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(08-09-2013, 08:43 PM)Aldeus Wrote: ((Because the SE forums only allow me 1 1,000 character post every 10min, I'm posting this here. I know there's already a thread discussing this topic, but I feel like this is deserves its own post.))You might want to take note that using the united states as an example for a Japanese game is a bad idea.
Recently it was announced that marriage would be a featurewithin Final Fantasy 14 ARR. The systemas of now, is planned to be for opposite gendered couples only, with the possibility of same gendered marriages being implemented based on player feedback.  I argue that waiting for thisfeedback is, statistically speaking, a complete waste of time. The numbers already exist to indicate thatthe players of the afore mentioned game approve of same sex marriage by a wide margin. Let's consider the following, usingthe United States,a traditionally conservative country, as a model.
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- Among millennials (people born after 1980), support forsame sex marriage is over 70%
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- Among people born after 1965, support for same sexmarriage is over 50%
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- According to the Entertainment Software Association's 2013data, the average age of video game players is 30, with 64% of all players falling in the millennial category.
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These numbers alone show that a good majority of video gameplayers (if not a substantial majority), support same sex marriage. Assuming that Final Fantasy 14 players fallwithin the "video game players" demographic, it's quite easy to see in advance that support among the player base would be high.Â
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Square Enix is running a business though, and I understandthat. After the debacle that was theinitial release of Final Fantasy 14, and all the hard work they've put in to revitalizing the game, I can understand that they don't want any niggling distractions to keep any potential players away. Fortunately, there are real world examples toshow that SE shouldn't be afraid to implement same sex marriage.Â
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First, let's look at the Old Republic. Bioware has a history of offering same sexrelationships in their game, and well before their game launched, they stated that they intended to continue that tradition within the Old Republic. The usual suspects came out in protest, theAmerican Family Association, One Million Moms, ect. (people who don't play video games in any real numbers by the way), but Bioware was warmly recieved by the video game community. When the gamelaunched, they had over 1 million subscribers within the first 3 days. The game ultimately took a tumble in thenumbers, but that can in no way be attributed to the same sex marriage "controversy".
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Next let's look at Tirion's game RIFT. In one of the game's post launch patches,they implemented a marriage system without gender restrictions. There was no controversy, there was no fallout, but they did set the record for most marriages in a video game in a single day when the patch went live.
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Historically, video game developers who have taken the boldstep of supporting equality have been rewarded for their bravery by the good will of their player bases. There will always be detractors, but support for the issue among gamers has been rock solid, and support grows with every new poll.Â
As someone who first realized he was gay thanks to your video games(Kuja you naughty thing), I humbly ask that you consider my arguments in deciding on the fate of marriage equality in Eorzea. Â Â Â
If the united states is considered conservative, then japan is considered ancient.
They have 2000 years of cultural tradition and as of right now same sex marriage is against the law in Japan. You need to take note that a large part of their player base IS Japanese, and that they don't want to offend their own people by doing this, either.Â
I'm not saying that this shouldn't be implemented, however.
I do not want to see huge, sensitive debates starting and creating a rift in the community either.
People supporting this should hang tight and be patient as I can guarantee it will be implemented in the neat future (Likely 2.1).
Besides. Isn't marriage itself not getting implemented until 2.1 anyway?
Felix Sideris
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