Do community reps/devs play the game too ?

Hey I was thinking of asking this question at the live interview thing tomorrow, but I figured maybe it would be better to just wait for a response on here.

Basically I want to know, if the devs or community reps like Bayohne and Rukkiri actually play FFXIV or do they just look at forums all day long. I mean I understand it's their job to read the forums but maybe after work they play the game too ? And the devs obviously play the game on the test server, but do any of them have regular characters that they play with like you and me ? Are they even allowed to play ? Maybe they can't because SE is afraid they'll leak information or something.

I want to know so I can check their Lodestone blogs and add their characters on Lodestone Pads and stuff like that. Maybe they're even on my server and I can do some quests with them some time, that would be awesome ! ^^

Hopefully this thread won't get trolled too much and we can get a response.

/braces for "lol why would reps play such a crappy game, they're probably all playing <insert other game here>"

Yeah they play.

I doubt they're allowed to say, even if they wanted to (assuming they play). They get pestered enough here with useless comments. It would probably ruin THEIR immersion in the game xD

Well couldn't they just use the /blacklist feature like anyone else in the game. If people really give them such a hard time they could just /blacklist. I for one would just treat them like any of my other friends in the game. Mostly chat and sometimes do some leves, or whatever. I bet they would be awesome crafting buddies lol

I bet they play WoW instead of this game.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rau

I doubt they're allowed to say, even if they wanted to (assuming they play). They get pestered enough here with useless comments. It would probably ruin THEIR immersion in the game xD

---

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
We do not use that word here. D:

i really doubt they play much even on their test servers actually. i imagine it's more like set some characters up at x rank and play the content to test it. i seriously doubt they have played a character like any player has or they would see the glaring flaws.

i think it would be a good idea for them to place at least one character on each server to play to get a feel of the difference between the in game conversations and the forum conversations. the atmosphere is the game is alot different than it is here and that's for sure.

I would feel bad if I accidentally talked about a qualm with the game in front of a dev/rep friend in game :/ I feel like they would be like "ugh feels like work"

I doubt we will ever know.

My guess is that many Square Enix employees (including devs) and community reps do actively play with their own characters -- but they are probably under contract not to disclose their affiliation with the company.

If it were known who their in-game characters are, then anything they say would be at risk of being taken as "official" word on what will happen with the game.

Perhaps many of them would find it difficult to join normal Linkshells because it would be difficult to keep such a big secret from people who become their friends.

So maybe that could explain the few people who have been playing regularly from the very beginning but don't belong to any Linkshells? ^^;

Someone had an thread of ppl showing some area;s people may have not seen in the game. Bey posted in that thread with his char but you cannot see name or world.

Edit : also in one of the interviews by the dev teams Yoshi says he has a char he plays

I know at least Bayhone plays (or has a character at least). Just recently he said he had no idea what to name his chocobo in another thread. I'm pretty sure most, if not all of the staff have characters by default. How much they actually use them, I don't know.

If you read that employee dairy that Reinheart translated you'll see all the Devs work about 60 hours a day and get about 2 minutes sleep. So I hugely + highly doubt they play at all.

As for the reps, they might have a char but I doubt they play long term, as from being busy 9-5 week days and having RL stuff to do, I doubt they'd have much time.

They play.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Keftenk

I bet they play WoW instead of this game.

---

Tee hee hee.

I would say they do play, and its part of thier job to keep secrets, I could imagine its a part of thier contract so if they do spill the beans on secrets it could be grounds for dismissal, anyone remember why the second stig got fired on Top Gear, because he wrote about being the stig in his autobiography.

If they don't know the game mechanics and terms it'd be hard to gather feedback properly.

That's a reason to play the game, at least.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Delsus

I would say they do play, and its part of thier job to keep secrets, I could imagine its a part of thier contract so if they do spill the beans on secrets it could be grounds for dismissal, anyone remember why the second stig got fired on Top Gear, because he wrote about being the stig in his autobiography.

---

I remember that.
And then they tried to say it wasn't the person who was fired and got Michael Schumacher to come in and say he was the Stig xD