What's the point with that quite lackluster story in Endwalker?

[Fiel_Tana]

That is, in videogame terms, what a "blank slate" is. The player not having any agency to express their personal opinions on the events of the story.

Blank slate is, as you put it:

The WOL is, and forever will remain, a blank slate, because they need us to self-insert into them.

Can't self insert when a forced ideal is opposed to your own morals etc. This game does give some wiggle room in replies fairly often, it doesn't effect the outcome since it's an MMO and we all need to arrive at the same point, but does allow for other responses to allow for that self insertion.

But my point stands that in that situation they do NOT treat the WoL as a blank slate, they force a viewpoint that is extremely problematic for some people.

[CrownySuccubus]

Blank slate is, as you put it:


Can't self insert when a forced ideal is opposed to your own morals etc. This game does give some wiggle room in replies fairly often, it doesn't effect the outcome since it's an MMO and we all need to arrive at the same point, but does allow for other responses to allow for that self insertion.

Yes, that's how blank-slate self-inserts typically work in videogames. What you're thinking of is a "custom avatar", where you are able to build your own character with your own moral choices and preferences.

A blank slate self-insert is a character that is as neutral and milquetoast as possible, on the hopes that this will allow players to headcanon as much as possible. The risk to such a character, as you have just described, is that occasionally, those players will come across something they feel strongly about and will lose the ability to insert themselves into the game character.

But my point stands that in that situation they do NOT treat the WoL as a blank slate, they force a viewpoint that is extremely problematic for some people.

Which is, again, the risk of a blank slate character. They simply do not react in a way the player wants, and typically remain hard-coded into the moral themes of the story.

I didn't make any mention of politics in that particular post...

You did, but I'll assume you just didn't realize it.