Gamer communities are often quite creative when it comes to making new rules, slang and acronyms for their favourite games. One wrong move on the publisher’s end and a moment in the game or a cutscene can become a worldwide meme.

In this article, we’re looking at what ‘F in the chat’ really means and why it is so popular.

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What is ‘F in the chat’?

“F in chat” is a slang commonly used by streamers and YouTubers like Tanmay Bhat, Pewdipie, among others, and was initially derived from the meme “Press F to pay respect”. Usually, this term expresses sorrow, compassion, or even mocking someone sarcastically because they have failed embarrassingly.

The usage of this term started from a 2014 video game “Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare”, which featured a quick time event reading “Press F to pay respect” that appeared as a part of a character’s funeral. This feature was highly criticised and mocked by streamers all over the world.

However, since then, the phrase has picked up popularity and is now a well-known internet term, so much so that even many non-gamers understand what it means right away.

Notable mention

On 26th August 2018, at approximately 1:30 pm a pro gamer known by the name of David Katz opened fire at the venue of a tournament for the game called Madden NFL 19 because he lost a game. 2 gamers lost their lives while 11 were left injured.

On 6th September 2018, a Twitch channel famous for streaming Madden held a memorial stream for those who lost their lives. The chat was flooded with F’s, and news channels called it a unique way of expressing sorrow within the Twitch community.

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