Press F to pay respects

"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 an in-game quick time event for its forced element of interactivity that seemed out-of-place at a funeral service. It has since been used by internet commenters to convey sympathy or recognition for unfortunate events.

Screenshot of the original funeral scene from Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

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 to Pay Respects" for Xbox versions),[1] is an action prompt featured in a quick time event during a funeral cutscene.

Spread

The phrase has since become detached from its source, becoming an Internet meme in its own right, sometimes used unironically.[2][3][4][5] 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".[6][7] 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.[8]

Reception and legacy

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.[6] 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.[6][1][9] 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.[5] 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.[10]

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.[3] 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".[5] 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
  1. "'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).
  2. "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.
  3. "Five years ago, the Press F to Pay Respects meme was born". GameRevolution. November 4, 2019.
  4. Chalk, Andy (December 10, 2020). "Press F to pay respects: The final Flash update is live". PC Gamer.
  5. "Five Years Of 'F' To Pay Respects". Kotaku.
  6. 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.
  7. "The NUS are voting to stop 'douchebags' pressing F to pay respects today". The Nottingham Tab. April 10, 2019.
  8. "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.
  9. "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.
  10. "The QTE is Dead—Long Live the QTE!". Paste. February 26, 2015.
  11. Park, Morgan (May 20, 2021). "We're getting the wrong Call of Duty sequel in 2021". PC Gamer.
  12. "Video Game Memes That Will Never Get Old". ScreenRant. May 20, 2021.

Further reading
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