We get it, okay? Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has a lot to prove as it moves into Phase 4 of its beta and on to release. Yoshi-P and his staff are tasked with the monumental feat of earning back players’ trust while simultaneously pulling new blood into the playerbase. Can he do it? We shall see, but even as a fan it is not your job to fight Square Enix’s battles for them.
As delightful of a game Final Fantasy XIV: ARR has proven to become over the course of its beta phases, it is simply not possible to appease everyone. Not everyone is going to like the same things you do — that does not mean their opinions are worth less than your own.
The tragic reality of FFXIV moving forward is that it will never be able to escape the rancid taste 1.0 left in the mouth of its players and the industry. No matter how far the game has come from its original incarnation, there will always be someone who brings up the original release in a discussion or has no idea what they’re talking about in regards to the current state of the game. This is not something you can combat, and it is not something you should pay any mind.
It is important to remember that those who have not enjoyed the game simply have varying tastes from your own. Some people want to get to the action within the first 20 levels, some prefer combat with no global cooldowns, and others are simply looking to get something else out of their gameplay experience.
There is no controlling a person’s tastes, and once someone is set on their opinion there is little changing it. A person not enjoying their time with the world of Eorzea does not give you the right to attack them or spit out the term “WoW baby”.
Remember: To each their own.
Being calm with community in mind
You may find Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn to be your favorite MMORPG of the decade, but it is not your job to convince people the game is a must-play. For you see:
- That is Square Enix and Yoshi-P’s job.
- Do you really want to pressure someone into the game who isn’t going to enjoy it for what it is, and not for what it’s not?
This is one of the biggest issues with MMO players these days, in that they are always looking for what a game is lacking and not what it has. It’s almost instinct to compare a title to another game in any genre, but because of the nature of MMORPGs and their communities it is even more commonly seen when discussing these games.
There is neither an excuse for nor any way to stop comparisons with other titles for the sake of argument. Accept this and move on. See yourself as a sort of enlightened if you must, but there is no reason to stoop to the levels of blind hatred and fanboyism coming from many FFXIV fans today.
Without the rabid fans, FFXIV would surely have one of the best communities within the MMORPG space. Unfortunately, this attitude is going to continue into Phase 4 and well into release. But why? Isn’t it much easier to just enjoy the game and ignore the other title on the market and their competition?
It’s all too easy for fans of any game or series to see other titles in the same genre as competition, but it does not need to be that way.
You know just as well as I do that there will be no convincing your average MMO player to buy, play, and love the beautiful game Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has become. Enjoying and discussing the game isn’t a competition against other fanbases. Just have fun, be courteous, and ignore those with their allegiances elsewhere. They wouldn’t be welcome or at home in Eorzea anyway.
