A PoC Scion please? There is so much untapped potential here.

[Amnmaat]

That was a rhetorical question - as was some of my previous post which you misinterpreted, so perhaps they are not going through.

So let me spell it out.

Despite your mistaken impression that I would dislike dark-skinned characters being added, I would not. I do not mind in the slightest. I think it is silly to be offended.

I have - at least I think I have - been saying this all along and I feel like this is over-repeating but you continue to speak to me as if you've assumed I'm against it, and nothing I say is breaking that false impression so here I am saying it again.

When I say "why shouldn't I like them" I don't mean "give me reasons why I shouldn't". I mean that there is no reason why I should like them less than you do.

I feel like this goes hand-in-hand with the attitude that some players have towards games with a fixed protagonist and they object to it being a female character or particular race or just isn't "like them". I've always found that silly and a character is a character - some of the best emotional experiences I've had in videogames are with characters who are nothing like me physically but the story made me identify with them emotionally.

No one said anything about liking light skin characters less because they're not dark skin. You're bringing up something that no one has said here; if anyone's creating division it's you with a statement like that. In fact, in many of my posts I talk about how I will be all in the next expansion if all main story/story characters are all light skin, but that I still prefer if many or all were dark skin instead. The difference here is that you have an unnatural problem with people wanting to see more dark skin characters in the game; you shouldn't have a problem with it since skin color doesn't matter to you.

[Iscah]

The difference here is that you have an unnatural problem with people wanting to see more dark skin characters in the game

You keep saying this. I never said it.

When I said I had a problem with adding a dark-skinned character to market to a particular demographic, my emphasis is entirely on "to market to a particular demographic".

I don't know how else I can tell you that I don't have a problem with adding the character, because every time I say I'm fine with them adding one you come back talking to me as if I said "ew, they should never be added".

[Amnmaat]

You keep saying this. I never said it.

When I said I had a problem with adding a dark-skinned character to market to a particular demographic, my emphasis is entirely on "to market to a particular demographic".

I don't know how else I can tell you that I don't have a problem with adding the character, because every time I say I'm fine with them adding one you come back talking to me as if I said "ew, they should never be added".

Then there is no problem, no one here has the power to go into the producer's/director's mind to know if future dark skin characters were added only to appeal to those that like them. That's the great thing about art, the artist and those involved with them don't have to tell the public why whatever they created has these colors and that color. if one of the decisions the producer/director added more dark skin characters was to appeal to people who like dark skin more that's actually a very respectable choice, if it also conforms to the artist's own artistic vision. Let me ask you, do you have these same standards for light skin characters? Like do you have to find out if the game's future characters were all light skin for other reasons that weren't related to "market to a particular demographic?" Because if you do then your whole argument falls apart, if you have to find out about both skin colors and the reasons they were added then you end up distrusting both inclusions.

[Iscah]

Let me ask you, do you have these same standards for light skin characters? Like do you have to find out if the game's future characters were all light skin for other reasons that weren't related to "market to a particular demographic?"

You were the one who brought up appealing to a particular demographic in the first place.

And no, I wouldn't be looking onto any character's design process like that. Do you think I mean I'll go digging into why a character was introduced and judge whether I like them based on that?

All I am trying to say is that, here and now, "it would be good to add more visual diversity to the cast" is a much stronger reason to do it than "we should do this for marketing reasons".

[Amnmaat]

You were the one who brought up appealing to a particular demographic in the first place.

Incorrect, first you had a problem with because of "for the sake of." Now you have a problem because it would appeal to those who prefer dark skin characters. Is there anything wouldn't have a problem with? It seems to me the idea of future dark skin characters really bothers you on a deeper level than you realize by the statements you're making.

And no, I wouldn't be looking onto any character's design process like that. Do you think I mean I'll go digging into why a character was introduced and judge whether I like them based on that?

You're the one who keeps acting like you can know why they added a dark skin character, so yes, it seemed as if it mattered a lot to you that a dark skin character would be added based on a reason you have no way of ever finding out.

More importantly, you ignored the question of if you question why they add pale skin characters. You know you can't find the answer to it, why do you feel you have to question why they would add a dark skin character?

All I am trying to say is that, here and now, "it would be good to add more visual diversity to the cast" is a much stronger reason to do it than "we should do this for marketing reasons".

1. Stronger by whose measure? I don't have to conform to your opinion of what reason is better or not.
2. Marketing would benefit from adding more dark skin characters from my perspective, I didn't say it was the only benefit the game would gain though, I explained many of the benefits it would bring, feel free to do research on it.

[MilitaryVet123]

"Lions and lion-like characters have foreverever been the patriarchy to all societies"

I will not even reprint the rest of this incredibly racist and bigoted rant. I just want to ask: have you gone insane?

[MilitaryVet123]

You got proof to back up that claim cat man, let me guess the cat race is modelled after white folk? Your privilege is showing.

The races within the Scions are: Hyur, Miqo'te, and Elezen.

[Seddrinth]

In fact, in many of my posts I talk about how I will be all in the next expansion if all main story/story characters are all light skin, but that I still prefer if many or all were dark skin instead. The difference here is that you have an unnatural problem with people wanting to see more dark skin characters in the game; you shouldn't have a problem with it since skin color doesn't matter to you.

I can respect that opinion. My opinion is the opposite though, I have no problem if they decide to go with dark skin characters but my preference is for light skin characters. With a video game, I'm not even thinking about race of politics, I'm just thinking from a aesthetic point of view, my preference is for light skin characters because I think they look better. But every can have their own opinions and I won't be offended by them.

[Vickii]

This kinda fantasy world is generally white because it’s usually based on a time period of Europe/Scandinavia. Fantasy settings involving people of color are more based upon Africa and don’t have such a mainstream appeal at least with the western world.

Hot topic but I don’t think inclusion is necessary in a video game (or other media). I played many video games with male leads because there was no female to pick. I played many video games with Japanese characters although I am not Japanese.

What’s important is that there isn’t exclusion based on race. If I’m watching a movie set in 1930 Britain I would rather not have jarring casting simply because of political correctness. Same with a movie set in Africa.

[Amnmaat]

I can respect that opinion. My opinion is the opposite though, I have no problem if they decide to go with dark skin characters but my preference is for light skin characters. With a video game, I'm not even thinking about race of politics, I'm just thinking from a aesthetic point of view, my preference is for light skin characters because I think they look better. But every can have their own opinions and I won't be offended by them.

Agree, there should be no problem with people wanting to see more of either (dark skin or pale skin).

This kinda fantasy world is generally white because it’s usually based on a time period of Europe/Scandinavia.

Get your statements together. Usually those of you who are against dark skin characters in FFXIV argue that FF is a game and has nothing to do with real life. Then those same people, such as yourself inject real life to exclude dark skin characters. Make up your mind. Last time I checked europe didn't have a tropical island next to it (Vylbrand) and a desert (Ul'dah).

Fantasy settings involving people of color are more based upon Africa and don’t have such a mainstream appeal at least with the western world.

"people of color" is not a real term, nor is it recognized outside of the united states. "western" implies Afrika is not in the west which is geographically incorrect, it also implies half, if not, most of the people living in the americas aren't dark skin, which is also incorrect. Further, it implies that races that aren't dark skin don't like dark skin characters in games, which I'd like to believe is incorrect (though, do feel free to tell me otherwise). It would be enlightening to learn that the statement that "people don't care about skin color" was actually a complete lie all along.

Hot topic but I don’t think inclusion is necessary in a video game (or other media). I played many video games with male leads because there was no female to pick. I played many video games with Japanese characters although I am not Japanese.

Gender and "japanese" are not in the same category as skin color. It's a completely different conversation. What it does sound to me however is that you would have a big problem playing games with dark skin characters.

I do wonder if most people would have a problem with my hot take that this game would be better in terms of character and recognition if all the characters were dark skin.

What’s important is that there isn’t exclusion based on race. If I’m watching a movie set in 1930 Britain I would rather not have jarring casting simply because of political correctness. Same with a movie set in Africa.

Except that you can't know the reason the producer/director decided to add dark skin characters, nor is FFXIV set in 1930s england, or in the real world. Getting worked up about something you have no way of ever finding out is bordering on paranoia.