Social commentary inspired by FFXIV

I've been thinking of starting this thread for a while, but I didn't know how best to frame it. I still don't. But I figure if I don't get started, I never would, so here goes.

Final Fantasy games have always fascinated me with their allusions to real-world social issues, some of which are controversial, many of which are often thought-provoking.

I came to the franchise via FFX, and was blown away by the game's audacity in incorporating religious conflict into its story.

I was similarly surprised by the sensitivity displayed by FFVI over the issue of teen pregnancy.

Various philosophies about justice and the use of power were also extensively explored in the Ivalice Alliance series, most notably in FFT, arguably the darkest and most tragic of all Final Fantasy stories (I hear Final Fantasy Type-0 is very much in the same vein and I'm eagerly looking forward to its North American release).

Ivalice creater Yasumi Matsuno said the Bosnian conflict of the 1990s influenced the creation of Tactics Ogre, the spiritual predecessor of FFT. FFT itself borrows heavily from real-world historical conflict, such as the War of the Roses, to create its setting.

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So, my question to everyone is this: What do you think are the real-world historical or sociological trends that have inspired the setting of FFXIV?

When I first played the game in 2010, my initial impression was that Eorzea represented an open frontier, where pioneers from all over Hydaelyn came to create a new home for themselves, a place where they had the freedom of worship and ideas.

This was apparent in the number of city-states that each espoused a distinct ideology as its founding principle. This is crucially different from the nations of FFXI's Vana'diel, which were divided roughly along ethnic lines.

And when we first came to Vana'diel, we discovered a land that was struggling to recover from a Great War. And out of the ashes of that war, a new superpower emerged, along with new technologies (like airships) which unified the disparate nations in a way that was not seen before.

So, to me, Vana'diel alluded to the aftermath of World War II, and the superpower politics that emerged from its ashes. Released as it was at the start of a new millennium, some 10 years after the end of the Cold War, that unfortunate legacy of WWII, it was no surprise that FFXI felt unusually timely for me back then.

And Eorzea feels similarly timely to me today, nearly 15 years after September 11. Extremism, both ideological and religious, has come to be one of the defining characteristics of our time.

And I see extremism to be one of the major themes of FFXIV, from the dirty politics of Ul'dah, to the bigotry of Gridania and the heedless expansion of Limsa Lominsa. And then there are the beast tribes, who could easily be the analogies of many real-world tribal societies fuming over the loss of their traditions to rampant globalisation, and who resort to extremist views in reaction.

What do you think? What are your own impressions of FFXIV's setting, and to what extent do you feel they reflect real-world concerns?

Feel free to discuss and debate, but please play nice! If nothing else, I hope this thread could become a useful resource for all role-players out there to develop their own interpretations of FFXIV's canon. :)

So You say that XIV is referencing the War on Terror huh?

There seems to be other historical allegories there as well. Ishgard is basically fundies from Salem ("kill the heretics!", witch hunts and arguably the seclusion in general). Ul'Dah might represent Britain or America (though I'm betting on the former given certain revelations, as well as geography. Note that aspects from the UK areas are in all the known city states so far) and apparently Garlemard is taking cues from the Nazis (or rather the Ayrans) and more obviously the Roman empire.

I believe it's been documented that FFXIV's city-states were partly inspired by those of Ancient Greece, and that Garlemald is the game's equivalent of the Persian Empire.

So, yes, geographical references are certainly part of what I hope to talk about. But it's not just that. I'm also interested in the various themes and concepts presented in the story.

For example, when characters like Minfilia and Iceheart talk about peace and freedom, to what extent do their beliefs echo (pun intended) those of our own, in the real world?

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Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

For example, when characters like Minfilia and Iceheart talk about peace and freedom, to what extent do their beliefs echo (pun intended) those of our own, in the real world?

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Cool thread idea. As you said, the majority of past FF games have tons of social commentary all throughout.

On the subject of Iceheart, one thing she said - right before you fight Shiva - really struck me. She questioned you about the war, talking about why it has gone on for so long that nobody even knows why the Ishgardians and Dravanians fight each other other than the fact that the last generation, and the generation before that, did as well. It is just one long, vicious cycle. She not only wants peace, but she wants people to question the authority of the Holy See. To not see the world in black and white.

These are what people should be doing in real life, too. The FF games aren't telling people to go as far as to become revolutionaries, but we shouldn't be taking things at face value. Question the reason why your government made this decision. Question the reason behind this or that war. Come to your own stance on issues after seeing both sides of a story.

Social commentary or life lesson? Idk.

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Originally Posted by Baithin

On the subject of Iceheart, one thing she said - right before you fight Shiva - really struck me. She questioned you about the war, talking about why it has gone on for so long that nobody even knows why the Ishgardians and Dravanians fight each other other than the fact that the last generation, and the generation before that, did as well. It is just one long, vicious cycle. She not only wants peace, but she wants people to question the authority of the Holy See. To not see the world in black and white.

These are what people should be doing in real life, too. The FF games aren't telling people to go as far as to become revolutionaries, but we shouldn't be taking things at face value. Question the reason why your government made this decision. Question the reason behind this or that war. Come to your own stance on issues after seeing both sides of a story.

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XII and XIII also wen that angle. It probably goes as far back as VII

Personally the church in Ishgard is more like the medieval Catholic church, a single important figure head, religion permeates every aspect of their lives, inquisitions held to protect religious and social order, and an emphasis on martyrdom and personal sacrifice. The parallels are really obvious, even if Ishgard takes things in a different direction.

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Originally Posted by Morningstar1337

XII and XIII also wen that angle. It probably goes as far back as VII

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Yes, most of the FF games have this as a theme in one way or another. =]

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Originally Posted by Baithin

Cool thread idea. As you said, the majority of past FF games have tons of social commentary all throughout.

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Thanks, but I'm afraid I've been a bit too ambitious and made the scope of this thread far too broad for a useful discussion. ^^;

I was thinking of narrowing the scope to a discussion about the politics, economics and societies of Eorzea. But even then, that's too broad a topic. Given the dynamics of this particular forum, I think most visitors prefer a more narrowly defined topic, like the politics of Ul'dah, for example.

Oh well, it was an attempt. Happy to have tried anyway. :)

I think the comparison between Vana'diel and post-WWII is very apt. In contrast, I'm not really following your War on Terror angle for Eorzea. One thing that really struck me about 1.0 FFXIV was the extreme emphasis on individualism and frontiersmanship that adventurers as a class of citizen enjoyed. The city-states were not overwhelmingly divided by racial lines like FFXI was and there was an air of freedom as NPCs talked up the 'rise of the age of the adventurer'. The closest analogues I can think of for this type of historical period would be a combination of the American West frontier expansion period (sense of adventure) and the Roaring '20s (widespread optimism, cultural boom). This dovetails nicely with the 7th Umbral Era storyline as the Roaring '20s crashed into the Great Depression (the Calamity).

I'm sure there's a closer analogue in Chinese and Japanese history to the atmosphere 1.0 tried to represent (perhaps China's Spring and Autumn period or Three Kingdoms period?), but my Asian history isn't really up to snuff to make a strong comparison.

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Originally Posted by axemtitanium

One thing that really struck me about 1.0 FFXIV was the extreme emphasis on individualism and frontiersmanship that adventurers as a class of citizen enjoyed... The closest analogues I can think of for this type of historical period would be a combination of the American West frontier expansion period (sense of adventure) and the Roaring '20s (widespread optimism, cultural boom).

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Hoho... I'm glad I'm not the only person who felt the same way! :D

I wrote in my opening post:

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When I first played the game in 2010, my initial impression was that Eorzea represented an open frontier, where pioneers from all over Hydaelyn came to create a new home for themselves, a place where they had the freedom of worship and ideas.

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So, yes indeed, I used to think that Eorzea was analogous to the frontier days of America. The early presentation of the realm back in version1.0 gave me the feeling of complete freedom to be whatever I want to be, and create whatever I wanted.

This theme, I felt, was further played up by the Path of the Twelve, which struck me as Eorzea's version of the Freemasons, a real-world "secret" society whose members pursue self-enlightenment in order create a better world.

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Originally Posted by axemtitanium

I'm sure there's a closer analogue in Chinese and Japanese history to the atmosphere 1.0 tried to represent (perhaps China's Spring and Autumn period or Three Kingdoms period?), but my Asian history isn't really up to snuff to make a strong comparison.

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As far as I know, Japan doesn't have an equivalent period of intellectual or territorial freedom, unless we count the Warring States period, when social order was turned upside down. But that was also a period of violence that doesn't quite match the "atmosphere" of ARR's Eorzea.

China's Spring and Autumn period bears closer resemblance but, again, I feel it isn't as good a match compared with the days of the American West.

China did have later periods of intellectual foment, but they occurred under different circumstances. Under the Tang Dynasty, for example, peace and prosperity under a new empire allowed Chinese culture to reach new heights. And during Mongol rule, Chinese culture acquired a kind of cosmpolitanism, as new ideas came in from all corners of the vast Mongol Empire.

In both those situations, China flourished under strong central leadership. That's not quite the case in Eorzea, where independent city-states play a bigger role.

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Originally Posted by axemtitanium

I'm not really following your War on Terror angle for Eorzea.

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It's not the war on terror, but rather the rise of extremism and polarised politics in the past 15 years that I think may have influenced — consciously or not — the setting of ARR's Eorzea.

Since the end of the Cold War, the real world has been ideologically adrift. Capitalism and democracy may have "won", but in the past 15 years, the system is perceived to be falling apart, especially after the financial crises of the past decade.

Social media at the same time creates an environment where there are ever more "voices" clamouring for attention. People feel that they're pulled in all kinds of different directions. And those who feel a greater need for certainty begin to gravitate loudly towards the ideas they most identify with.

In other words, the social landscape has become a lot more polarised, with each group trying its best to shout down all other opinions to prove it is "right".

(1)
Such a socio-political environment is ripe for extremism. And indeed, we've seen this happening around the world. In the Middle East, disenfranchised groups toppled governments during the Arab Spring. Others turned to religious fanaticism, from Al-Qaeda to the present-day Islamic State.

(2)
In the US, politics has become polarised by a series of culture wars, such as those over gay rights. Meanwhile, Republicans and Democrats squabble endlessly over the rights and wrongs of federal debt, gun control and universal healthcare. They rarely get anywhere, even as Americans grow ever more frustrated with the impasse. The more cynical among them have also come to realise that, in the end, it all comes down to money: The lobby group able to pledge the most money to political campaigns will usually end up controlling the agenda.

So, in the case of (1), I see an analogy in what's happening to the beast tribes of Eorzea, the disenfranchised peoples of the realm who are fighting back against what they feel to be an unfair, unjust system.

And in the case of (2), I see parallels in what's unfolding in Ul'dah.

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*phew* TL;DR.

Yes, you could say I'm over-thinking these issues. It's just a game!

Yes, it is. But, for my part, I'm intrigued that a game could make me reflect on real-world concerns. So, I've always been curious if others feel the same. :)

I don't think anyone has discussed the philosophical/psychological themes presented by the leaders of the City-States, and to me that goes hand-in-hand with all of this. For example, Gridanian politics, as aforementioned, are ripe with bigotry; I'm certain this is a result of its leaders fearing the unknown, as is evidenced by how they keep the sylphs at bay, and how they immediately dismiss all Ixali actions as threats without a thought.

In Ul'dah, corruption runs rampart and this is a result of human greed. When we taste something we like, we tend to want it more and more, at the expense of others even. When the Domans approach Ul'dah for shelter, and they are turned away, for example, we see that they do not want to share their resources (granted, they probably can't, but this area is grey and we don't know if they truly have enough or if they just don't want to help).

Lastly, in Limsa, Merlewyb preaches freedom, but it's all so odd. How much freedom can she tolerate, and how much does she have to limit/allow? We as people tend to control others, especially in relationships. If your significant other is talking to a person of the opposite sex (or anybody that is a potential love interest really), what do we do as people? We might display jealousy, but more importantly we try to limit their freedom. Merlewyb struggles constantly with how much freedom she can allow in this exact way.

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Originally Posted by Altijacek

Lastly, in Limsa, Merlewyb preaches freedom, but it's all so odd. How much freedom can she tolerate, and how much does she have to limit/allow?

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There's a fine line between anarchy and freedom, and I like to think that it comes down to justice.

At what point does anarchy become freedom? When the power to be whatever you want to be comes from a collective agreement to not have your freedom get in the way of mine.

Justice was what Merlwyb brought to Limsa Lominsa, what made Mistbeard realise that the time of piracy was over.

But as Y'shtola pointed out, Merlwyb's revolution is incomplete. The Admiral had failed to extend her justice to people outside of her country.

In effect, it's an abuse of power no different from that of the pirates of old: "If you can't protect it, you don't own it."

And so long as this injustice is not addressed, Limsa Lominsa will never know true peace.