The F key, that seemingly insignificant letter on the keyboard, has celebrated its tenth anniversary as one of the most famous memes in gaming history. Something that was born as a joke within a first-person shooter game, but today is a universal symbol of respect, irony and even empathy across many platforms or casual conversations between acquaintances.
It all started in 2014 amid the mixed reception of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, a game that in some ways ushered in a new era for the franchise, marked by bold and experimental changes that broke with its traditional identity. While Advanced Warfare wasn’t well received by all fans, it represents one of the most interesting chapters in Call of Duty’s 21-year history.
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And in one particularly dramatic scene, the game asked players to press the F key to pay tribute to a deceased character. This sequence, considered forced and emotionless, quickly became a meme, causing it to be mentioned or suggested to “press F” on various occasions when something goes wrong or “dies”.
From irony to sympathy
“Press F” was originally used for sarcastic purposes, to make fun of clichéd narrative sequences or absurd situations in games. However, over time, the F key has evolved to become a way to express solidarity and support, even in real-life situations. For example, on platforms like Twitch, viewers have begun pressing the F key in droves to show their respect in the face of painful failures or even tragic events affecting their favorite streamers.
Thus, the F key became a universal code that transcended language and cultural barriers.
A complex cultural phenomenon.
For other people, the F key phenomenon also goes beyond a simple meme, presenting a between-the-lines critique of certain aspects of the video game industry, such as the tendency to evoke emotions and the lack of meaningful interaction with the game. player. But it is also a testament to the ability of online communities to create their own meanings and rituals, and a reminder that video games are much more than just entertainment and can be a form of self-expression.
Thus, ten years after its birth, the F key is still relevant, having evolved from a joke among gamers into a global cultural phenomenon, demonstrating the ability of memes to transcend barriers of time and space. Something that sounds too deep, but this will be confirmed in another ten years, when this phrase will still exist. Or maybe it won’t be used anymore and we’ll have to press F for “press F”.
A player tries to “download” an RTX 2080 Ti for his PC, but his brother manages to stop him before he falls for the legendary trick
Apparently unaware of the “download more RAM” meme, the gamer expressed his desire to upgrade his graphics card to his brother’s, telling him that he had found a way to download a higher version from the Internet. Something that is clearly not possible, and it was shared by this big brother who took advantage of getting the idea of ”downloadable hardware” out of his head, which is also a recurring joke that has been circulating in the gaming community for years.
The “solution” this duped gamer found in a video posted on YouTube is an elaborate prank. In the video, the content creator actually downloads the graphics card software from Nvidia’s official website and installs it. It then shows how, once installed, the graphics card has apparently been upgraded from a GTX 1050 to an RTX 2080 Ti.