Frustrating relative lack of LGBT NPCs in this game

[MilitaryVet123]

FF14 is a wonderful game. It's beautiful, the gameplay is fluid, the lore rich, and the graphics stunning, especially in the Azim Steppe.

Part of the reason why it's so wonderful is because it is possible to fully immerse yourself in this game. Characters all have a backstory, many NPCs are fleshed out, have their own personality, and you really feel like Eorzea is a place you can live in.

However, the lack of representation of LGBT characters in this game is frustrating for a billion-dollar video gaming company. While I applaud SE for allowing the Eternal Bonding to take place between two people of the same gender, there is not much else in this game that represents LGBT characters, other than a token gay couple in Upper La Noscea.

Some people will also bring up characters like Alphinaud (weird) or Haurchefant, and say they're "WOL-sexual". But you know that they're not actually designed as gay characters. They just happened to be perceived as LGBT because of the fandom.

Many other RPGs are already fully embracing the need to represent minorities in their game, because minority representation is an important issue that affects the psychological development of minority youth.

I hope to see Square Enix do more to represent LGBT characters in their game, because by doing so they'll let LGBT youth feel like they have a place in Eorzea and feel welcomed.

I know some people will think I'm joking, but I'm not. As a LGBT PoC myself, I am deeply invested in this issue.

[PeachShampoo]

I'm a Transgender Girl myself and identify with LGB+ (not just T) and I can agree with this post!

There are very good LGBT couples in this game (though they make it very natural and don't really flat out yell it) don't get me wrong.

But I agree with this because though I know how many LGBT characters there are, it does feel like very little, and then some people don't quite catch that they're LGBT! Good part of this can be because they're also not key to the story or any major side stories which can be a bit of a let down for us LGBT+ folk.

I also won't spoil it, but I think there is an LGBT character blooming from the most recent patch *eyes*

[MilitaryVet123]

I'm a Transgender Girl myself and identify with LGB+ (not just T) and I can agree with this post!

There are very good LGBT couples in this game (though they make it very natural and don't really flat out yell it) don't get me wrong.

But I agree with this because though I know how many LGBT characters there are, it does feel like very little, and then some people don't quite catch that they're LGBT! Good part of this can be because they're also not key to the story or any major side stories which can be a bit of a let down for us LGBT+ folk.

I also won't spoil it, but I think there is an LGBT character blooming from the most recent patch *eyes*

Yeah, but he's WOL-sexual, which means if you play a female character he's no longer LGBT (because in your universe, you were always female).

[Penthea]

Yeah, but he's WOL-sexual, which means if you play a female character he's no longer LGBT (because in your universe, you were always female).

What is this even supposed to mean?

Personally I'd prefer LGBTQ+ representation do be done without highlighting too much about this because that can end up feeling gimmicky. If a character's primary trait is their gender or sexuality it can come off as little more than hollow virtue signaling. When everything else about the character is an afterthought (being good at combat, science, etc) it's not good representation. Everyone is multi-faceted, so every character should be presented this way regardless of gender and sexuality.

Also we are not explicitly told that every character we meet is cis and straight, so we can't assume this is absolutely the case for every npc we have met.

That being said it would be nice if it was more obvious if some characters are intended to be LGBTQ+. I just don't want it to be done in a way in which it's obvious SE is screaming "LOOK LOOK, THIS CHARACTER IS GAY, LOOK AT HIM" I'd prefer it to be shown as simply one of many things that make up the character.

[Maxilor]

Yeah, but he's WOL-sexual, which means if you play a female character he's no longer LGBT (because in your universe, you were always female).

What does the B in LGBT stand for again?

[MellowMink]

Yeah, but he's WOL-sexual, which means if you play a female character he's no longer LGBT (because in your universe, you were always female).

Now something I will disagree with the original poster on is that this particular reply is a bad take, since it has bisexual erasure rhetoric.

[Vryn]

I'm a Transgender Girl myself and identify with LGB+ (not just T) and I can agree with this post!

There are very good LGBT couples in this game (though they make it very natural and don't really flat out yell it) don't get me wrong.

But I agree with this because though I know how many LGBT characters there are, it does feel like very little, and then some people don't quite catch that they're LGBT! A good part of this can be because they're also not key to the story or any major side stories, which can be a bit of a letdown for us LGBT+ folk.

I also won't spoil it, but I think there is an LGBT character blooming from the most recent patch *eyes*

That's because it's a 13+ video game geared towards children, and it would be incredibly inappropriate for a video game to expose children to such things. You may find it appropriate. Still, the majority of the world and parents don't. It's also not a corporation's place to expose children to such things either that is the parent's duty and they do it in their own time. Just because you may have a different ideological leaning than the majority of parents does not mean you get to co-opt for that duty to fit your worldview.

If people who live unorthodox lifestyles were less zealous in their attempts to be accepted by the majority, the majority might be more accepting in time of us rather than becoming sick of seeing and hearing us. they might take the issues more seriously if they didn't hear about them every two seconds.

[Ativan]

That's because it's a 13+ video game geared towards children, and it would be incredibly inappropriate for a video game to expose children to such things. You may find it appropriate. Still, the majority of the world and parents don't. It's also not a corporation's place to expose children to such things either that is the parent's duty and they do it in their own time. Just because you may have a different ideological leaning than the majority of parents does not mean you get to co-opt for that duty to fit your worldview.

If people who live unorthodox lifestyles were less zealous in their attempts to be accepted by the majority, the majority might be more accepting in time of us rather than becoming sick of seeing and hearing us. they might take the issues more seriously if they didn't hear about them every two seconds.

Excuse me, LGBTQIA+ identities are not inherently sexual.

[Silvarer]

That's because it's a 13+ video game geared towards children, and it would be incredibly inappropriate for a video game to expose children to such things. You may find it appropriate. Still, the majority of the world and parents don't. It's also not a corporation's place to expose children to such things either that is the parent's duty and they do it in their own time. Just because you may have a different ideological leaning than the majority of parents does not mean you get to co-opt for that duty to fit your worldview.

If people who live unorthodox lifestyles were less zealous in their attempts to be accepted by the majority, the majority might be more accepting in time of us rather than becoming sick of seeing and hearing us. they might take the issues more seriously if they didn't hear about them every two seconds.

So having LGBT characters is somehow worse to expose to children than the multiple mentions of rape, prostitution, torture, and death that can be found throughout the game? Your “But the children!” argument makes no sense.

[Vryn]

So having LGBT characters is somehow worse to expose to children than the multiple mentions of rape, prostitution, torture, and death that can be found throughout the game? Your "But the children!" argument makes no sense.

To you, it doesn't make sense, the game is a 13+. It will have children playing it, and yes, it is worse in many cultures. The children's argument makes complete sense parents don't want corporations to introduce their children to these subjects. It's not complicated. The Flordia senate in the US is going through legislation to deal with Disney on that exact matter, and Disney has torture, rape and death in it, and it's marketed towards children. The middle east, Africa, South America, and the far east also have stricter policies toward sexuality than those other topics.

Does that make it morally right? It doesn't matter. That's the way people react to it. Some cultures in Asia won't even allow you to hold hands or kiss in public. Your standards are not the standard of the majority of people who are deeply religious.