In-game marriage, will it make a return?

[Emulord]

Likewise the problems with laws is, Commander Shepard banging Liara wasn't real either yet it pissed people off enough to try to pass stricter laws on game development.

Really? I didn't know that! Well OK, I guess I understand what you mean...

[Dargoth_Draconia]

I think if SE "owes" us anything it's equality. We should all be treated equally, no special favour given to some over others.
If they can't be fair and treat us all the same then there shouldn't be marriage in game.

But honestly, SE has been very fair with us so far, so I'm not worried about this.

The whole point of the argument is it really don't anything to do with fairness or equality. Their views differ from yours and ever if they cater to all countries they have rules they cannot just say "They won't care" and implement something anyways. They cannot simply disregard a set of rules they have to allow something that would make a set group of individuals happy that contradict what they believe in or are allowed to put into a game.

I am not saying it isn't allowed in their game, but I am saying it may not be allowed based on their countries rules and regulations. So if they wanted to be fair about it they would just give us the means to do weddings but wouldn't have their hands in it any more than that and let the players decide how to dictate the online culture.

The problem I have with discussing laws and whatnot in this thread is that they have absolutely no bearing on in-game marriages. A marriage in FFXIV I'd both virtual and not a legal marriage in any sense. It's not legally valid in any state or country. It is a virtual ceremony that pertains only to the game world and has no official bearing in the real world.

You think game companies are allowed to put anything in their games they want? Why do you think games have an ESRB rating amongst other rules in policies they have to follow before the game ever hits the market place? Whether or not you think it doesn't have any bearing on the real world or not that is not the case. They may or may not be able to push something like that into a game because it goes against a code of conduct set by government. Also if that company admits it or not, they may not view same sex marriages as being equal or right and may not want to push that same view onto others. I can't speak for them I can just speculate on the possibilities why it would not be introduced into the game, perhaps it will be and I am totally wrong. Though they never implemented it in FFXI. Just saying...

[Emulord]

Anyway, I haven't seen anybody raging against this taboo subject on the thread so far.

[Rannie]

The whole point of the argument is it really don't anything to do with fairness or equality. Their views differ from yours and ever if they cater to all countries they have rules they cannot just say "They won't care" and implement something anyways. They cannot simply disregard a set of rules they have to allow something that would make a set group of individuals happy that contradict what they believe in or are allowed to put into a game.

I am not saying it isn't allowed in their game, but I am saying it may not be allowed based on their countries rules and regulations. So if they wanted to be fair about it they would just give us the means to do weddings but wouldn't have their hands in it any more than that and let the players decide how to dictate the online culture.



You think game companies are allowed to put anything in their games they want? Why do you think games have an ESRB rating amongst other rules in policies they have to follow before the game ever hits the market place? Whether or not you think it doesn't have any bearing on the real world or not that is not the case. They may or may not be able to push something like that into a game because it goes against a code of conduct set by government. Also if that company admits it or not, they may not view same sex marriages as being equal or right and may not want to push that same view onto others. I can't speak for them I can just speculate on the possibilities why it would not be introduced into the game, perhaps it will be and I am totally wrong. Though they never implemented it in FFXI. Just saying...

I wish I could find something on this for game design laws and or ratings for Japan and their policies with games so far my google search is coming up with just they (meaning the japanese government) haven't gone up in arms for gay and lesbian couples in games but nothing stating to the effect that they can't allow same sex marriage in a game. I would honestly like to know what the game creation laws are because they're not always the same as what laws are for people in real life.

[Arcell]

My point is that on this subject you can't really apply real laws to a fake marriage. If I were I hold a personal ceremony with someone of the same sex and declare myself married I wouldn't legally be married and nothing I'be done is technically illegal. You can't apply real world marriage laws to a virtual marriage that is not legal.

I'd agree with others in this thread that they should simply not make any of it gender specific. Neglecting to restrict it isn't the same as supporting it so I think SE could get away with it.

[Mirage]

Yeah, I have a hard time believing that any sort of japanese marriage law would affect this in any way. I don't think there are any western countries, regardless of their laws, where two people couldn't just declare that they were married without actually being legally married. If I told my girlfriend right now "lol we're married", and she says "yes now we are!" we would be exactly the same amount of legally married as we would be in FF14, regardless of SE sanctioning it or not.

Imagine if you were playing a game of dungeons and dragons, and the game master allowed your male character to marry another male character, do you think that is in any way illegal in any of the western countries where gay marriage is illegal? This is essentially the same as being married in FF14. It's one gigantic role playing game and SE is our game master.

The only thing really stopping them is potential negative reactions from society.

[Duelle]

My point is that on this subject you can't really apply real laws to a fake marriage. If I were I hold a personal ceremony with someone of the same sex and declare myself married I wouldn't legally be married and nothing I'be done is technically illegal. You can't apply real world marriage laws to a virtual marriage that is not legal.

I'd agree with others in this thread that they should simply not make any of it gender specific. Neglecting to restrict it isn't the same as supporting it so I think SE could get away with it.

A person can be smart enough to distinguish fiction from reality.

People, on the other hand, are stupid enough to apply their real life morals and situations on fictional content. That's where you get idiotic things like the Christopher Handley trial and verdict. They just have a real hard time making the distinction for some reason. I don't think SE should push their luck with this topic, as they're already taking enough risks with XIV as it is.

[Keisuna]

If they do have an in-game mechanic for marriage, and they allow same sex couples to take part, then I'd be over the moon. One of the things that irks me about Japanese culture is the fact that they seem to ignore LGBT rights for the most part, especially when it comes to marriage. (Fortunately, the Japanese aren't backwards enough to have widespread discrimination on this front, so it could really be a lot worse.) This is why I don't hold much hope for gay marriage in FFXIV.

What I imagine they'll end up doing is just leaving the cathedral open for anyone to do any kind of ceremony for whatever reason. This allows people to be able to orchestrate their own gay marriages, and it would free Squeenix from any (albeit unjustified) repercussions they might face for officially sanctioning gay marriages. From a business standpoint, it's a win-win that has almost no risk, and you can almost always trust a business like Squeenix to go with the less risky solution.

[Arcell]

A person can be smart enough to distinguish fiction from reality.

People, on the other hand, are stupid enough to apply their real life morals and situations on fictional content. That's where you get idiotic things like the Christopher Handley trial and verdict. They just have a real hard time making the distinction for some reason. I don't think SE should push their luck with this topic, as they're already taking enough risks with XIV as it is.

We'll just have to wait and see I guess. There are certainly reasons it may or may not be included, I just think bringing up Japanese laws is silly. It may possibly have some influence though I suppose.

They're going to get some backlash no matter what they do, however I think not including same sex marriage would cause more backlash from the non-gaming communities as opposed to the people who might actually ever play FFXIV.

[Nabiri]

The whole point of the argument is it really don't anything to do with fairness or equality.

My whole point has everything to do with fairness. They can't just give something to some players and leave out a huge population of players. They have to be fair to all, or not give us anything. (Unless they like riots on the forums! XD)

So if they wanted to be fair about it they would just give us the means to do weddings but wouldn't have their hands in it any more than that and let the players decide how to dictate the online culture.

So, you feel exactly the same as I do. Makes me wonder why it sounded like you were trying to convince me of something.