Yet another thread about explicit pf's

[Lunaxia]

You're also somewhat prudish if you think a 13 year old is somehow being exploited/corrupted just by seeing a non-explicit ad for 18+ NSFW content. They see far more explicit content on TV, TikTok, the internet, etc. all the time.

If the 13 year old goes to that Discord, that's on the parent for not teaching their child better or monitoring their online activity.

No need to be embarrassed to tell people you play the game when this is common in any online activity. You probably should be more embarrassed that you're going out of your way to look at these PF listings in detail instead of just immediately skimming past them when you see they're not what you're looking for.

Oh, lovely, same old people, same old blaming other people for being uncomfortable with soliciting in a mainstream T-rated video game with a notable minor audience that managed to never actually have this problem until several years prior. "Going out of your way to look at listings", or possibly, just trying to use a basic in-game function while possessing basic reading ability.

It's equal parts disturbing and amusing how some of you will go so far out of your way to defend behaviour like this that you'll play off wanting to keep a 13 year old away from it as "prudish", full on yikes.

[Jojoya]

Oh, lovely, same old people, same old blaming other people for being uncomfortable with soliciting in a mainstream T-rated video game with a notable minor audience that managed to never actually have this problem until several years prior. "Going out of your way to look at listings", or possibly, just trying to use a basic in-game function while possessing basic reading ability.

It's equal parts disturbing and amusing how some of you will go so far out of your way to defend behaviour like this that you'll play off wanting to keep a 13 year old away from it as "prudish", full on yikes.

I'm not defending behavior like that. Personally I think someone is in pretty pathetic condition if they're posting that sort of thing in PF. Please do report it so SE can take it down. It's not game content so shouldn't be getting posted there.

I am attacking stances like yours that treat it like it's an extreme problem unique to this game and that SE has more responsibility for what children do than their parents have. All of that is false.

Discord server addresses are not explicit material. Looking at a Discord server address does not corrupt or exploit a child in any way. It's nothing more than a series of random letters and numbers (or are you also offended by use of the alphabet?).

A 13 year old with good parents or guardians isn't in any danger. Do you know why? It's because the parents or guardian are monitoring their child's use of Discord. They've taught the child not to join new servers without approval so their parents can help them stay safe from bad people. They've taught their child how to react appropriately to potentially dangerous situations they might encounter.

If somehow a child ends up joining that Discord server, do you know what my question would be? What the **** were their parents thinking when they allowed them to do it?

FFXIV is not a babysitter that is required to watch and be responsible for their child's every action in game let alone out of game. Parents need to stop acting like it is. If a parent hasn't taught their child internet safety then they shouldn't let their child use anything on the internet, including games.

Try taking your feeble moral outrage and do something useful with it like encourage parents to make better choices when it comes to their child's online activities. Encourage them to spend more time teaching their children how to identify and react to dangerous situations both online and off.

Also try talking to a real 13 year that wasn't raised in a sterile bubble. They know a lot more than you want to believe they do.

So true. If you ignore shout chat, Party Finder, tells, the RP community, the m*dding community, Crystal datacenter, and FFXIV players on every social media network, then this game is actually quite tame.

*opens brain*
*swaps microchip*

Just kidding, FFXIV is actually explicit...BUT, that's a good thing! If a dog humping someone's leg is considered acceptable, then why not people humping each other? It's educational, teaches children about the "birds and the bees", and gets adults in the mood to repopulate the planet! It's perfectly normal to have a game filled with that stuff so much that it becomes synonymous with it. Besides, what else is there to do in this game anyway?

Maybe try playing the rest of the game instead of hanging out in Limsa or a housing ward with your friends that do nothing but talk about drugs and sex?

I do mostly ignore shout chat unless I'm in the middle of Hunts and we're relaying information. A good parent would have shout chat disabled if their young child is playing.

Why are you paying attention to shout chat?

I ignore the other section of Party Finder because if I'm looking for a party, I'm going to search under the appropriate category for the content I intend to do. A good parent will have taught their child not to use PF.

Why are you spending so much time going through the Other listings?

I'm not part of the RP community. A good parent would be monitoring their child to make certain the RP community they want to join is safe.

What part of the RP community you want to join is up to you though I wonder why you seem to want to focus on the ones engaging in explicit content.

Mods are against the ToS so that's a non-issue unless a parent is allowing their child to use mods. That's the parent's responsibility, not yours or mine or SE's.

Not certain where you're going that you think Crystal is nothing but degeneracy. It's not. I see worse on Aether and Primal (especially Aether) when I world visit than I will anywhere on Crystal with the exception of Balmung Ul'dah (and I try to avoid going there when I have reason to be on Balmung).

I don't use social media because it always has been and always will be a cesspool. SE has zero responsibility for what people do on social media.

Why do you spend so much time on social media exposing yourself to these things if they offend you?

Can you tell us where a dog is humping a human leg in the game content? Maybe it's in content I haven't done yet because I can't seem to think of any such situation. Though I wouldn't put it past you if it was an exaggeration in an attempt to demonize a game that you voluntarily continue to pay for and play.

The game comes with a warning about content and how player interactions are outside of the ratings review. It's up to parents to decide if their child should view such content and be part of player interactions. Try getting outraged at the parents who allow it if you're offended.

[Xeronia]

The game comes with a warning about content and how player interactions are outside of the ratings review. It's up to parents to decide if their child should view such content and be part of player interactions. Try getting outraged at the parents who allow it if you're offended.

I want to ask how you think parents magically know these warnings they see on many other games somehow take on a completely different meaning when it comes to 14 and how strict or observant you are expect parents to be of a 13-17 year old. I of course hope parents did teach their kids to be weary of anything online but just looking over the ratings I wouldn't fault a parent for not knowing a 14 has a massive issue with 18+ content, especially if they never played the game.

Let's take a look at the SE store listing shall we?



Hmm nothing about questionable online content but it is sold out so let's check the list of other recommended vendors they themselves linked.

Amazon: Rating pending on listing (Picture shows T with no descriptors of why)
Best Buy: Rating Pending on listing
Gamestop: Actually has the T rating, No mention of Online interaction or Users Interact
Greenman Gaming: Rating Pending on listing
Humble Bundle: Another T rating without online warnings!
Newegg: Only show T rating on picture on the box
Mogstation: Can't verify as I have every expansion

Not linked too but other versions of the game:
PS4 & PS5: Actually has Users Interact
Steam: Has Users Interact listed

Please explain to me how a parent is supposed to know based off of this at all? I suppose a good parent could watch their child play the game but unless you started in Limsa or made a character on Balmung I imagine after a few hours a parent would deem it fine and leave their kid be, especially if the kid is an older teenager.

[AlexiaD]

I want to ask how you think parents magically know these warnings they see on many other games somehow take on a completely different meaning when it comes to 14 and how strict or observant you are expect parents to be of a 13-17 year old. I of course hope parents did teach their kids to be weary of anything online but just looking over the ratings I wouldn't fault a parent for not knowing a 14 has a massive issue with 18+ content, especially if they never played the game.

Let's take a look at the SE store listing shall we?



Hmm nothing about questionable online content but it is sold out so let's check the list of other recommended vendors they themselves linked.

Amazon: Rating pending on listing (Picture shows T with no descriptors of why)
Best Buy: Rating Pending on listing
Gamestop: Actually has the T rating, No mention of Online interaction or Users Interact
Greenman Gaming: Rating Pending on listing
Humble Bundle: Another T rating without online warnings!
Newegg: Only show T rating on picture on the box
Mogstation: Can't verify as I have every expansion

Not linked too but other versions of the game:
PS4 & PS5: Actually has Users Interact
Steam: Has Users Interact listed

Please explain to me how a parent is supposed to know based off of this at all? I suppose a good parent could watch their child play the game but unless you started in Limsa or made a character on Balmung I imagine after a few hours a parent would deem it fine and leave their kid be, especially if the kid is an older teenager.

dis you ?



Lmao, the drama just because of some PF's my god lol, get over yourself already and stop acting as if children dont see that stuff everywhere on TV, on their Ipads, on their phone etc.

[Jojoya]

I want to ask how you think parents magically know these warnings they see on many other games somehow take on a completely different meaning when it comes to 14 and how strict or observant you are expect parents to be of a 13-17 year old. I of course hope parents did teach their kids to be weary of anything online but just looking over the ratings I wouldn't fault a parent for not knowing a 14 has a massive issue with 18+ content, especially if they never played the game.

Let's take a look at the SE store listing shall we?



Hmm nothing about questionable online content but it is sold out so let's check the list of other recommended vendors they themselves linked.

Amazon: Rating pending on listing (Picture shows T with no descriptors of why)
Best Buy: Rating Pending on listing
Gamestop: Actually has the T rating, No mention of Online interaction or Users Interact
Greenman Gaming: Rating Pending on listing
Humble Bundle: Another T rating without online warnings!
Newegg: Only show T rating on picture on the box
Mogstation: Can't verify as I have every expansion

Not linked too but other versions of the game:
PS4 & PS5: Actually has Users Interact
Steam: Has Users Interact listed

Please explain to me how a parent is supposed to know based off of this at all? I suppose a good parent could watch their child play the game but unless you started in Limsa or made a character on Balmung I imagine after a few hours a parent would deem it fine and leave their kid be, especially if the kid is an older teenager.

If they're trying to purchase Endwalker for their child, they already know that Final Fantasy XIV: Online is an online massively multiplayer game since they'll need to have that first and how conveniently you excluded that information from your cutout even though it was just a little lower down the webpage). It's an idiot that buys an expansion that can't be played because they don't already own the base game.

Then we look at the Ratings icon. Looking at that we see the game includes:

Blood
Language
Partial Nudity
Sexual Themes
Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
Violence.

Just what are you objecting to that happens in game, whether in the game content itself or in player interaction, that does not fall under one of those categories?

You're acting like every parent out there is an illiterate idiot. Guess what? They aren't. Guess what else? We can't help it if a few of them are. We are not responsible for them.

[ZavosEsperian]

Just what are you objecting to that happens in game, whether in the game content itself or in player interaction, that does not fall under one of those categories?

You do understand you cannot compare what is portrayed in the game to the actions of other players in the game, right?

Before the ESRB clarified the meaning to 'Users interact', the old language was 'Online interactions not rated by ESRB' which was meant to be interpreted as that the ESRB has no control over what other users of the game will do, since this is not something they can control for when rating a game. The only people who are allowed to control what users are able to do online are the companies that run said games and who maintain the servers. As such, they are allowed to be more strict than what the ratings suggest should they want.

In addition, when you do interact with players in the game, 'Sexual Themes' would be insufficient to describe how the community behaves. Were I someone who was tasked with rating how the community of FFXIV conducts itself in relation to the ESRB rating system, the correct terminology most likely would line up with 'Sexual Content' or 'Strong Sexual Content'.

By the ESRB's own definition, sexual themes are "References to sex or sexuality". Unless things are considerably different in terms of reading standards from when I was in school, you could find things that would classify as such as early as 7th to 8th grade where I am from in the US, and seeing sexuality is in the mix, it could be even lower now based on the curriculum in my area. This indicator should not raise any concerns unless the parent in question is trying to avoid these sorts of topics all together.

The other two content descriptors, 'sexual content' and 'strong sexual content', are a more fitting description of what you will find inside the community. These two are described as "Non-explicit depictions of sexual behavior" in the case of sexual content and "Explicit and/or frequent depictions of sexual behavior" for strong sexual content. The more details that are given, the higher the rating as it becomes more explicit.

From my schooling, I do remember books that would fall into the 'Sexual Content' range that I would've had to read when I was in 10th - 12th grade. Books containing something like this would be few and far between, and when they did contain something like this, it was rather tame compared to what you would expect from the community as nothing can be explicitly said at all. As for strong sexual content, while I cannot speak to current schooling standards, books like this were not a part of the curriculum while I was in school. An example of a book containing something like this would be 50 Shade of Grey, which meets the criteria due to the contents of the book.

As such, your argument is faulty since it assumes what the players do is within the bounds of the ESRB rating, which is false. It is possible to encounter behaviors that escalate above the rating indicated on the box from the players.

We are not responsible for them.

While you are not responsible for the failings of parents, you are directly responsible for conducting yourself in a way that is suitable for individuals who can be, at minimum, age 13 as per the user agreement you signed when you started playing this game:

3.3 Profanity and Offensive Language. You may not use profanity or any language that a reasonable person would find offensive. The Game is for players aged 13 and older. You agree to behave accordingly.

Rules and Policies - Final Fantasy XIV User Agreement section 3.3

Whether or not the GMs want to crack down on the behavior is a topic for another day.

The only question I have for you is why are you so adamant when it comes to this particular discussion? If I am to take you for your word, which I am willing to do, it is clear you do not like the behavior of a fair chunk of members inside of the community. However, you seem opposed to having guardrails regarding the community's behavior as well. As such, what is your main concern when it comes to resolving this issue if you are concerned with resolving it in the first place?

[Jojoya]

The only question I have for you is why are you so adamant when it comes to this particular discussion? If I am to take you for your word, which I am willing to do, it is clear you do not like the behavior of a fair chunk of members inside of the community. However, you seem opposed to having guardrails regarding the community's behavior as well. As such, what is your main concern when it comes to resolving this issue if you are concerned with resolving it in the first place?

The guardrails are already in place. SE has done what is reasonable and customary within the online industry.

Why are you so adamant that players and parents don't have their own responsibility to fulfill in online situations?

I was here before the degenerates from Second Life. Why should I move?

A dog humping a leg while everyone watches is the perfect analogy for FFXIV. Copes cannot erase how FFXIV has transformed into a cesspit. Square Enix has zero standards. It's not just about kids anymore, it's about our MMO turning into a Second Life clone for sex pests. This "game" is embarrassing.

Yet you continue to pay and play a game that you find embarrassing to play because you choose to hang out with degenerates while the rest of us exercise our option to avoid them while enjoying the rest of the game?

You are way too sheltered if you think this is limited to FFXIV. This is the world now, both inside and outside of the gaming industry. There are no safe spaces outside of the tiny personal bubbles we create in our homes when unconnected to outside media be it television, radio, internet, cable, satellite or whatever else keeps us in touch with the outside world.

You also way too entitled if you can't put on your adult pants and find ways to deal with it on your own.

If you encounter something that is against TOS, report it and move on. It's really simple. The more you hyperfocus on it, the more it becomes your world and you begin to see it everywhere in everyone even though the majority are ordinary people engaging in ordinary activities that are in no way explicit or offensive.

As for why you should move, it's because you don't like what the neighborhood has turned into. You're not going to get your new neighbors to change for your sake and the HOA isn't responding in the way you want. Why would you stick around?

[caffe_macchiato]

Can you tell us where a dog is humping a human leg in the game content? Maybe it's in content I haven't done yet because I can't seem to think of any such situation. Though I wouldn't put it past you if it was an exaggeration in an attempt to demonize a game that you voluntarily continue to pay for and play.

I was here before the degenerates from Second Life. Why should I move?

A dog humping a leg while everyone watches is the perfect analogy for FFXIV. Copes cannot erase how FFXIV has transformed into a cesspit. Square Enix has zero standards. It's not just about kids anymore, it's about our MMO turning into a Second Life clone for sex pests. This "game" is embarrassing.