Hey there, thanks for tuning in! In this video, we’re tackling a prevalent issue in FFXIV gaming: loneliness. Join the discussion as we delve into social problems encountered by players and propose solutions. If you’re enjoying my content, don’t forget to hit that subscribe button for more insightful videos!
Resources
Player Count:
https://mmo-population.com/r/ffxiv
https://mmo-population.com/r/everquest
Lonliness Matters – Hawkley LC, Cacioppo JT. Loneliness matters: a theoretical and empirical review of consequences and mechanisms. Ann Behav Med. 2010 Oct;40(2):218-27. doi: 10.1007/s12160-010-9210-8. PMID: 20652462; PMCID: PMC3874845.
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0:00 Introduction
0:37 The Process
0:50 Loneliness Matters
1:20 MMO Social History
2:20 Where The Problem Lies
3:23 The Solution
4:15 A Call For Change
4:36 Outro
source
Play Eureka! In Eureka you play with a small enough subset of the server that you will actually recognize people over time and can thus build a reputation. Communication is expected so you will get in the mode of asking questions and talking to people, just like you described in the video. (At least, this has been my experience on Crystal)
Im too scared to talk to people!
Personally i love that wow community almost only talks about drama surounding buffs and nerfs to combat damage, while ffxiv community talks about making ffxiv a world you want to live in and a place you want to spend time making friends in beyond just because of their ability to complete content together;
I loved this. Lowkey wholesome video.
FF14 does feel lonely often times. It’s crazy because I am an owner of an FC, yet outside of my static progs— I feel disconnected. Sometimes doing stuff like roulettes with random players doesn’t cut it. Even going into PFs to do loot farms and other like related content feels like I’m missing out on making friends or connections. Maybe it’ll change soon. Thanks for sharing the video!
"you could be seated surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people and feel alone" – every event.
This is not new or common. You could go to a baseball game and feel the same thing, you could go to a mall….you can go anywhere in real life and feel these same exact feelings. this is not just an MMO thing…its a life thing.
When things grow exponentially large its often that feeling of one person feeling like a grain of sand on the beach. Its only when things are broken down to the local level that people feel not alone.
Very good video.
Its funny, that back in the day when I was a kid playing MMOs, I was way more sociable than I am now in my 20s. I wonder if its because when you grow up and learn about social stigmas, people with anxiety don't want to "mess up" so it discourages them from interacting. Thanks for the video and the topic.
I never feel alone, but I play on Aether. No matter where I go people are doing stuff in a zone, be it fishing, hunt trains, mining, etc. The world always feels alive over here.
I also play during peak hours, which I found out a lot of people who have this feeling tend to not do, they tend to play when others are asleep/working/at school, which can lead to feeling like you're alone.
My two tips.
1: PLAY DURING HOURS WHEN PEOPLE ARE OFF-WORK and such. Its always more popping and alive during those times.People have lives outside of MMOs after all.
2: Pretty much what you said in the video, TALK TO PEOPLE. I've seen topics about this but the main issue is people are either afraid, or wanna stick to their solo player mentality which leads to a self fulfilling prophecy of the lonely feeling.
The very things meant to make the game easier, convenient, and meant to cater to casual players (no offense to them, I am one now myself) is what killed that highly social sense of community that pervaded mmorpgs.
It's because 49,999,999 other people are using Balmung as an ERP chat room while I'm the only one playing the damn game
Oh, i was playing 14, but went back to oldschool FFXI on HorizonXI.
I personally had to struggle with the speed of 14, but what killed my fun and immersion in this fantasy game at the end were the naked, oversexualized characters.
Here and there in Hydaelyn, but honestly everywhere. Not only in their party houses, like asmongold showed in one of his videos. And not only in Limsa Lominsa.
At the main aetheryte in Gridania, in 4-24 people raids, within the biggest enemy hordes Square could think of.
There was no common sense of: "We play a game, that people in the whole world play." People with different, let me call it, "comfort zones", mind sets. You name it.
There was no mind set, to think about what others could fell unease with. There was just (and i experienced that comments in raids myself): I pay here, i rule here to 100%. What you got to say counts 0 and if you don't like it, leave! … And the people playing as usuall attacked me for speaking up about my unease, so that they got their silence back. (Hi! – hit! run. hit! – gg)
I tried to bid people to understand that fights are still fights. First calm and friendly, later more aggressive like the people that attacked me. That running around like the biggest porno star in the real world breaks the immersion and kills the last bit of fun for others. It had no effect. No respect, no understanding.
What made my subscription cancel as last piece was, that i had to fight as the naked Godbert in Hildibrands sidestory, which i could not skip, or play with my another or my own character.
Godbert is THE npc people reference, to not have to think about how others could think about it. This story fight showed me that FFXIV went the complete opposite path, of what i expect from a MMO(RPG) and i left after.
FFXIV missed the option to blend over a static set over other character on your own personal screen only, if people want no limits in showing their expression. Like FFXI Online has, with it's static option, to help weaker PS2's in the past to run smoothly, while blending lvl 1 starter sets on others.
As others pay their sub to think to be able to do whatever they want, people like me also pay their subs to experience a consistent fantasy world. And no amateur porno show. Even someone in Garlear Helm, naked chest and playboy bunny legs in front of Morningviper Counter told me in tell, that he does lieing on the ground in a S(ado)M(aso) context. Honestly why? (And that action is not a single case).
If SE gives people the options to express this to others, then it's their responsibility to give other people playing counteroptions, to blend back the fantasy realm the Final Fantasy series got popular with. People like me pay to see that, not other naked bodies.
Tbh there could be more than just the loneliness aspect, it might just do with how people would play, I know some people that are social in the game and a lot more that aren't not like people that dont go and see if they can make friends dont exist I think the majority just decide to afk in limsa all day and see if people go up to them first.
Heh, I feel alone because despite now having two years in the game, I still absolutely refuse to ever join an FC.
This community is nice and wholesome until you talk bad about there game then it’s another story experienced that yesterday on Xbox it was weird
careful where you say "Hi, can I hang out with you" cause you may end up with the AFK Limsa dance group 😀
or… erp
Sometimes you really have to be the change you want to see. I play mostly on dynamis which is objectively emptier than other servers, but at the same time people are way more open to connecting to the people that are here. I use party finder now way more than I ever did in other servers, as well as the novice network and linkshells. There's also a lot of discord servers to get content going on dynamis. Everyone is putting in more effort so even if it seems more quiet, I'm more active in the community than I was on aether 😁
Honestly, I just don't want to interact with any of the 'wholesome 100 big chungus heckin epic' redditors or """"women"""" RP'ing as women wearing casual clothes (fantasy game btw) in Limsa. And due to this, I tend to disregard those that do not fit these criteria out of hand, because the likelyhood of others being subhumans is so high. Other players just sort of meld together in a giant pot of filth that should be avoided, but obviously this also serves to isolate me from people I would actually like.
If im ever feeling lonely in FF14 i just go and play PVP, since those enemy Ninjas just wont leave you alone and they really want to hug you!
I made a lot more friends by helping people looking for help. Instead of just going "Google it" or "look it up" or "use the DF" I go out of my way to help xD it tends to lead to more wholesome relationships and whatnot. I've built up quite a friendgroup that likemindedly help others because I helped them.
I think by doing that, we could make the community a much more inclusive place.
I like playing alone…with other players who also like playing alone .