Hi everyone.
Today has been the longest day ever, hasn't it? Â This will be the last day we will spend without the world of Eorzea at our finger tips. Â We are excited for the future. It is so close, but just out of our grasp at this present moment.
While I have been brimming with excitement today, I have also taken today to do a bit of reflection. Â Reflection on this game, the journey it has been to get here, and what this game, this world, this entire Final Fantasy franchise means to me. Â True, after today, Eorzea will be the norm in people's lives. Â But today, and for these last few hours, we have a very unique perspective on this game that may or may not vastly change over the lifespan of this game. Â
I thought it would be a good idea to have a spot on these forums where those feelings were immortalized.  Feelings written down that can be looked back on and reflected upon in the future.  When we are frustrated with a patch, or annoyed with SE, we can look back on these posts and see the true reason we are playing this game.  We can read our own words as to what this game truly means to us.
I will start:
Like many, Final Fantasy VII on its release was my first exposure to this franchise. Â Before that, I had never even seen a final fantasy game. Â It didn't take long after the journey into the reactor to realize I was hooked. Â Over the course of the few months that I played that game, I had no idea that such an intricate world could be contained inside a video game. Â The Final Fantasy franchise was a spark that grew in me.
Fast forward to the release of Final Fantasy XI.  My excitement to find out the final fantasy universe was coming to life in an MMO realization was more than I could handle.  I pulled weeds and mowed grass for months to be able to afford it, and begged my dad for months to help me with the subscription fee.  I played for about 3 months...until some of my friends found out.  I was belittled and ridiculed by them for playing such a "gay game".  My sister would tease me every time I played about how I would never grow up if I spent all my time in a fantasy world. The constant pressure from my peers drove me to quit the game, and put final fantasy behind me all together.
And then...I grew up.  My love for Final Fantasy never died.  And now, sitting on the brink of something great, it is stronger than ever.  I had always secretly played Final Fantasy games in the past while growing up, but I kept them hidden from my friends.  This game, this world that is about to open its doors to me, is a symbol of my adulthood, and the perseverance of my childhood that never died in me.  It is a testament of devotion on behalf of Square Enix to people just like me.  There is a world of love and passion sitting 7 and a half hours away from me.  Countless amounts of man hours went into making this world so people like me, who spent their childhood hiding their passions, could be who they truly are.Â
I sit here, a 28 year old man with a career, a house, 2 dogs, and a lovely girlfriend.  By all standards, I have grown up.  But I look at this screen, at the images drawn on the sides of this box.  Images of Ifrit and Leviathan to the left, and adventurers to the right.  The images of fantasy.  Images of non-existent entities that I still carry such passion for from the deepest part of my heart.
When I step into this world in just a short time, my age goes out the window.  The ridicule and teasing of my childhood is gone.  I will be stepping back into my childhood, to my first experience with FFVII.  Into the love that I had, that has never faded.  I will be heading down into that reactor with Cloud and Barret once more.  What was once a spark, will burst into a bonfire.
May this bonfire ever burn, in the light of the crystal.
Today has been the longest day ever, hasn't it? Â This will be the last day we will spend without the world of Eorzea at our finger tips. Â We are excited for the future. It is so close, but just out of our grasp at this present moment.
While I have been brimming with excitement today, I have also taken today to do a bit of reflection. Â Reflection on this game, the journey it has been to get here, and what this game, this world, this entire Final Fantasy franchise means to me. Â True, after today, Eorzea will be the norm in people's lives. Â But today, and for these last few hours, we have a very unique perspective on this game that may or may not vastly change over the lifespan of this game. Â
I thought it would be a good idea to have a spot on these forums where those feelings were immortalized.  Feelings written down that can be looked back on and reflected upon in the future.  When we are frustrated with a patch, or annoyed with SE, we can look back on these posts and see the true reason we are playing this game.  We can read our own words as to what this game truly means to us.
I will start:
Like many, Final Fantasy VII on its release was my first exposure to this franchise. Â Before that, I had never even seen a final fantasy game. Â It didn't take long after the journey into the reactor to realize I was hooked. Â Over the course of the few months that I played that game, I had no idea that such an intricate world could be contained inside a video game. Â The Final Fantasy franchise was a spark that grew in me.
Fast forward to the release of Final Fantasy XI.  My excitement to find out the final fantasy universe was coming to life in an MMO realization was more than I could handle.  I pulled weeds and mowed grass for months to be able to afford it, and begged my dad for months to help me with the subscription fee.  I played for about 3 months...until some of my friends found out.  I was belittled and ridiculed by them for playing such a "gay game".  My sister would tease me every time I played about how I would never grow up if I spent all my time in a fantasy world. The constant pressure from my peers drove me to quit the game, and put final fantasy behind me all together.
And then...I grew up.  My love for Final Fantasy never died.  And now, sitting on the brink of something great, it is stronger than ever.  I had always secretly played Final Fantasy games in the past while growing up, but I kept them hidden from my friends.  This game, this world that is about to open its doors to me, is a symbol of my adulthood, and the perseverance of my childhood that never died in me.  It is a testament of devotion on behalf of Square Enix to people just like me.  There is a world of love and passion sitting 7 and a half hours away from me.  Countless amounts of man hours went into making this world so people like me, who spent their childhood hiding their passions, could be who they truly are.Â
I sit here, a 28 year old man with a career, a house, 2 dogs, and a lovely girlfriend.  By all standards, I have grown up.  But I look at this screen, at the images drawn on the sides of this box.  Images of Ifrit and Leviathan to the left, and adventurers to the right.  The images of fantasy.  Images of non-existent entities that I still carry such passion for from the deepest part of my heart.
When I step into this world in just a short time, my age goes out the window.  The ridicule and teasing of my childhood is gone.  I will be stepping back into my childhood, to my first experience with FFVII.  Into the love that I had, that has never faded.  I will be heading down into that reactor with Cloud and Barret once more.  What was once a spark, will burst into a bonfire.
May this bonfire ever burn, in the light of the crystal.
