Gender Locks Have Revealed the Worst in Players.

[Reynhart]

They're just so mystical and exotic.

Nu Mou are also highly mystical and exotic, yet you don't find several-hundred-pages topics asking to play as one.

And Viera are popular since way before FFXIV, when there was no reason to ever imagine that we could one day play as a male one. And even if Fran is a nice character, you can't really deny that FFXII put heavy emphasis on her body and outfit (When it's not literal sexual innuendo)...referenced even in this game with lingering on her back during cutscenes.

[Blessedbythesun]

I'd disagree with that. If the only reason Viera are so popular is because they're scantily clad bunny girls, then why do the girls and the gays like them so much too? :v Pretty much everyone, male, female, gay, straight, bi, whatever love Viera. I think it is the culture surrounding them that so many people like. They're this spiritual tribe that is attuned to the voice of the forest. They're just so mystical and exotic.


Or maybe I'm completely off base and people just like them because boners. I'd hope not...

It really boils down to personal preference of aesthetic. But for the comment in bold, if that was the case, there wouldn't be this fuss because it would mean they are fascinated by the lore... clearly not the case.

[Lacan]

I never played WoW but I did hear about that back in the day. This whole thing reminds me of the silly controversy surronding Lucky Chloe from Tekken 6.


Female Roe only make up 163k of all characters created, which is 14.8mil. That is an extremely small population of the player base. That said, I am aware that female Ronso exists in FFX and that SE side stepped that issue with Hrothgar counterpart because of lore. How many lalafell counter parts, dwarves, will be female with beards? Meanwhile, Miqo'te males make up 1.7 mil in created characters, myself included in that. Statistically speaking, those supporting specifically female Hrothgar are the calmest of the bunch, but also the minority of the group that are more hurt over the viera announcement. That or just wanting to avoid being categorized in the same group with them while still supporting the ideal.

Gender locking the two races doesn't seem to be an issue in Japan following the announcement. Why is it that important in the west? If it was just being let down by expectations, this level of reaction and this discussion wouldn't have even been a thing.

Actually, Japan isn't happy with the genderlocks either. The general sentiment from them has been "we thought we were past this." Naturally, they're a lot quieter about it than the west is. A lot of the harsher critiques of it are being made on 2chan and other websites because they aren't as inclined to leave negative feedback on the forums.


I'm not saying some people aren't overreacting because they most certainly are. I wish they wouldn't drag sexism and homophobia into the equation because it distracts from the actual issue. But people have to make a lot of noise if they want SE to take notice, and Yoshi himself told us that he'd be considering the feedback. So if it takes people acting crazy to get results, so be it. Getting the genderlocks removed would be a net positive for everyone, whether you see it as a political issue or not.

It really boils down to personal preference of aesthetic. But for the comment in bold, if that was the case, there wouldn't be this fuss because it would mean they are fascinated by the lore... clearly not the case.

I think you can still appreciate the lore and want male Viera though. At least I know I do. Just because male Viera traditionally don't ever leave the trees doesn't mean they never would. They aren't a hivemind. A handful of them might feel compelled to venture elsewhere just like the females do. You've got the gameplay/story separation factor going on too. Au Ra are rarely seen outside of their homeland and we have thousands of them running around as player characters.

[Alucard135]

But for the comment in bold, if that was the case, there wouldn't be this fuss because it would mean they are fascinated by the lore... clearly not the case.

Yup...it's the lore...

[Fukuro]

Yup...it's the lore...

Reaction i get when people take lore as an excuse all the time:


Like people really have no imagination at all these days?
Everybody writes the background story for their character themselves. Thats why SE doesn't give much of a background story for your character.
-You could be a viera, fed up with old traditions, seeking a live as an adventurer. (why shouldn't the males do it, when the females do exactly the same?)
-There could be a fire, destroying a part of the forest, which leds vieras (male+female) to fle and seek asylum somewhere else.

There are sooo much more options. SE are the writers, they can't be hindered by lore, because they are the one's that write it in the first place.

[Villz]

I'm not against adding them, but seeing as how they have to devote a lot of development to making new races I would prefer them work on content rather than trying to make male Viera. I'm not willing to lose content for boi bunnies. But to see how quickly people attached themselves to the homophobe, transphobe, or sexist cards is a little screwed up and doesn't make me want to support your cause at all, in fact it does the opposite. Why would I want to be on the side of people who immediately generalize anyone who has a different opinion? I could also see this being one point that wont help you convince SE either.

[Blessedbythesun]

Getting the genderlocks removed would be a net positive for everyone, whether you see it as a political issue or not.

I think you can still appreciate the lore and want male Viera though. At least I know I do. Just because male Viera traditionally don't ever leave the trees doesn't mean they never would. They aren't a hivemind. A handful of them might feel compelled to venture elsewhere, like the females do. And you've got the gameplay/story separation factor going on too. Au Ra are rarely seen outside of their homeland and we have thousands of them running around as player characters for instance.

I have no disagreements with any of that nor do plan to form some kind of argument to play the devils advocate.

I simply want to enjoy the game, and as a fan, I simply have a different of opinion how to react to the information given in the live letter. My problem is with the behavior involving this issue that doesn't warrant such overreaction, as well as the equally asinine harassment of those that are against it. Not having access to a particular gender of race should have an actual detrimental effect on player experience, which is again, cosmetic at a base level.

[Lacan]

I have no disagreements with any of that nor do plan to form some kind of argument to play the devils advocate.

I simply want to enjoy the game, and as a fan, I simply have a different of opinion how to react to the information given in the live letter. My problem is with the behavior involving this issue that doesn't warrant such overreaction, as well as the equally asinine harassment of those that are against it. Not having access to a particular gender of race should have an actual detrimental effect on player experience, which is again, cosmetic at a base level.

I don't disagree with any of that either. But I do think it is cool to see so many people coming together to show support for male Viera and female Hrothgar. If you actually read through those threads you'll see a lot of people who made accounts here just to add their support for undoing the genderlocks. Seeing the community come together like that to try and accomplish something is great. No idea if it will have any results, but I think it is a good effort regardless.

I'm just saying to try not to focus on just the ugly parts of it.

[Blessedbythesun]

Like people really have no imagination at all these days?

I can't compute that. I don't roleplay. I am satisfied with playing though the MSQ then going and doing mindless endgame content and socializing with friends and fc members on my downtime. It's not a lack of imagination, just how we spend our time in the game.

Edit: or if I did to play along, I could treat it like an isekai and none of the lore means absolutely nothing.

[Alucard135]

snip

But we all know what the real excuse is -drum roll- Resources! But yeah, the majority of people have been asking for Viera because of "lore".