Frustrating relative lack of LGBT NPCs in this game

[Puksi]

Naoki Yoshida:

"I was heading to the office on a Saturday and I saw a situation that made me very sad. I was trying to go into the office and I was waiting at a red light. I saw a high schooler coming from the other side of the road in their school uniform. It seemed that they were biologically male at birth but they were wearing a sailor fuku, which is traditionally female attire. In Japanese high schools, there’s more and more schools that are accommodating for freedom of not being restricted to a specific gender for your uniform...That person probably wanted to present the gender they identified with in their heart...On the other side of the road was a mother and a daughter. The daughter was perhaps 5 years old. As soon as the mother saw the high schooler, she shielded her daughter as if she didn’t want her daughter to see. The high schooler must have been very hurt. Situations like these still happen and there’s areas where there’s not as much understanding.

We need to see more change in the values people have, and we need to consider for Final Fantasy XIV how we push forward in-game and how we represent it.

That being said, we want to address this, and I think it will be gradual...For instance, for the Ceremony of Eternal Bonding, we’ve already started to make adjustments. Once we officially release this, you won’t have gender restrictions. If you both wanted to wear a dress, that’s perfectly fine. If you want to both wear the tuxedo, that would also be fine...That’s not available in game yet, but we have done the preparations for it.

You may be familiar with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade where we had a Final Fantasy XIV float participate. After that event, players in the Korean regions were very uncomfortable with it and people made complaints about now wanting to see that. “This is disgusting!” Things like that. It’s been very tough.

Change is happening. People are becoming more aware and understanding. Values do shift, but I think the pace...is very different depending on individuals. It’s a difficult and delicate situation. It requires us to understand and know how things are around the world."

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade:

"Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is an LGBTQIA+ not-for-profit member-based organisation that produces the internationally recognised Mardi Gras Parade and Festival, and several other events and supportive initiatives throughout the year."

This thread, but with FFXIV's and Square-Enix's stance. Please look forward to it.

[forsakee]

Naoki Yoshida:

Change is happening. People are becoming more aware and understanding. Values do shift, but I think the pace...is very different depending on individuals. It’s a difficult and delicate situation. It requires us to understand and know how things are around the world."

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade:

"Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is an LGBTQIA+ not-for-profit member-based organisation that produces the internationally recognised Mardi Gras Parade and Festival, and several other events and supportive initiatives throughout the year."

This thread, but with FFXIV's and Square-Enix's stance. Please look forward to it.

This worries me not because of "LGBQT" rights but how it's actually going to play out in the "REAL WORLD". Governments making developers change or straight up banning a video game because of some ones ideals. Plus it also go against some peoples "religions" and laws in their country. This could lead to billions lost for SE and could lead to some ff14 players being kicked off of the game due to their government.

Plus when a developer adds such content just to remove it for other versions of the same game is that really the representation you want?

[Darthgummibear]

This worries me not because of "LGBQT" rights but how it's actually going to play out in the "REAL WORLD". Governments making developers change or straight up banning a video game because of some ones ideals. Plus it also go against some peoples "religions" and laws in their country. This could lead to billions lost for SE and could lead to some ff14 players being kicked off of the game due to their government.

Plus when a developer adds such content just to remove it for other versions of the same game is that really the representation you want?

Almost every instance of corporate support for that community is tokenism or virtue signaling. They don't actually care.

[Scaramouche]

Almost every instance of corporate support for that community is tokenism or virtue signaling. They don't actually care.

They only care about what will make them lose the least amount of money.

Corporations: We support free speech, black people and minorities over the world.

Xi Jinping: ahem

Corporations: Sorry Master.

[Puksi]

They've made their decision, and it's one I applaud them for. I'm sure the money vs. doing what's right conversation happened--this is $quare after all--so I'm sure there's no need for you to worry so much on their behalf. It's good to see gaming companies growing up, tbh. If only some of the playerbase would do the same.

Edit - The "tokenism" take always amuses me. On one hand folks who make this argument will sneer that the LGBTQIA+ community is a minority and therefore requires no representation. Yet somehow, it's also influential enough to make large corporations take some kind of financial risk by treating the "minority" like people, against what they claim the "majority" wants. Maybe the majority really doesn't care so much. Maybe it's just a you problem. It must be exhausting being that invested in how other people live their lives. Exhausting, and terribly lacking in your own.

[forsakee]

They've made their decision, and it's one I applaud them for. I'm sure the money vs. doing what's right conversation happened--this is $quare after all--so I'm sure there's no need for you to worry so much on their behalf. It's good to see gaming companies growing up, tbh. If only some of the playerbase would do the same.

You didnt answer my question about companies just reverting changes,
So your okay with a company putting up 2 fronts? How do you know which stance is actually true?
Is this the representation that you desire and wont cause issues in the future?

[Puksi]

Yoshida hasn't put up two fronts. He stated his feelings on the matter very plainly, and I'm glad he doesn't share your apparent insistence that appeasing bigots is the way to go.

Edit: The poster below you used the "tokenism" complaint. And now you have my answer, so you can continue your internet life fulfilled.

[forsakee]

Yoshida hasn't put up two fronts. He stated his feelings on the matter very plainly, and I'm glad he doesn't share your apparent insistence that appeasing bigots is the way to go.

You do realize they alternate the story for China's version ( endwalker) 2 years after the article was written. Also yoshi has bosses above him =0

Also I'm not against LGBQT rights I've never said that. you guys shouldn't be able to co-exists and I'm against the modern killings of gays/trans in how many modern countries? No one has the rights to force their opinions/ideals on anyone else.


I wish I could turn a blind eye like you, ignorance is bliss truely.

[Darthgummibear]

You do realize they alternate the story for China's version ( endwalker) 2 years after the article was written. Also yoshi has bosses above him =0

Also I'm not against LGBQT rights I've never said that. you guys shouldn't be able to co-exists and I'm against the modern killings of gays/trans in how many modern countries? No one has the rights to force their opinions/ideals on anyone else.


I wish I could turn a blind eye like you, ignorance is bliss truely.

That poster is part of a particular subset that conveniently ignores anything that doesn't fall lockstep with their preconceptions.

[Puksi]

Yoshida is one of the bosses. We've got book burners in my country, but that doesn't change the original intent of the author or the message of the book. All it does is reflect on the ignorance and hate of the one with the matches.