"Press F to pay respects" or "Press
Origin[edit]
In the 2014 first-person shooter Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, "Press F to Pay Respects" [or "Press
Reception[edit]
Upon the release of Advanced Warfare 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.[2] The mechanic was frequently 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.[2][1][3] In 2014, late night show celebrity Conan O'Brien reviewed Advanced Warfare on his "Clueless Gamer" episode and criticized most of the gameplay of Advanced Warfare, particularly the "Press X to Pay Respects" scene.[4] On the other hand, Paste described the mourning process, which takes the form of a quick time event, as terrifically funny with the potential to catch on as a viral meme.[5]
Spread[edit]
The phrase has since become detached from its source, sometimes used in a sincere and unironic way. [6][7][8][4] In the years after the release of Advanced Warfare, users began typing a singular "F" in chat windows on websites such as Twitch to convey condolences or a sense of sorrow when reacting to any unfortunate news on the internet, leading streamers and others to refer to this with the phrase "F in the chat".[2][9] A notable example of "F in the chat" was in the tribute stream for the Jacksonville Landing shooting, where some viewers responded to the proceedings by posting a single letter "F" in the chat.[10]
Legacy[edit]
In retrospect, Morgan Park of PC Gamer described the meme as Call of Duty's greatest legacy.[11] 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".[4] Ky Shinkle of Screen Rant described it as a video gaming meme that never gets old, and stated that it's common among gamers when "F" appears in unfortunate news or circumstances.[12]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "'Press X to pay respects': Call of Duty Advanced Warfare's funeral scene is so Call of Duty". The Independent. November 4, 2014. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019. In an interactive scene as gleefully tasteless as the infamous airport massacre in Modern Warfare 2, the playable character Private Jack Mitchell attends the funeral of his best friend who died on a mission in South Korea, paying his heartfelt respects by either pressing F or holding X [depending on what console you're on].
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b c "Five Years Of 'F' To Pay Respects". Kotaku. 4 November 2019.
- ^ "The QTE is Dead—Long Live the QTE!". Paste. February 26, 2015.
- ^ "Why I Kind Of Love Ghost Of Tsushima's "Press F To Pay Respects"". GameSpot. As the scene plays out, Advanced Warfare throws some interactivity your way to add some gravitas, prompting you to hit a button to enable your character to express their grief. If you're playing on PC, the default key for honoring the dead in this case is "F." [...]the instance in Advanced Warfare just feels particularly goofy, probably because it appears in such a high-profile game.
- ^ a b "Five years ago, the Press F to Pay Respects meme was born". GameRevolution. November 4, 2019.
- ^ Chalk, Andy [December 10, 2020]. "Press F to pay respects: The final Flash update is live". PC Gamer.
- ^ "The NUS are voting to stop 'douchebags' pressing F to pay respects today". The Nottingham Tab. April 10, 2019.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Park, Morgan [May 20, 2021]. "We're getting the wrong Call of Duty sequel in 2021". PC Gamer.
- ^ "Video Game Memes That Will Never Get Old". ScreenRant. May 20, 2021.
Further reading[edit]
- Vestal, Andrew [November 5, 2014]. "All Due Respect: Press F for Farce". Gamasutra.
- Hall, Charlie [November 4, 2014]. "Call of Duty: Press X to feel something". Polygon.
- Lawver, Brian [February 8, 2021]. "How Call of Duty inspired the internet's most sarcastic show of support". Inverse.
- Tang, Dennis [November 3, 2014]. "Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Features the Dumbest Interactive Moment in Gaming". GQ.
- Priestman, Chris [November 6, 2014]. "Call Of Duty Doesn't Understand Grief—But Then, Who Does?". Kill Screen.
- Fahey, Mike [November 3, 2014]. "Nothing Says Funeral Like a Quick Time Event". Kotaku.
External links[edit]
- Press F to pay respects entry at Know Your Meme