, gg.
Otherwise: gl hf. Good luck, have fun. As a second thought I’ve also seen ‘gg’ used as ‘good going’
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I agree with what Samraku said earlier in the thread that it is predictable that greeting and parting phrases lose meaning with common use over time.
God be with you became goodbye.
if it pleases you became please.
The whole Medieval Latin phrase servus humillimus, domine spectábilis (your most humble servant, my admirable lord) has been reduced to just ciao, from the evolution of the key word servus.
There are many more examples.
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I wonder, is the intensified form of gg the version ggwp (good game, well played)?
Just like perhaps glhf (good luck, have fun) is one step up from just hey.
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I use ‘wp’ a lot, too.
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WHAT??? 
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I consider the other person’s “gg” equivalent to my “thanks for the game!”. Not what I’d use, but what they use for the same function, more or less.
I appreciate more the players who type a hi/bye (in whatever equivalent), and I usually write it anyway, even when met with silence. Just to put my polite greeting out there in the universe.
That’s my thought on this, as well, but I guess it’s becoming a standard, so I just accept it as the new normal. 
I think the gl hf/ gg etc are “loans” from other game communities and just migrated to online go as well, but it doesn’t really bother me. I sometimes think that people may not be fluent in such speak, or other languages, and are thus shy or reluctant to extend a greeting, so I try to use complete sentences and greet first. If they don’t respond, 
.
In general, I think formalities have the meaning of the politeness for the situation (as in omitting or choosing a generally inappropriate one is the problematic case), not of the actual words, so I don’t read much into the specific words used in such cases (imagine if everyone replied earnestly to “how are you today?”).
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Wikipedia says somewhat.
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Yeah this too!
The really offensive variant I’ve seen from rts games is gg easy that’s ones awful
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