Press F to pay respects

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"Press F to pay respects" is an internet meme that originated from Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, a 2014 first-person shooter in Activision's Call of Duty franchise. Upon the release of the game in November 2014, many players of the video game mocked the funeral cutscene for its forced element of interactivity that seemed out-of-place at a memorial service. It has since been used by internet commenters to convey sympathy or recognition for unfortunate events.

Origin[]

Further information: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

In the 2014 first-person shooter Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, "Press F to Pay Respects", or "Press X to Pay Respects" for console versions, is an action prompt featured in a quick time event during a funeral cutscene. Upon the release of the game in November 2014, many critics and players mocked the cutscene for its forced or awkward element of interactivity that seemed out-of-place at a memorial service.[1] The mechanic was criticized and ridiculed for both being arbitrary and unnecessary, as well as being inappropriate to the mournful tone of the funeral the game otherwise intended to convey.[1][2][3] The phrase has since become detached from its source, becoming an Internet meme in its own right, sometimes used unironically: during the tribute stream for the Jacksonville Landing shooting, viewers posted a single letter "F" in the chat.[4]

F in the Chat[]

When the meme's popularity grew, it brought a new meaning to the letter "F" itself, which came to be associated with sorrow and fails. On the live streaming website Twitch, it began being spammed in the chat whenever such a thing happened, leading streamers and others to refer to this with the phrase "F in the chat".[1] "F" can be commonly seen in response to any unfortunate news on the internet.[5] After the popularity, it spread rapidly on every video games, including being cited by multiple video game websites.[6][7][8][9] In 2014, Late Night show celebrity Conan O'Brien reviewed Advanced Warfare on his clueless gamer episode and criticized most of the gameplay including the "Press X to Pay Respects" scene.[9]

Reception[]

Vitor Braz of GameRevolution described it as one of the most popular video game memes of all time.[7] Cecilia D'Anastasio of Kotaku referred to the meme as iconic, and further stated that it's not because it's "uniquely stupid", but because "the balance between 'sad' and 'flippant' is so hilariously lopsided".[9] Ky Shinkle of Screen Rant described it as a video games meme that never gets old, and stated that its common among gamers when "F" appears in unfortunate news or circumstances.[10] Morgan Park of PC Gamer described the meme as Call of Duty's greatest legacy.[11] Paste described the meme as terrifically funny and meme-ready.[12]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Newell, Adam (September 8, 2018). "The origin of "Press F to Pay Respects"". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  2. ^ "'Press X to pay respects': Call of Duty Advanced Warfare's funeral". The Independent. November 4, 2014. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  3. ^ "Gaming's most ridiculous button prompts, including Call of Duty's 'Press F to Pay Respects'". November 3, 2014. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  4. ^ "Madden's Jacksonville tribute stream and a new language of digital mourning". September 7, 2018. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  5. ^ "The NUS are voting to stop 'douchebags' pressing F to pay respects today". The Nottingham Tab. April 10, 2019.
  6. ^ "Why I Kind Of Love Ghost Of Tsushima's "Press F To Pay Respects"". GameSpot.
  7. ^ a b "Five years ago, the Press F to Pay Respects meme was born". GameRevolution. November 4, 2019.
  8. ^ Chalk, Andy (December 10, 2020). "Press F to pay respects: The final Flash update is live". PC Gamer.
  9. ^ a b c "Five Years Of 'F' To Pay Respects". Kotaku.
  10. ^ "Video Game Memes That Will Never Get Old". ScreenRant. May 20, 2021.
  11. ^ Park, Morgan (May 20, 2021). "We're getting the wrong Call of Duty sequel in 2021". PC Gamer.
  12. ^ "The QTE is Dead—Long Live the QTE!". Paste. February 26, 2015.

Further reading[]

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