Editor’s Note : This Page Was Updated On 31-Oct-2022 to add information about the origin of the X To Doubt Meme.
Although “X To Doubt” is one of the most well-known gaming memes, how did it get its start? Memes from video games have been increasingly famous in recent years, such as the iconic “X To Jason” from Heavy Rain or the “Speech 100” joke from Skyrim. These memes frequently focus on one peculiar or unusual aspect of the corresponding game, although there are other stranger examples, like the Google malfunction that gave rise to the “Who Created Kirby?” meme.
Rockstar Games’ games have a history of creating bizarre jokes. Examples include the Grand Theft Auto series and Red Dead Redemption 2. One of Rockstar’s more understated games from 2011 is L.A. Noire, which centres on LAPD investigator Cole Phelps. The game still has a sandbox city full of side objectives for players to locate, but it focuses more on detective work, questioning suspects, and looking for clues than causing mayhem or engaging in shootouts.
Despite being one of Rockstar’s most underappreciated games, L.A. Noire didn’t inspire a sequel. The “X To Doubt” meme, which generally takes the shape of a reaction photograph starring Phelps, who was played in the game by Arron Staton, was one thing the game did produce (Mad Men). Extreme suspicion regarding the veracity of a given remark or comment is expressed using the phrase “X To Doubt.” It is utilised in the game itself during interrogations, where Phelps can respond to a statement in one of three ways: “Truth” if he agrees with it, “Lie” if he disagrees, and “Doubt” if he isn’t so sure.
Origin of X To Doubt Meme:
The player controls detective Cole Phelps in 1940s Los Angeles in the video game L.A. Noire. Scenes where Phelps questions crime scene witnesses are one of L.A. Noire’s key gameplay elements. The player is given three choices following a witness’s statement. The player will have to decide whether to believe the witness’s statement to be true (“Truth”), express doubt about it (“Doubt”), or claim that the witness is lying (“Liar”) (“Lie”). The “Doubt” question and a picture of Phelps’ bewildered face were used as the reaction image (shown below, left). On December 4th, 2012, the picture was uploaded to Funnyjunk without a caption and was accompanied by the phrase “(X) Doubt.” Most likely, this was the meme’s initial version (shown below, right).
Since it originally surfaced in comment sections in 2013, typically appearing in reaction to a dubious claim or assertion, the “X To Doubt” meme has become widely popular. Other variations of the original L.A. Noire graphic include “X To Be Skeptical” or “X To The Story You’re Currently Speaking Of Seems Illegitimate,” with Phelps’ statement becoming more and more verbose.
L.A. Noire’s “Press X To Doubt” meme has proven amazingly adaptable for such a simple joke, much like Heavy Rain’s “Press X To Jason.” Unfortunately, there are little indications that Rockstar Games is working on L.A. Noire 2, which means fans won’t be getting any new memes from the series anytime soon. Nevertheless, it took almost ten years for Red Dead Redemption 2, so there’s always a chance that L.A. Noire 2 will ultimately be released. Ironically, this would be a great opportunity to deploy the X To Doubt meme.
