Nerdist article with FFXIV and tanking

[Angus]

Just saw this and wanted to share https://nerdist.com/article/tanking-...l-fantasy-xiv/

[Seddrinth]

"tanking helped me gain confidence in real life situations"

wtf??

[SenorPatty]

Good for Ashley. Sometimes, a boost of confidence in real life doesn't always come from some wise friend, family or some self-help motivational book. It might just come from a place where you least expect it.

[ZattanaWen]

That's interesting, because healing made me hate everybody

[sarehptar]

I definitely get where the author is coming from. I don't know that tanking that had big of an impact on my life outside the game, but when I started playing, way back with ARR, I definitely was not the kind of person who would have felt comfortable tanking. I avoided it because I figured I'd make mistakes and piss people off and that's the worst feeling, oof. But once I tried tanking, it was pretty helpful for getting over that perfectionist mindset. Yeah, I made mistakes when I started and probably did piss off my share of randoms unintentionally. But, you know, mistakes happen? You learn and move on and get better. I feel like, at the very least, there are some decent IRL lessons to learn from in-game tanking. :P

[Dalmacus]

That's interesting, because healing made me hate everybody

Hear hear. I main tank but when i play healer for that sweet daily bonus, i hate people. Tank that don't use cooldowns. DPS that can't DPS and still eat circles.
I hate healing.

[Rymm]

Good for her! It makes total sense to me, as I went through something similar over a decade ago.

I wasn't just shy or quiet in high school, I was downright anti-social. I picked up WoW the summer after I graduated; both learning to tank in that game and expending my social circle online definitely contributed (along with some other, irl changes I made) to boosting my confidence and social skills. It helped me to become more comfortable not just interacting with people, but leading them as well. I ending up raid leading for our guild for several years before I left the game. It's hard to pinpoint exactly how much gaming influenced me but, cheesy as it sounds, I really think it had a tangible impact on how I turned out.

[Nicodemus_Mercy]

"tanking helped me gain confidence in real life situations"

wtf??

I can see it in some ways. Being a tank in an MMO requires taking on a leadership role in some respects. Not everyone is comfortable being in such a role. I know I am not and I actively avoid tanking when possible. But someone who consistently takes on that leadership role in a game can find it easier to take on such roles in day to day life.

[Fynlar]

As a tank myself, I totally buy it. Good on them.