Rawr!
So right now while writing this, there is an event going on in the world of FFXIV called The Rising, which I completed on the first day it launched, but I can't stop thinking about it, so decided to make a post.
In the event, you do your normal "save everyone" quest and then discover that actually, behind the face of the in game minstrel asking for your help is the real life face of one of the main creators of the game! Not only do you get two cute minions and some fun, but, the completion of the quest grants you access to a special secret floor in the game where the real life makers of the game, the heads of all the diff departments, dwell at their desks in the game, as they would in real life, except, with fantasy themes, like unicorns and dragons and such. Plastered on their walls are production art and glowing shapes, and each one wants to tell you about what they do for the game and how much they appreciate you playing.
After you do all of this, enjoying their witty references to Final Fantasy titles from the past, and remarks about current concerns of players in the forums, such as housing, then you talk to the head guy again, only to have him explain that long ago, in this same world, they made a mistake, and were quick to realize that they needed the heroes as much as we needed them. They put out content that was not worth putting out and went back and remade the world into one worth saving. They love their world. They wholeheartedly care about it and the people in it that they have invested so much of their own effort and time and money into. And they won't ever let that prior mistake happen again.
What he is talking about is the orig version 1.0, where, it had bad reviews and whatnot, but then, they, of their own volition, remade everything, and listened as much as they could to every complaint and thought of ways to incorporate player wishes into A Realm Reborn, which has been a giant success of a game. But he didn't stop there.
He then had all the in game versions of the real life game makers circle around you, cheering for you, thanking you as a unit, and he said something that has stuck with me.
He said that sometimes the heroes and the makers argue and disagree, but he appreciates it all the same, because it shows how passionate both sides are about the world and it being the best world it can be. He appreciates heroes wanting to save the world, because he loves the world, and by me, and every other player, wanting to save it and love it too, we become the makers' heroes. Every player who loves their creation like they do is their hero and not merely an in game hero.
I have gamed since I was 5. I have loved gaming without needing anyone to thank me or without anyone needing to applaud me and say anything about it. But, especially after Blizz's deceptions and lack of concern about player input or whether or not players stick around and want to be there anymore, I will unashamedly admit I cried when I saw such an all out level of appreciation on this big of a scale done for us who play Final Fantasy XIV. They went above and beyond to express how much their game means to them, and how much their players do.
I love gaming. I always will, even when FFXIV has long passed away into the annuls of gamer history, but it has taken a place, even though I have only played for such a short time, as one of the greats for me, and Square Enix, which I have always admired Square since I was just a kid and playing the first FF on the orig Nintendo, has only uplifted its already prestigious name as a gaming company. I used to feel like Square and Blizzard were decently on par with each other, one a master storyteller with incredible gaming graphic and gameplay feats, and the best rpgs, and the other with the best rts games and super innovators of whatever niche they chose in gaming, taking something common and remaking it awe inspiring. Blizz has stepped down from that, into making games that are easy, but not amazing, and are mass played, but only because they are there, repetitive, and made by a known gaming company.
Square, on the other hand, is still pushing itself to expand its own greatness and it is very wonderful to experience. Square Enix has done everything they could to make me feel safe with a gaming company again, safe to trust them and not worry that they will just be heartless money suckers, without me even having to express to them that I felt that distrust. I feel like someone who broke up with a lying jerk, and met someone awesome, who didn't even know about my ex, but still made up for everything they did.
I never had to be thanked for gaming. To me, I always was grateful to the makers of the games for giving me such wonderful worlds and lives to lead. But now that I have been thanked, and in such a fun and sincere way, I am just so happy. That which I love loves me back. I couldn't be more pleased that I am giving my money to someone who cares about their product and their customers on this level. It is nice. Really nice.
Rawr :)
No comments:
Post a Comment