Gay marriages are definitely something worth fighting for and now the virtual world is taking them seriously by allowing same-sex marriages in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Does this call for a celebration?!
Members of the Rough Trade Gaming Community, “the world’s biggest LGBT guild,” certainly seemed to think so! Hundreds of them got together to form their own online Gay Pride, which they called ‘Pixel Parade’. Throughout this parade they dressed themselves in differently coloured armour to travel all around Eorzea before dividing themselves up according to their different colours so that they represented the colours of the rainbow. It looks pretty fabulous if you ask me!
The news that gay relationships were to be an option within the game was revealed during E3 by Final Fantasy developer and publisher Square Enix. Game producer Naoki Yoshida explained the lift on the ban by stating;
“Why should there be restrictions on who pledges their love or friendship to each other? And so we decided to go this way.”
But this parade was not only to celebrate equality within the virtual world. Sadly, RTGC stated that this was also held in memory of one of their very own guild members who lost their life in the Calgary stabbings before he got the chance to join in with the celebrations.
I see MMO’s as a way to either express ourselves or escape ourselves through an online character; with this new option it really makes it easier to become whoever we want to be!
