Peer pressure, FFXIV's reputation, & subscribing

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Originally Posted by Nabiri

Well, I guess I'm at the age where I just don't get embarrassed for liking certain things.

When people ask what games I play, I tell them. When they say "Ooooh I've heard BAD things about that game." I say, "Most of them were probably true (UI was a mess, lag etc. etc.), but... the game just had a rough start. People make mistakes you know? They're working it out and the game is a really fun place now, and it's only going to get better!" Then I go into the details and everything, and the person usually looks surprised and interested, and seems to change their mind about it a little.
And once I feel the game becomes something they might enjoy I'll suggest they try it out. I'll tell them about all the awesome new features and things to do.

But hey, if people wanna act like playing a game is some terrible thing to do, then let them. If you don't react to it they'll likely get bored and stop teasing. There's nothing shameful about believing in something/someone(SE) and supporting them. It's called loyalty.

I don't think any peer pressure is SE's fault. They're doing the very best they can. People act like jerks of their own accord.

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Pony sig? heh I tell you dont care what others think

Anyways if you don't want to pay simply don't it doesn't matter I am pretty sure Wada (as hes the reason for the billing to begin again) is blind by the fact that doing this will hurt an already dwindling population but hey there's FF14 2.0 in a year right?

How do I deal with the pressure? I form my own opinions. You know what they say about opinions; they're like ***holes, everyone has one.

I'm sorry but every time I read a thread by this OP I feel like my brain gets hit by a Mack truck. This is probably one of the stupidest things I've read, next to the one you posted last week containing your life's sob story.

"I'm having fun with this game but my friends are make funz of mi, so i qeet nao oak hey buy buy"

Logic.. get some.

FUCK'M its MY MONEY i'll pay if i want to if ppl dont like this well to bad so sad dont need you as afriend anyway most of my friends are asking me about improvemenmts instead of dissing me for playing the game anyone who is dissing on someone who plays is being elites thinking thier choice in gameing is THE ABSALUTE BEST who cares what they think

Not a problem for me, I have no friends!

We're here!
We're paying!
Get used to it!

/em makes out with his boyfriend on a giant chocobo parade float.

Square pride!

It's easier to come out than to tell your friends you play FFXIV.

To this thread.

Why do people care so much about what other peoples opinions.

Hey i love playing this game its a lot of fun.

That crappy game?

OOooh it is a crappy game you say, ok i guess you are right then.

My friends think im silly for watching anime, but do i care what they say? NO i love anime and watch em often and they bring me good entertainment.

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Originally Posted by Neptune

I'm not sharing this story to flame the debate over whether or not the game is worthy of subscribing to or not.

I recently met another gamer and after we discussed online games, he mocked me for paying for FFXIV for over a year. I pointed out that they never started charging and with that stated he could see why I played since it was a free trial. Even then he still mocked me for paying for the game in the first place. Maybe he is behaving poorly for outright mocking someone over what game they play, but the point of note is that he had a basis for his mockage that is traced back to the bad reviews.

On another occasion we were at a game night with some of this gamer's friends and he was trying out the game. He was mocked by his gamer friends for playing FFXIV, "that horrible game". I gave him my buddy pass and I suspect he probably keeps a low profile about playing FFXIV when around his other gamer friends, to avoid dealing with the harassment. Lol.

Disregarding the ethics or whether this guy's friends have good reason to mock him for playing FFXIV or not, the truth of the matter is that peer pressure is going to be a factor in people's lives once subscription fees are brought into the picture. Peer pressure shouldn't be the reason SE decides to reverse their decision about subscription fees, but it is going to be something gamers deal with from here on out. It's rare to be chided by a fellow gamer over your taste. Even gamers from separate genres like CoD shooters, Halo, or fighting games tend to respect each other as gamers. I feel sorry for some of the people that are going to run into peer pressure.


This game has a super bad reputation and playing it makes you look bad. PAYING for it makes you look even worse to those that read the bad reviews.

So how should you deal with peer pressure? If you really enjoy the game you have to stick up for yourself. It would suck to lose social standing with anyone in your circle, but if you truly enjoy playing, it might be worth it.

What should Square Enix do about peer pressure and the bad reviews? It's Square Enix's problem. When the game is re-reviewed they will have their chance to address some of the criticism of the bad reviews and make this a game everyone can be proud to play. One troubling note is that they announced they want to change over to the new client and server AFTER the PS3 release. There will be no forgiveness from the game reviewers if they do that. So let's hope they show some common sense and try to clean up their mess before inviting the world in.

If you have a story about how peer pressure or FFXIV's reputation surfaced for you, please share it.

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Peer Pressure is only a factor if you allow it to be.

People should play whatever the hell they want, and let others say whatever they want.

It's a game. Not a popularity contest.

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Originally Posted by Rubicon

It's easier to come out than to tell your friends you play FFXIV.

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A LOT easier. Worst case scenario is to lose all dev cred at work if this dark secret of mine ever gets out.

The whole peer pressure thing is dumb. Like many others have already said, just man up. -_-

With regards to reputation though, that's a very real concern. FFXIV managed to become pretty infamous with the expectations it had from its brand and the end product resulted in some shockingly negative reviews. It can be hard to shake that off.

I think as long as they advertise Version 2 right and really promote it at E3 with great gameplay footage and a big "FFXIV: THE NON-CRAP VERSION" logo, it should be able to reel people back in. If the game is good and it has enough players on launch, then not only will those people stick around but they will likely bring in more people through word-of-mouth.

I'm feeling optimistic. The future looks bright, my friends. ;)

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Originally Posted by UmJammerSully

The whole peer pressure thing is dumb. Like many others have already said, just man up. -_-

With regards to reputation though, that's a very real concern. FFXIV managed to become pretty infamous with the expectations it had from its brand and the end product resulted in some shockingly negative reviews. It can be hard to shake that off.

I think as long as they advertise Version 2 right and really promote it at E3 with great gameplay footage and a big "FFXIV: THE NON-CRAP VERSION" logo, it should be able to reel people back in. If the game is good and it has enough players on launch, then not only will those people stick around but they will likely bring in more people through word-of-mouth.

I'm feeling optimistic. The future looks bright, my friends. ;)

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Couldn't agree more with you, my friend. Even though there are a lot of things against FF14, the future relaunch looks very bright indeed. A really good positive campaign could really save FF14 v. 2.0 next december 2012.

Cyber bullying over an online game.....What has the world come to.

I can understand pressure from the internet fraternity at large, but if your 'friends' bully you over playing a game? You really need some new ones.

Not playful ribbing, mind. A little teasing and possibly amenability to giving it a look themselves .. but if it gets to the point where their negative treatment of you for playing the game feels uncomfortable and they don't let you be when you tell them as much..

Yeah, think about your friends some, in that case.

That said, though .. you're right, it's a very real concern of mine the bad reputation is being perpetuated about this game. I hate how it's fashionable to hate certain things like that.. Hopefully there'll be enough of a bang at the relaunch to force the various sites to properly re-review and not just make another of those crappy 'Let's pretend we took another look but use the old impressions' (Eurogamer, who in their December re-review stated you stop gaining experience after doing 8 guild leves) or 'Let's take a quick glance at the bits we know and not bother with anything's been added' (MMORPG.com), lest they look like the idiots we know them to be for doing so in the face of their wider readership.

I stopped letting peer pressure bother me when I was like 15. I have not had anyone look down on me or say anything...maybe it's because i'm an adult and I have mature adult friends. O.o Even if I did have jerk friend/co-workers that made fun of me for playing a game I liked I wouldn't let it bother me because I won't be talking to them anymore!

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Originally Posted by Fensfield

I can understand pressure from the internet fraternity at large, but if your 'friends' bully you over playing a game? You really need some new ones.

Not playful ribbing, mind. A little teasing and possibly amenability to giving it a look themselves .. but if it gets to the point where their negative treatment of you for playing the game feels uncomfortable and they don't let you be when you tell them as much..

Yeah, think about your friends some, in that case.

That said, though .. you're right, it's a very real concern of mine the bad reputation is being perpetuated about this game. I hate how it's fashionable to hate certain things like that.. hopefully there'll be enough of a bang at the relaunch to force the various sites to properly re-review and not just make another of those crappy 'Let's pretend we took another look but use the old impressions' (Eurogamer, who in their December re-review stated you stop gaining experience after doing 8 guild leves) or 'Let's take a quick glance at the bits we know and not really mention the new stuff' (MMORPG.com).

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They have properly reviewed the game, is just that in the eyes of the people that play this game, this is the holy grail of MMO'S to the other 90% that left it was not, you have to see it from the point of view of the reviwer and his audience, when you go and review a game after 1 entire year, you expect the game, to have changed or evolved to a certain point, this is not the case with this game, after an entire year, the only thing the game has to show for itself, is 2 dungeons, Mounts, one faction(I know is 3 but the quest is the same for all 3) and one boss fight. Sure they added auto attack, sure they have bandaied the UI, but at the end of the day, they have not adressed the issues that the reviewers and that 90% that left where complaining, that is lack of engaging content, an Auction House, End game content, low level content( Wich is still lacking a LOT!) a mail system, a party search system, a LS administration system etc etc.

So after an entire year, if you look at the game, the game has not really come that far, sure to those that play, things have changed and in the right direction, but to those outside looking in, is really not that much, and also consider that during this entire year, the other MMOS have been putting out content 10X the size of what FFXIV has, so who in their right mind, would give this game a good review, when everybody else in the market is outdoing it 10 to 1 ?

This is pathetic.

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Originally Posted by XxOstiaxX

They have properly reviewed the game, is just that in the eyes of the people that play this game, this is the holy grail of MMO'S to the other 90% that left it was not, you have to see it from the point of view of the reviwer and his audience, when you go and review a game after 1 entire year, you expect the game, to have changed or evolved to a certain point, this is not the case with this game, after an entire year, the only thing the game has to show for itself, is 2 dungeons, Mounts, one faction(I know is 3 but the quest is the same for all 3) and one boss fight. Sure they added auto attack, sure they have bandaied the UI, but at the end of the day, they have not adressed the issues that the reviewers and that 90% that left where complaining, that is lack of engaging content, an Auction House, End game content, low level content( Wich is still lacking a LOT!) a mail system, a party search system, a LS administration system etc etc.

So after an entire year, if you look at the game, the game has not really come that far, sure to those that play, things have changed and in the right direction, but to those outside looking in, is really not that much, and also consider that during this entire year, the other MMOS have been putting out content 10X the size of what FFXIV has, so who in their right mind, would give this game a good review, when everybody else in the market is outdoing it 10 to 1 ?

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I have this dead horse over here, can you help me out? I think if we just kick it a little more...

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Originally Posted by Charismatic

Haha, the other day my coworker gave me the dirtiest look when I mentioned that XIV is going to be moving to p2p and he was basically like "you have to be kidding me, you're going to pay for it?" (we'd been talking about me getting into XIV recently). Was hilarious to me, I just told him that as of the last few large patches I've finally been having a bit of fun with it and by the time the next patch comes out it should be better, so yeah... I'll pay.
He just shrugged and that was the end of it. Not really a big deal.

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and chances are all he knows about the game is how it launched
since no one has given the game an honest review of whats been added(and thats serious, NO ONE HAS, all the new reviews ignore all the stuff being added to rehash old crap)

imo, just ignore people, whenever i mention i play 14 myself, i get more questions then actual "why are you bother" type comments
you would be amazed how many people are more curious about how the game is coming along given that its been f2p for all this time and all the patching being done to it

the more dismissive people are those who wouldnt have played it to begin with, and even moreso those who cant see a reason anyone would play anything but wow

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Originally Posted by Nuru

I didn't know that they were going to switch the client and server over AFTER the PS3 release. I thought they were only going to be Beta Testing it first, and then transferring everything over BEFORE the release... if I'm not mistaken.

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Actually, I think this is just worded badly:

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Between October and December of 2012, we plan to integrate the current service and the coming PlayStation®3 version into the all-new FINAL FANTASY XIV. At this time, a second free trial period will also be offered.

Among our new plans is the fundamental reworking of in-game maps. As part of this process, there will be a period required for switching over to a new client and new servers, after which there will be a large transfer of data when service is brought back online. After the new client is completed, new software for the PC version will be distributed online, and can be acquired free of charge. Character data and progress for players already playing the PC version will also be preserved, allowing those players to continue using their in-game avatars. Another announcement will be made in the future as the day on which the new FINAL FANTASY XIV software will become available for download draws near, and the PlayStation®3 system version officially released.


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It seems to imply the map reworking after the PS3 release but I think on second thought it's just putting two unrelated things next to each other in the paragraphs.

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Originally Posted by RemVye

I'm sorry but every time I read a thread by this OP I feel like my brain gets hit by a Mack truck. This is probably one of the stupidest things I've read, next to the one you posted last week containing your life's sob story.

"I'm having fun with this game but my friends are make funz of mi, so i qeet nao oak hey buy buy"

Logic.. get some.

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Lol.. I'm glad that is the stupidest thing you've ever read, because some of the complaints over power leveling were the stupidest things I've ever read.

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Originally Posted by Neptune

Lol.. I'm glad that is the stupidest thing you've ever read, because some of the complaints over power leveling were the stupidest things I've ever read.

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Well I didn't make any of those complaints. I could care less, I took advantage of it while the gettin' was good :D and people are still complaining about PL'ing... saw a new thread about it post 1.19

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Originally Posted by RemVye

Well I didn't make any of those complaints. I could care less, I took advantage of it while the gettin' was good :D and people are still complaining about PL'ing... saw a new thread about it post 1.19

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I'm on your side ;)

New rough translation of an interview of Yoshi-P, by Reinheart (thanks Reinheart). Yoshi-P is discussing why they would never do a character wipe when he mentions peer pressure:

It’s only been 10 month since the team change but it’s been a year since FFXIV launch in that time although some players can enjoy up to some point I think it’s pretty stressful. Even if you enjoy yourself for example the reviews from outside source/websites or maybe some of your friends might of said something like “Nothing can be done to that game, why are you still playing?” making you feel “Is it OK to continue like this?”. I believe It’s giving stress outside of the game. We as Square-Enix believe for those still playing the game are supporting FFXIV and should be really cared most.

Was that translation adjusted more recently, I read it but don't recall the peer pressure part.

Anyway... I think Yoshi is more concerned about what reviews and websites are saying. I can't be the only one who plays the game and doesn't have any RL friends that do.

I've told people about the game and I emcompass it with man lol it got like a 4.3 abysmal rating, but they are pouring more cash into it the Kitty Kat Klub on the corner of Main and Pine. No one but myself could convince me to not play a game, and I would think the same goes for anyone who is enjoying themselves and playing the game still.

Possibly it was adjusted, it's actually still being worked on by Reinheart as we speak.

Actually, a lot of people here probably don't have any friends that play. A friend bought the game with me @ release, but his computer couldn't really play it, and combined with the state of the game he quit after like a week and a half. Another friend of mine bought the game from the bargain bin but his computer also doesn't run it. A lot of my friends don't game actually, for me it's kind of a hobby I mostly enjoy to myself.

I almost got kicked out of a linkshell in FFXI because I dared to bring up the conversation of FFXIV in chat and said that I liked it, even though it needed work...

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Originally Posted by Antanias

I just tell people to go f*** themselves when they mock me for playing ff14. I make my own decisions about which games I play and I do my best to enjoy those experiences :D

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^ This

Seriously, I realize a lot of people who play are teens but come on. Is peer pressure over MMOs really happening to that extent?

I get co workers bugging me to Join WoW because they are losing players and all I can say to them is "Why? So I can do what 15 million people have already done before me?"

I mean it's not like no other person could solo "Operation Desert Swarm" or NW Apollyon in XI but at least it wasn't possible for your average casual player. I want to play challenging MMOs, as soon as it becomes easy and repetitive I'm gone.

One time I played Monopoly over COD for about a week and when I went back to COD all my friends told me I was a loser for playing Monopoly.

I then went to my friends list and hit the delete button.

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Originally Posted by Zeroeffect

One time I played Monopoly over COD for about a week and when I went back to COD all my friends told me I was a loser for playing Monopoly.

I then went to my friends list and hit the delete button.

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That's touching.

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Originally Posted by Rankin

Pony sig? heh I tell you dont care what others think

Anyways if you don't want to pay simply don't it doesn't matter I am pretty sure Wada (as hes the reason for the billing to begin again) is blind by the fact that doing this will hurt an already dwindling population but hey there's FF14 2.0 in a year right?

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Haha.. My whole life I've avoided going along with the crowd. I decided to try it out just once with a pony sig. XD Lil experiment of sorts I guess. :3

Some people hate it. I don't care. It's just for fun.

lol. i don't know, i thought you were really into it.

el oh el????

EDIT: dunno what this thread is but the title is weirdddddddddd

I'd say many of us have endured all manner of mockery over playing this game, but alas it's your time. Don't let anyone tell you what you should do with it.

I grew up in a time where playing "Final Fantasy" was uncool (Didn't matter which, the series was shunned until 7). Somehow the only "cool" games were Madden and Mortal Kombat. Terrible time to be a gamer, I know, but it taught me at a young age that your average "Gamer" is a brain-dead moron not worth your attention or respect.

Play what you want. Hold you head high. Tell all who dissent to suck it! Chances are they're closet self-loathers.

Yeah i don't advertise for FFXIV nor do I hide the fact that i play it.

It is what it is

I'm going to burst into treats and pay with Jolly Ranchers.

Once your friends knows that you play Gal Gun, playing XIV is no problem to them :]

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Originally Posted by Nabiri

Well, I guess I'm at the age where I just don't get embarrassed for liking certain things.

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I do wonder if age is a factor. I'm in my mid-twenties and I've never seen the sorts of reactions that people in this thread describe.

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Originally Posted by Dreamer

I do wonder if age is a factor. I'm in my mid-twenties and I've never seen the sorts of reactions that people in this thread describe.

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I'm 24. I don't get made fun of for what I like. XD And I wouldn't care if I did.
I can see it being a bit embarrassing if I were 13 or something and being picked on.. I used to be quite shy and easy to embarrass.

I dunno.. once I hit 19 I slowly stopped caring what people think about what I like and what I do.