So, why isn't this a thing yet?

[Canadane]

Ahem, lalafells are prey to everything. Not one person (even children) are safe from monsters, whats your point?

Lalafellen adults are still mentally and physically able to handle themselves in the dangers of the world.
It's natural to protect children until they're ready to fend for themselves. Many species do this, seemingly including the spoken races of Eorzea.

[Kurogaea]

Umm....You are aware that there are homeless children in Iddylshire that fight and fend for themselves right? Even one of the children in Iddylshire hunt for food while his Father mopes around and ask random carpenters to help his son hunt. lvl 50 carpeter quest btw. Just so we're are on the same boat here, your still not comparing reality to a Final Fantasy game right? Child Soldiers in RL=ultimate taboo (no duh). Adults protect there young, of course, its a given, won't deny that, and I cant. Now with a record of games with kids that countlessly defend themselves against odds that will INDEED KILL THEM is immense, not giving any more examples, but I will point out this: If you have the ability to hold a sword in your hand and fight for what you think is right, who has the right to take away your freedom to defend yourself? Should a child stay there helplessly (in ff14) as they're parents are being mauled by a dragon? I doubt it. Look at Alphinaud and his sister.

[Kurogaea]

All they do is fight for what they think is right. I'm not asking to play as kids who don't know what war is, that'd be stupid. Those young enough to know whats going on, with knowledge somewhat close to alphinaud and and his sister. Maybe not like that little child miqote because I can just imagine how weird it'd look fighting a huge primal. We're asking for reasonable young warriors to play as. Now I'll give an example: Sora from Kingdom Hearts or maybe even Kairii, Zidane from FF9 or the princess (cant remember her name but she's a WHM).

This thread is really negative, so here's something slightly relevant and comedic for most audiances just to brighten up the mood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6LhPQ5ykb8

[Lemuria]

It's kind of sad that this thread has continued for 40 pages, despite the very good arguments against this silly idea. It seems that people really don't even have the tiniest understanding of what it could mean for the game if such a thing was included. Allow me to spell it out once and for all.

Ignoring the select few who would find ways to sexualize their underage characters, many countries have strict policies regarding the depiction of children in media. FFXIV is an online MMO which crosses country borders and therefore has a lot more restrictions than a single player Final Fantasy which can have some localization changes on foreign versions.

Now, the simple fact that it CAN be misused would raise the game's rating in certain countries and outright ban it in others. This is a simple fact. As an example, Tera has their Elin race which look very much like children, and they were made to censor the game to release it overseas because of the skimpy nature of some of the clothing items. These are characters which lore states are over legal age, but because of their appearance were censored anyway. When you have characters which are young in both appearance AND lore, that's an even bigger red flag. And I remind you that FFXIV is a game which gives us Colosseum armor and bikinis.

So no... a thousand times no. I don't even know why this is still a debate. Just no. Why must players ruin lovely little Easter eggs like this by trying to crowbar them into the game mechanics? It's debates like this that will more likely make them reluctant to add in nice touches like this in future.

[Kurogaea]

FFXIV is an online MMO which crosses country borders and therefore has a lot more restrictions than a single player Final Fantasy which can have some localization changes on foreign versions.

Wasn't MGSV among other games with children in them sold over seas too? As if a series like Final Fantasy will be given a hard time for having a child hero fighting fantasy monsters.

Do I even have to bring up Dragon Ball now too which is overly popular in just about every country? Yeah there was translation difference for every country like Bulma having panties when she actually flashed her business in Master Roshi's face, and I think that one scene was removed due to taboo issues when Goku was young and patted bulmas nether regions because he never seen a female before ( they were clothed, but...Idk, just look at it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIo-DysAq4c) but nothing could dodge the fact that there were children fighting.

[Kurogaea]

And yes there are games of Dragon Ball, and there's an mmo as well with a detailed story behind it all. Besides, who's to say that armor won't be adjusted for "no duh you can't have that" purposes. Example: The taffetta cloth bottom piece for lalafells. It isn't panties, its a fluff bottom thing (idk what they're called).

Btw I don't really think that's considered to be an Easter Egg. Children are a thing in this game. Iddlshire is riddled with them, some you even do quests for. One (SPOILER)




dies from hypothermia for Pete's sake.

[Nestama]

Wasn't MGSV among other games with children in them sold over seas too? As if a series like Final Fantasy will be given a hard time for having a child hero fighting fantasy monsters.

And the game is rated R18+ because of that in Australia (if we didn't have that rating for games, it would either have been banned or heavily censored... or it is censored somewhere). A child dying from sickness or some other means (that is not graphically violent in one way or another) wouldn't affect the rating much, but a child being physically harmed, or even killed, would boost the games rating to MA, R or banned.

I looked about and see that Metal Gear Solid V has been censored in certain countries. So there you go.

Every country is different with its rating system. If a country says "no" to playable children, then that "no" will affect the entirety of FFXIV (kinda like when us Aussies forced Bethesda to change morphine into Med X in Fallout 3).

[DasFelix]

And the game is rated R18+ because of that in Australia (if we didn't have that rating for games, it would either have been banned or heavily censored... or it is censored somewhere). A child dying from sickness or some other means (that is not graphically violent in one way or another) wouldn't affect the rating much, but a child being physically harmed, or even killed, would boost the games rating to MA, R or banned.

I looked about and see that Metal Gear Solid V has been censored in certain countries. So there you go.

I'm pretty sure the R-18 Rating in Australia is very recent too so it's a good argument.
Before that we had quite many Games that couldn't release over there because of that.

On a side not the parts of MGSV that where censored where the Torture Scenes, not the Child Soldier part.

[Nestama]

Aye, January 2013 is when it finally became a thing. Games like The Last of Us probably would have been banned or heavily censored if we didn't have the rating.

[Kurogaea]

snip

The children do die, one scene in the.... ok I swear you guys don't look this stuff up. here:

[SPOILER] Euthanasia of an Australian kid, game still sold over seas, with only one part censored in that game over in Japan which is a scene with Paz when her guts we're shown.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzAnaV0rkF0 [SPOILER]

So what countries ban games for playable children that can die in/be ko'd and respawned to fight again? Seriously dude, playing as a kid in a fantasy action environment (As real as most can possibly make FFXIV seem) would not change the games rating, unless they we're mauled alive with blood and guts spewing everywhere. Even the most ridiculously non-threatening moment when

(SPOILER) Raubahn gets his arm chopped off, its bloodless and greeted with a less excruciating cry for pain. (Your friggen arm is off, don't care how strong you are dude) (SPOILER END)