Is ff 14. Too feminine?

[Catwho]

If you want a girly game, look at Hello Kitty Online Adventures.

XIV is a game that does have some more feminine stylization, and if you play a female character, basically has a female lead (you), but other than that, doesn't really address gender issues at all. Everybody can wear a leopard print speedo if that's their thing. Everybody can be covered in inch thick plate mail if that's their thing. (SE, please add the damn bunny ears for men already. That was a massive oversight.)

On another note, XIV is not a game meant for young children. The open sexuality of characters, both male and female, are the main reason it has the teen rating that it does. Heck, within the first 17 levels you save a young mother from getting gang raped in Ul'Dah.

If your nephews are of the age that they still think XIV is "girly" then they probably don't need to be playing it anyway.

[Eloah]

I think you mean it's analogous to Hina Matsuri or "Dolls day" (or "Girls day"), which is not a counterpart to valentines day and is an entirely Japanese cultural event.

Valentines day in Japan is about females expressing their feelings to males (or whoever they are interested in) along with chocolates. White day (a Japanese creation) is about men reciprocating with a gift - also of chocolate. Valentiones day in Eorzea seems to be a hybrid of both given the presen of both a regular chocolate and a *white* chocolate.

I need to clarify, I meant "in game" they are meant to act as opposites. Though, not in a lore sense, in a real world (our world) sense. and I am aware that Valentiones day is most likely a hybrid, since, while most countries don't know about White Day, most know about Valentines Day.

Sorry for the confusion.

[Kosmos992k]

I need to clarify, I meant "in game" they are meant to act as opposites. Though, not in a lore sense, in a real world (our world) sense. and I am aware that Valentiones day is most likely a hybrid, since, while most countries don't know about White Day, most know about Valentines Day.

Sorry for the confusion.

No worries, I think I misread Valentoines as Valentines in the sentence where you suggested little ladies day was a counterpart.

[Gillionaire]

I'll be the first to admit this, FF14 is pretty gxx.. feminine okay! jeez

When one of my friends made an Elezen male character, he didn't last too long, he had to switch over to Hyur.

General aesthetics of the game is very blingy and fabulous. It's not my cup of tea but I play for the gameplay..
I do wish they would tone down all the shinies though, as a crafter, looking down at the floor most of the time, it actually hurts my eyes because of all the glare so I play with glare off and it's still too damn bright.. I go in the corner of my cottage to craft because of that..

[Gramul]

Oh no.
Flowers and pink.
How ever will I survive.

I'm assuming your nephews are children. And it's normal for kids to assert their gender. But there comes a point where you realize there's not much point to it. There's no objective definition to what's girly or masculine really other than how you pee. It's all based on cultural development. Hell, a hundred years ago, many people considered pink to be the masculine color and blue the feminine color. But that's going on a tangent.

Basically, it boils down to personal perception.

[kyuven]

Japanese culture lesson time!
1) Yes, there IS a boy's day, but it's called "Children's Day" and is part of the Golden Week celebration. Golden Week itself is subject to a lot of PR things.
2) There are a lot of holidays in Japan on repeating numbers (1/1, 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 5/5, 6/6, 7/7, etc.) and Hinamatsuri is one of them
3) Valentine's Day is about women giving things to men, but the aesthetic and advertising is squarely aimed at women (since, y'know, they're the ones buying things)
4) Japan is far more accepting of a feminine aesthetic than the west is. There's a reason they added lipstick and eyeshadow for males yet have a very limited number of beards. Even Yoshida himself dresses more "feminine" than most video game developers(note his scarf in the PAX East video). It's also why there really are a few more female options in game than there are male.
Not to say they don't have a concept of masculinity, they definitely do, but feminine men aren't that unusual and they don't even think of themselves as being feminine, it's just the West that thinks so (for example, you'll have a guy who goes through nearly the exact same "make-up" procedure as his girlfriend before they go out on a date.) The line between feminine and masculine is just a little more blurry over there.
It's actually funny, I've seen some Japanese guys have the exact same complaints the OP's nephew does about the "macho" aesthetic American games seem to have.

[SpiritMuse]

It does also happen that boys refuse to play with "girly" things not because they think "girly" is a bad thing, but because they think it means it is for girls and therefore not for them. Not sure if that is the case here though.

[Nyalia]

Japanese fashion is pretty different from western fashion these days. Look up some pics, and remember that while this game is aimed at an international audience, it was written by a Japanese team and most influenced by Japanese fashion trends. Why are the Yukatas short? Current Japanese fashion. Why are there plenty of skirts on male armor? Ancient Japanese fashion. And so on.

What some people in the west call "effeminate" (especially those still stuck in the last century as far as masculinity and femininity indicators go) are simply not seen that way in all other parts of the world.

It sounds like your nephews are not interested in non-American cultural/fashion trends and have a very ethnocentric sense of aesthetics. You can try to educate them out of it, or let them be like most kids these days - either is totally fine and entirely your choice.

[kyuven]

Why are the Yukatas short? Current Japanese fashion.

Actually it might have more to do with not being able to get the long ones to look right at the time (remember the Yukatas were one of the first seasonal items added to the game) and that short ones have existed for a very long time for the sake of practicality (a lot of summer festivals involve carrying things)
No girl I know has actually worn a short yukata during a summer festival, though.

[Antonio_Xul]

I haven't read the whole thread and I know I'm going to gain some hate, but I always thought Final Fantasy in General was effeminate. The way the male characters look and all the clothes just scream girly. I use to watch my friends (1 male, 2 females) play Final Fantasy IX and even then, when I didn't know any better, use to call it "Gay" for the girly nature of the characters. Fast forward to now and me playing this game, I realize how correct I was. Look at how womanly Alphinaud, Cid, Thancred, that guy from Ishgard from the last patch whose name I forgot. All very girly looking men. When I got Snow's trench coat, I was like "Why all the chest showing and necklaces?!" And look at the men's hairstyle. Hardly any of it looks manly. The earrings and necklaces we were forced to wear before we could glamour them. The term "Glamour!" Also, just look at all the LGBT threads here. This game couldn't attract more Gay dudes and females if it tried! So to answer your question, Yes Final Fantasy is VERY feminine! And while feminine as this game may be, I still enjoy it.