
Originally Posted by
ZephyrMenodora
Snipped some of the quote due to posting limits. I missed this earlier. I'm not going to address people not playing FFXIV as they aren't relevant to the conversation to me; they aren't playing the game and not in the community.
In regards to your question about expression, I'll share this very simple definition of self expression from a Children's Mental Health pamphlet. Don't know if these forums allow links, but it's: Self-expression is about communicating your individuality. This can be through words, clothing and hairstyle, or through art forms such as writing, drawing, music and dance.
Self-expression IS being seen as how you choose to present yourself, at least visually. People are free to interpret how you look to mean whatever, but you maintain the choice to present in that way. Self-expression is a core value of FFXIV. Go to the website for the base game. In bold letters and images, players are encouraged to express themselves through their characters as a core feature. "Bring your inner adventurer to life." Character customization and fashion, along with social systems (given this is an mmo) are heavily featured as what this game is. It even has someone wearing the chocobo head as an example of customization/fashion you can partake in.
Anyone choosing to play this game thus knows that 1. this is a game you will play with other people; 2. those people will customize their characters as they see fit; 3. the game features silly fashion options.
Given this is also a ROLE PLAYING game, people also on various levels grow attached to their characters and who they are. Whether that is people who actively roleplay in the "RP" sense, or those who headcanon as they play through the story. Part of assuming a role includes character appearance and preferences.
Sure, there are going to be people who say they don't care whatsoever about any of this. They are fine picking the base male midlander option, and start without bothering to even click through any character customization options. That's fine. But it doesn't change these core values of FFXIV, the ability to express through characters in a social, shared world environment. This request simply seeks to remove that from other players, and I do not believe the devs should cater to such a request that goes completley against the some of the core values of this (and most) MMOs.