Final Fantasy XIV continues to thrive many years after its initial release for various reasons. Like exciting quests, enrapturing stories, finding the best glamour, and of course, the incredibly positive community. When looking at any online game, the interactions between other players can be a hooking point for many people. In a world where loneliness grips its tendril roots around more and more people, I can attest firsthand that the guiding light of a positive community can mean a lot to anyone, especially those who need social interaction.
Having a game community that genuinely supports others may even improve a person’s mental health in those jovial moments. The Final Fantasy XIV positive community will always be of great importance and discussion.
Impact of Final Fantasy XIV’s Positive Community
The community of Final Fantasy XIV, known throughout the gaming stratosphere, is constantly mentioned in conversations about the best online communities. In 2022 it won the “Best Game Community” Golden Joystick Award for the second year in a row. People were sharing their delight across various forums after the announcement was made and many discovered the news through the official Twitter post.
When I was struggling with a severing relationship in 2022, on April Fool’s Day of all dates, I booted up Final Fantasy XIV again and immediately felt an undeniable sense of warmth. Whether I was questing or interacting with other players it put me back on my feet and I found an incredible Free Company (guild) to join up with. It took me a long time to gain my confidence back and to truly find who I was again. Writing for Attack of the Fanboy certainly gave me the same sense of warmth and if it were not for amazing games such as Final Fantasy XIV, I know I would have struggled for a lot longer than I did.
One day, I randomly bumped into a Bard performance with a similar sense of warmth and I immediately took to Reddit to post about how happy I was to listen in. Someone replied to one of my comments on another post and even gifted me a Songbird emote set spent with real money which I did not expect at all. It was a key indicator of the genuine passion and kindness effusively flowing from the game.
Many people may wonder why this particular game community is actually so welcoming and positive. There is no concrete answer to that question but I certainly find it very intriguing to think about. As someone who works on developing games and is a game design and production student, this is one of those questions where it can be difficult to pinpoint why something occurs the way it does. Could it be the fact it is part of the Final Fantasy series? Is it based on Staff communication? The vibrancy throughout the game? The mechanics and gameplay?
Personal Player Quotes On the Community of Final Fantasy XIV
There are not many other people better to represent the community than those who spend a lot of time within Eorzea, the world of Final Fantasy XIV. It is one thing for someone to say a community is brilliant but without evidence, there is a lack of corroboration. The following quotes were all obtained by speaking to people in-game who play on a regular basis, veteran players or new. I messaged some of them individually in Limsa Lominsa and asked if they would like to be quoted for the article. All of them were asked about what they think of the game’s community. Some quotes have been edited for punctuation and abbreviated for clarity, and their player names have been cited.
Strangers are Welcome Here
Queen Mariah discussed their time coming over from World of Warcraft and the differences between both games. It was a brilliant conversation discussing what they liked about the community. When I met them they were in Limsa Lominsa and dressed up in festive Santa-akin clothes for the Christmas holiday.
I am not a very old FFXIV player. I came from WoW [World of Warcraft] just a bit earlier than the “Big Weave.” I noticed right away that people here are more friendly, social, always helpful, and almost never toxic. I have seen one or two cases of mildy toxic players and when they started to offend someone — other players step up to defend.
So far I have seen only one or maybe two people leave a dungeon/trial because something didn’t go well. While in WoW and other games they get toxic right away, curse and/or kick… in WoW if you go to a new raid and say “Hi I am new,” you are gonna get an instant kick. In Final Fantasy they are gonna pop up with like five to six people helping and giving tactics and so forth.
Queen Mariah
Mentors Iron Out Your Mistakes
Shiba Cko is a mentor within the Final Fantasy XIV community and is always kind toward other players. Their quote showcases just how important the game is to them and why they think the experience has one of the friendliest communities around.
I think in terms of community, the Final Fantasy XIV community is perhaps the friendliest out there, especially for players just getting started. The gameplay is far less stressful than other multiplayer games because players are more accepting of mistakes. It is for this reason that I find the game so amazing.
Shiba Cko (Final Fantasy XIV Mentor)
A Cozy Place Called Home
Akenah Kousaka had a touching phrase to provide when I asked them the question. Returning to a fireplace is a stunning reference to make about what it truly feels like when being away from the game for a while and venturing back. There is always a brilliant sense of player kindness evident throughout and in the game’s nature itself.
As someone who has played many MMOs over the years, I would say that returning to FFXIV always feels like returning to your cotttage in the winter and sitting in front of your fireplace with a warm chocolate drink in your hand.
Akenah Kousaka
Reflection On Other Game Communities in Comparison With Final Fantasy XIV
Unfortunately, some games such as League of Legends and World of Warcraft have a less-than-friendly reputation in the gaming community toward newer players or others in general. This is not to say that Final Fantasy XIV does not have any negativity whatsoever. There are always going to be outlier players who try and bring down other players and this is common across any online game. Like town criers who simply just try and spread hate in most places they go. However, for the most part, the experience will always be filled with a lot of helpful and positive moments to encounter. That negativity that the outliers try and spread could very well soon be turned into the urge to help others thanks to how the community deals with negative players, through carefully chosen words.
Every online game with player interactivity will always have moments where those interactions can be moments of true beauty and positive nature. Other examples of kind communities that are worth examining exist within Minecraft, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Sea of Thieves. Genuine player helpfulness exists within these experiences, too, and it is a showcase of just how important the gaming community can be to others.
The beauty of a positive community is not just formed and cultured through the players themselves but also can be formed through developer interactions with a game. In a time when conflicts can plague the real world, gaming can be the guiding light at the end of the tunnel for many of us.
You hold the torch of deciding how to treat others, so be that positive moment in someone’s life that they will always remember.
