Quote Originally Posted by Theodric View Post
Natural disasters are very different to complex regional conflicts, however. Especially if a business chooses to weigh in on some and not others.
Exactly.
Floods, droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes, tornados... these are things that occur naturally and while civilization in general does affect some things in part, it's not something where you have an aggressor. There are no sides to take, there are no underlying complicatd geopolitical issues. They're natural disasters that occur from time to time.
Supporting charities that take care of the victims is simply helping innocents that were caught up in something nobody was responsible for.
Taking a side now means they will eventually get pressured into taking a side on similiar issues and they are never black and white. What if it's a case where it's extremely difficult to know which side to support? SE will get pressured into chosing one regardless. Being for one side means being against another and I completely understand if a gaming company, that primarily aims to entertain and offer people a place to escape reality for a bit, wants to remain neutral.
FFXIV has players from all across the world and while civilians are not their country nor responsible for the decisions of their leaders, it's also understandable if they're uncomfortable if SE is openly against "their" country. SE is still a business and that means trying to avoid stepping on too many toes by bringing geopolitics into their game.

That's not to say a gaming company isn't able to donate to charities like Red Cross to help victims that got injured, lost their homes etc. but announcing they're taking a side like that isn't something I can see them do. Everyone is still free to donate to reputable charities if they want to offer some support, with or without SE.