What does "XD" mean in gaming? Explained

What does XD mean in gaming?

XD is an old emoticon used to express laughter, similar to ‘lol’. It gained popularity in the early 2000s within various old-school chat rooms as a quicker way to show amusement than a classic ‘haha’.

Why use those two letters?

Well, if you look at XD from the side, you might be able to spot that it looks similar to a face laughing. The X is a pair of eyes closed, and the D is a big smile. While it doesn’t look as lifelike when it’s uncapitalized (xd) people will still get your meaning.

Why not use an emoji instead of typing it?

Although most messaging channels on the internet allow users to send emojis, XD still finds its place in areas such as in-game text chat. Many games only allow users to communicate with standard characters. This is where older forms of expression such as XD tend to be used the most.

Can XD mean anything else?

XD can be an abbreviation for other game-related things, depending on what you’re playing, but it’s universally accepted to mean laughter.

While most players use XD casually, some use it to laugh at their opponents if they make a bad play or aren’t performing well. This is a little toxic but there’s nothing inherently wrong with it. We wanted to highlight it in case you were wondering why the enemy team might have put “XD” in the chat at a 1-12 scoreline in VALORANT (though we’re sure that’s not the case).