Yet another thread about explicit pf's

[Nav_Fae]

Raising the game's rating to M wouldn't change anything. Look at how many kids play games like Call of Duty.
But assuming it did work, it would cause SE to lose sales because parents wouldn't be buying it as a distraction for their kids.
I think it was also an issue for their shareholders or something. I recall one live letter where Yoshi P was talking about mods and where they were on the brink of having to raise the game's rating because of user-made content, and if that were to happen, that's when SE would start exploring putting a stop to those mods. SE doesn't want to increase the age rating because it would hurt their marketing.

[LioJen]

What happened to "online interactions not rated"

[Nav_Fae]

What happened to "online interactions not rated"

Online interactions are not rated because they physically can't be rated. 'Online interactions not rated' isn't a substitute for "Rated A for adults" or anything else in-between. It more or less is the video game equivalent of "Viewer discretion is advised."

Also this:

[Xeronia]

What happened to "online interactions not rated"

You mean the warning that got changed to Users Interact which is on Mario Kart, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, and several other E and E10+ rated games? Please show me where there is an Endwalker listing where "Online interactions not rated" is in the warnings.

Here is the Steam version with ESRB listing as funny enough the SE store doesn't even have the two Interactive Elements listed:



Oh hey look Users Interact, a warning that is on literally anything with an internet connection.

As for Sexual Themes bear in mind the ESRB lists that warning as "References to sex or sexuality" while they have a Strong Sexual Themes warning which is "Explicit and/or frequent depictions of sexual behavior, possibly including nudity" so there is clear divide.

[ZavosEsperian]

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.

This isn't an argument and is just plain old ad hominem.

They see far more explicit content on TV, TikTok, the internet, etc. all the time.

What is the point of saying this? None of these things have anything to do with the argument at hand and are a false equivalence used out of convenience.

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.

I am going to have to break this down since there are multiple parts:

...not teaching their child better...

The only thing "teaching their child better" can do is lessen the odds of the prefaced event from happening, it cannot prevent it. For example, you can teach someone about the dangers of using tobacco products until you are blue in the face, but this by itself does not guarantee whoever it is that you taught will completely listen to you and not use tobacco products.

...monitoring their online activity.

This one I may need some more clarification. "Monitoring their online activity" is extremely broad overall and can be done in a multitude of ways. For example, software can be used to block all sorts of content, take periodic screen captures, block the execution of programs, as well as all other sorts of ways to see just what the child is up to. Placing the computer in a public location can also be done as well, and the parent can also watch and observe what their child is doing. All methods listed above that are software-based can be defeated by a more tech-savvy child and, as such, are not sufficient with making your statement true in all cases should software be used. Moving a computer to a public location makes it less likely for someone to want to access something they shouldn't, but that does not mean it will work 100% of the time. The only surefire way to monitor a child's internet in a way where it is impossible for them to access content they shouldn't would be for the parent to hover over them at all times, which is unrealistic in many cases, especially if there are multiple children in the household or if the parent is a single parent who may not have the time to use the guaranteed method.

Within a game that is rated T, there is an expected responsibility of all players to assume the age of a random player can be as low as 13 years old, regardless of what the average age of the player base is. It is extremely irresponsible to advertise for age 18+ RP inside of a game rated T in PF, which is something players have direct access to extremely early in the game.

The responsibility of knowing who you are RPing with is on you and no one else. Should someone send something that is ERP to someone who is less than 18 years old, regardless of whether the minor told the truth about their age, the person who is an adult can be held accountable in court for sending sexual messages to a minor, as a minor lying about their age is not a defense against something like that.

[ZavosEsperian]

Citizen, you should see some of the things FF14 fans post on Twitter. Some of these people do nothing but post lude photos and act like degenerates. It truly is conduct unbecoming of an Eorzean.

For duty and valor.

If you are willing to rid us of the degeneracy plaguing the lands of Eorzea, I will offer you my book, officer.

[caffe_macchiato]

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.

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?

[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.

[WeebPolice]

I’m starting to think you guys are slacking. The degeneracy increases captain. Will this failed state be your legacy? Did the Lalas win?

The city of Limsa Lominsa can only allocate so many resources to the Weeaboo Police Department, and we need new legislation on securing funding to support our troopers and the mission. Without sufficient manning and equipment, our Weeaboo Police troopers will only continue to meet bottlenecks on the road towards our department's goal.

The only other option in handling the rise in degeneracy and the rampant crime in our streets is to request that the Limsa Lominsa City Council declare a state of war against the Lalafell menace.

If you are willing to rid us of the degeneracy plaguing the lands of Eorzea, I will offer you my book, officer.

Thank you for your unwavering support, citizen.




Fight as one.

[TaleraRistain]

If I saw one that egregious I'd report it, but imma be honest, looking at "All" on Aether is like turning a firehose on your face so I almost never see these. I imagine that's true for a lot of others who don't frequent venues.