The Lure of FFXI

[Sephiroth_Owa 13]

My reasons for playing...
Well I'm not a very social person in real life and don't trust peolpe as far as i can throw them....FFXI gives me that wall there. Can talk, hang out and do whatever with my friends online whenever I want to and without it getting to the point where I just need to be left alone.
Sadly unless it's family or my boyfriend, I can't stand to be around others for long periods of time.
Talked with a friend on the game and it's pretty much this.
We play this game as a time killer, way to talk people from all over the world, learn new things and to get that glory that comes with getting something done in a game you play for run.
I've seen both good and bad sides of FFXI with the lives of the peolpe that play it, from two of my friends meeting online, dating (irl), and finally getting married and living happly together.
Bad side being peolpe being sluts in game to get what they want either irl or in game.
It's all on how you let effect your life, you can either just them know about the online you or parts of your real life. You can either keep that wall or break it.
Sorry if it sounds like I jump subject alot but I suck at explaning what I'm trying to say when typing....
Pretty much it's this for me. I can have my close friends and be social without being that close to them in real life. And I like that about this game.

[miokomioko]

Seems like you are asking what came first, the chicken or the egg.

You can argue one way or another but these things tend to have about the same evidence for each side. Am I addicted to FFXI because I have an addictive, reclusive personality or do I have an addictive, reclusive personality because I got sucked into playing FFXI?

I've had similar discussions about this type of behavior in regards to people being sucked into anonymous, online life. Am I socially anxious because I am so used to this anonymous, alias-driven experience of "socializing" online or was I like that before and thus gravitated towards this? I'll never know.

[mallister]

people ask me why i've played ff for the last 4 years, like i have a problem, am i addicted, etc. i ask them why the fuck they watch mindnumbing shit like desperate housewives and american idol night after night, seaon after season and most of them give me that blank stare. seriously, i play a lot of online games but i don't spend near as much time glued to a tv, not moving aside from to change the channel or to get a beer than many people i've known.

why watching TV for hours a day is socially acceptable but playing online games is looked at as 'wierd' is beyond me. besides, it's cheaper than a movie, and it keeps me out of the bars and strip clubs.

[Tarage]

I play because I still have friends in the game I can have fun with. If they weren't there, I wouldn't play this awful game.

[Richybear]

I play for the social interaction with people. When you have people from various countries all over in a tiny little server, it makes the world seem that much smaller. Sure there can be the bickering over HNMs etc, but I've never gotten into that scene. In fact, the only thing I ever camped and competed over was Charybdis for a Joyeuse, and we waited for the party to wipe to it twice before finally saying "They can't beat it..." and grabbing claim.

Plus it's kinda funny when you have downtime in a party (mages resting mp, or someone afk for wc) and get shooting the shit with people, just to find out you're from the same city.

I'll agree with Thistle and say I'll forget that Richybear is just a toon sometimes. Sorta like when I'm not online he carries on and just hangs out with my Moogle in MH or something.

I started out with RL friends, one who has since moved on to another server (left Fenrir for Hades) and another who hasn't played in a year. But along the way I've made some new friends IRL from in the game, as well as some friends in various linkshells.

It's had its share of frustrating moments - people quitting, or having a crappy string of drop rates in various activities - but there's always something that happens that keeps me coming back. It's sorta like golf, you can have a bad round, but there's always that one fantastic shot that'll keep you coming back again. Horrible reference I know. >.<

[Ohaigaiz]

FFXI was my first love. You just don't walk away from that. You get addicted to it in every way, and since new things keep coming out for it and it takes x2 to do everything in game you just don't get bored.

[Cow_k]

I started this game at NA PC launch (go go pre-order mousepad) primarily because I loved the Final Fantasy Series. I'd heard of Everquest etc. before, but had previously thought it ridiculous to pay a monthly fee for a video game. However, being a hardcore console gamer (at least I used to be) I couldn't pass up the lure of a new Final Fantasy game, especially one that people were mostly giving positive previews for.

When I first started up, I played simply for fun. I played rather casually, didn't bother looking into forums or fansites, just played at my own pace. It took me a long time to get my first 75 job due to how casually I played and there were times I wanted to quit just because of how difficult things were to complete in game, especially as someone who initially didn't come into the game with many friends.

After the first six months, I was part of a serious divorce from a far too early in life marriage that basically completely shattered my life. I struggled to keep my head above water, but eventually dropped out of college after 3 years of work due to all my drive completely evaporating resulting in the loss of my on-campus job. I had to move in with a friend who was gracious enough to keep me for awhile and during this time I sunk into such a pit of depression that FFXI was the only thing keeping me going. Most of my friends had vanished or moved on, wife was gone, job and money was gone, inner drive was gone. All I had were the friends I had met in game and the friend who had let me stay with him in his condo until I got back on my feet. I played hardcore back then, 7 days a week, probably 6-8 hours a day minus the few times I'd occasionally get out of the house.

Eventually, I met someone else (in game ironically. Yeah I'm a giant geek I know.) and within the following four years my life really turned around. I got out a little more, got a job, started working off the debt I'd accrued during my non-working period and moved across the nation. I still played FFXI a fair bit, but I was far scaled back as the needs of real life had picked up and I no longer needed the social crutch of FFXI as a reason to get out of bed in the afternoon (yes, afternoon... accursed late nights). However, I just couldn't completely let go despite the negative impact the game was having on my life. I passed up on many possible out of game friendships, put on about 40 pounds and became generally less trusting of people in general (though perhaps some of this has to do with growing older?). The reason why I couldn't let go? Perhaps it was just addiction, but at that point, I'd put so much work into my character, I just couldn't imagine letting him go. 5 years is a long time, a sizable part of my overall lifespan I'm sure, and to stop now while the servers are still chugging along almost feels like a disservice to all the previous work I'd done.

At this point in my life, I honestly don't think I need this game to fill any sort of hole as I'm happily remarried to the same wonderful woman who came into my life about 4 years ago, am on the track back to finally finishing my degree and no longer have any real debt to my name. I am, however unemployed and play a lot right now; more often than I'd like. At this point, because of all my problems and my move to a different place 1000 miles from anyone I knew, I feel I have a social dependence to a lot of the people I know in game and some sort of misguided duty to keep Cowk alive and mostly current (though I don't ever feel like I have to be the top of the pile, I like to at least accomplish some things in game. hi2u ares body and e.body in the last month). Even now though, I find myself sometimes wishing that I could quit just to get away from all the people in game who are assholes just for the sake of being an asshole and the people who use others because they think they're some sort of digitized God who are somehow better than everyone else they step on. I really hate myself sometimes when playing because of my self-forced interaction with some these players, but at the same time I do feel lucky enough to have the number of friends that I do have that are willing to continue to play this game for fun instead of status, which in my mind is all that should really matter, in this game or life in general (lump in all the people who use this game as a personal playground with the intention of irritating others due to being complete failures as humans into the pile of players I despise).

I'm confidant that the reason I play so much right now is simply because of my friends in game and the fun we actually do have, though I wouldn't quit if they were all gone due to the current ownership I feel from playing my character (I do think I wouldn't be playing nearly as much as I do at the moment if all my friends were gone). Is my current stance healthy to myself? I'd argue that it's not at it's current level, but all things change with time and I'd like to think that I could build back to a better balance of in game and out of game eventually.

So yeah, livejournal post, I know, but the best way I knew how to discuss my reasoning for playing this game was to recount my time spent over the years playing. I apologize if I went too overboard in my response, but hey, I said I was unemployed right now and I'm quite bored at the moment and I don't feel like I have anything worth hiding in my story. I do think there's plenty of people who play this game for completely negative reasons, I myself have in the past as a way to escape reality as stated, and personally I don't think something like that should be ignored as not everyone is as lucky to escape the downward spiral that an MMO can lead to (I have had two people I've known who played this game, one in game and one I knew in person, who have died due to neglect of day to day activities. Curse you diabetes). /soapbox

[Cow_k]

Personally I believe that Final fantasy--as a community---has a much broader appeal than; WoW, evequest, runescape, or any number of the F2P titles available today. In contrast to most commercial enterntainment titles, final fantasy seems to attract a less caustic audience than what you would expect to find on XBL or WoW, which is both more mature (well,in most cases) and as a result more loyal.

Sorry for the double post, but I felt I had to point this out. If the players in FFXI are more mature than WoW etc., I really don't want to see those other games because 90% of the people I run in to in game are exactly the opposite of what I'd call mature.

[Ohaigaiz]

Sorry for the double post, but I felt I had to point this out. If the players in FFXI are more mature than WoW etc., I really don't want to see those other games because 90% of the people I run in to in game are exactly the opposite of what I'd call mature.

90% of WoW kids are x2 worse than FFXI players. If you think FFXI is bad... WoW is in a completely different league.

[Fiye]

Intro

What makes me laugh is when people compare the 40+ hours spent to something like World of Warcraft, EQ2, Final Fantasy XI, and etc...

Lets be honest, if a bowling fanatic could pay $14.95 a month to have all materials (Bowling ball, personal lane, etc...) to enjoy himself in a bowling lane, do you think he or she wouldn't do it? This would be their personal lane that they would enjoy for the rest of their life!

Not to mention it would be in their house. Or hell, look at the football fan. 14.95 to watch your favorite teams duke it out against each other whenever you want.

Beginning

One of the EARLIEST allures of MMOs were the fact that they were RPGs (A genre I was absolutely facinated with during my elementary years) and when my Dad showed me Anarchy Online when it was in beta [Realise now that children will play garbage games. Remember that] I fell in love with it. One of my first experiences while in the newbie backyards was asking some female avatar, who apparently lived in Japan, or china, if they ate dogs and cats.

I was an incoming 6th grader at the time. Yes, phear me.

Now, I've invested quite a few years. From being 11 years old, to now 19. I have done all sorts of growing and shit, and it wasn't until I was 17 that I finally capped out my first job on an MMO. And that was WHM on FFXI.

Analysis

The primary allures of an MMO can be broken down into three things.

1. Social interactions equal to Facebook or Myspace.
2. Being able to train a character from rags and rabbits to riches and epic bosses.
3. An ever evolving world.

Those are the three primary things that make an MMO, and I enjoy every part of it. My first boss fight was against that Dragon mob in Ghelsba Peak. Three people ended up getting their asses kicked right before school. I tried to run away, but I was pulled in and beaten to a bloody pulp.

Those kinds of fun stories can only come out of MMOs. We all have our favorite moments, and we spend our time enjoying them. People who otherwise demonize the hours spent into an MMO needs to realize that our lives don't revolve around our lives every single moment. There will be times that yes, little susan needs to spend time with mommy while Daddy spends 5 hours in a dungeon (A mistake I hope blizzard fixes in Lich King), or 3 hours spent in Dynamis. Square-Enix has changed, and the longest recent event clocks in at an hour and 40 minutes.

Fiye

As of now on FFXI, I'm currently a 75 White Mage, 75 Monk, 73 Dragoon, 56 Bard, 44 Paladin (Current Main), and etc... (look at siggy). One of the reasons I invest so much time is right before you. This multi job system that allows me to train little Ms. Mithra "Fiye" into more than just White Mage. Hell, if it wasn't for that I wouldn't have managed 75. And then when I got tired of being a White Mage, I could then work on Monk, toy around with Dragoon. Blow a flute and maybe soak up some damage.

And then, you look at the rewards. Beat CoP and have an uber ring that lets everyone know you survived the onslaught on the airship. Become a Captain ranked Mercenary and have people stare in awe as you enjoy the benefits of an extra tag and free warps. Survive 5 Ark Angels, or beat the Zilart brothers in a single BCNM for an awesome title. Not to mention the memorable stories.

And then the friends you meet. The memories you leave behind. Yes, maybe the day you decide to quit, you decide to sell off everything you obtained while adventuring to retire. Or perhaps you ritually sacrifice everything before finally, sacrificing yourself.

I spend those 40+ Hours on FFXI and not on life because its cheaper, funner, and much more interesting. Involving a virual avatar, that in a way does represent yourself, in events that will never happen on Planet Earth.

Closing

In the end, MMOs creature a virtual fantasy to escape to. As a young child, I would play around with friends using imaginary swords, guns, bazookas that were equivalent to mini nukes, and fire bolts. Sure, FFXI doesn't have a bazooka, but it does have trigger happy BLM Tarutarus.

One more thing I would like to mention. There's this somewhat old cartoon on Nickelodeon called Rugrats. They soon made a special on the 10th anniversary that was called "Rugrats: All Growed Up" that showcased them as teenagers. In that special (At least before it became a series all its own), Tommy made a reference to the sandbox, that as a young toddler it seemed to never have a bottom, and yet now he could reach his hand in and find it within one scoop.

MMOs just let us dig into that never ending Sandbox as a teenager or adult, and show off to the world that we have dug that deep.

Addendum: Holy shit I wrote a lot!

[firefeng]

I play FFXI because it is a menial distraction from the torpid doldrums of an unsatisfying, shiftless life.

Oh, crap. I just remembered my unsatisfying, shiftless life. Thanks a lot.

[Bregor]

I first signed up for XI because I was a Final Fantasy junky, I had played every NA release from the original NES on (which I still remember the articles in Nintendo Power) and some JP ROMs on emulators. My good friend from high school signed up at the NA release and I followed suit a few months after. Luckily, it was after I finished college, or else I probably would have failed out. This is my first, and to date only, MMO.

What keeps me playing is probably very similar to most people; the friends I've met on my server, the excitement of killing stuff and getting dorps, the challenge of doing things I've never done in-game, and doing the things I've done a million times more efficiently. I was always one of those borderline-OCD people who needed to get every item/summon/esper/materia/whatever each time through an RPG, so I guess I'm still working on "beating" XI to a certain extent. I don't think anyone will every get "everything" but the important part is I still have fun getting there.

[Cookiemonster]

I just love final fantasy games, well at least most of them. I love the art style and the basic mechanics. Maybe it's stupid but I used to get a great sense of accomplishment from making my characters as strong as they could possibly be and unlocking all the secrets hidden in the game.

FFXI is a little different because you can't beat it, there is almost always something you can do to make a job better and there is a huge massive amount of content that is almost impossible to fully complete. In ffxi I get fulfillment out of completing goals I have made, which tend to become larger and larger the more I play.

There is also the human aspect of the game which has come to mean a great deal to me. I have met a lot of really great people along the way and I continue to meet new ones every day. Final Fantasy takes up a lot time out of my life but I think overall I am better off for it. This game has seen me through good times and bad and I can say I am honestly not the same person I was when I logged on four and a half years ago because of the people I have met and the experiences I have had.

Besides, where else am I going to see a half naked cat woman set a bunny on fire?

[Khalil]

An addiction. This game is not fun nor amusing but I keep playing because it's become an addiction to me.

[Hyan]

Haven't come across anything better (MMO wise) so I just play this. Less than I used to, but I still find it kinna fun.

[Tonyanjaii]

The last final fantasy I ever played was Final Fantasy 8 and I only completed the first disc and at around the same time that was when RPG's ended for me. I was more into other games like Starcraft and X-Men vs Street Fighter series etc. I love the competition, playing against random people online in Starcraft or fighting against your friends or random people at the arcades. When Final Fantasy XI was released for the PS2 a friend of mine wanted to try it out and convinced me to try it out too. I normally wouldn't pick up a RPG game and I was like damn, wtf Final Fantasy 11? Last one I remmebered was 8! So I tried it out thought it was an interesting concept, a virtual online game where you can run around and interact with other people across the world.

I remember the rush to get to 75 and trying to find end game linkshells and stuff. The reason why I play is because I enjoy the game. I love the community aspect, you get to meet people from all over the world and at the same time you build up your character to get cool items and you feel a sense of accomplishment. I'm a very competitive person and I love the competition aspect of the game. Probably the only thing thats restricting me from being more competitive is my other obligations in life such as school and work.

I wouldn't say being addicted to these types of games is a bad thing but only when it distracts you from doing other things in your life that are more important for example like work, your family, friends and other responsibilities, exactly what the disclaimers says at the start of the game.

[Vodou]

For those of you who hate thinking too deeply or just would rather not deal with a thought provoking topic at the moment, don't look down below!!

I am currently extending my paper on cyberspace dependency (as well as examining various factors contributing to this dependency), and I was considering on focusing towards why individuals are so drawn towards Final Fantasy XI. What better way to find out than by simply asking FFXI participants within the online gaming community?! Any thoughtful opinions would be much appreciated, to incorporate into my paper!

Main Question:

- What makes Final Fantasy XI so enticing, so addicting, to the point where individuals spend forty hours or more a week within the online virtual realm? (Personally, I was guilty of this at certain points during the past four years.)

- Things to Consider Regarding Question -
* Why do people fall into this cyberspace dependency (Internet/Virtual dependency) on FFXI? Is it to displace the community the individual has in reality, when they find more positives in a welcoming online world? Is it the psychological gratification from doning a new persona online and the ability to dissociate their identities in real life with their actions online? Or is it the idea of temporarily escaping negative situations in reality, to "live and breathe" in a fantasy realm? If not, then what else could it be? What makes FFXI so incredibly "fun" to play, in comparison to other forms of social entertainment outside the virtual box?

I would love to hear from the Blue Gartr community, on their thoughts and opinions regarding this! I have been getting some really interesting responses from the FFXI Allakhazam community so far.

(Yesh, I do realize I posted this thread two days ago, but it got deleted less than a day after.)

-Astarael of Phoenix

I wanted to post right away, but for the sake of being fair, I spent some time reading up a bit on this topic.

Armed with misinformation, I'm ready to post.


First, its unfortunate to me that so many people use the word addiction and dependency as if its meaning is agreed upon and commonplace.

Addiction and dependency are clinical terms. They are used casually by many people (which is fine in casual conversations...maybe this is one and so I am being too clinical!!), but totally inappropriate if one is trying to prepare a serious paper on the subject. The terms relate to psychological and physiological conditions relative to actual physical dependence (as in drug addiction) or psychological dependence or compulsive disorders (as in gambling.)

To use the term within the context of FFXI or any MMO implies the psychological disorder. By its nature, MMO's can't make you have a disorder any more than gambing can. It's the person who brings the pre-existing compulsive disorder to the process. (I.e., a person lacking complusive disorders will not 'change' if they gamble.)

So the real question you are asking, is: what about FFXI feeds a pre-existing compulsive disorder?

Let me stop right here and say: if that is what you are asking, then bravo! I think the rest of your post sorta mushes up the point and needlessly creates issues where none exists.

What you seem to be implying is that people are 'normal' and then play an MMO and 'become' compulsive. Is this what you are implying? I don't think this is possible. While drugs can force a person to become addicted against their will, psychological dependence can't be forced outside of brainwashing conditions.

Second, you presume the pre-existing disorder. While its true that people who have these conditions will 'seek out' MMO's, this is true in all forms of real world envornments as well. Compulsive disorders existed many thousands of years ago. The internet and MMO's are simply a new venue for these conditions to be satisfied.

Third, the nature of your post implies (albeit unintentionally) that people who play MMO's are compulsive and addicted, despite lacking evidence to this effect. Clinical work in this field is immature, but even at its best, it would be like presuming that everyone who goes to Las Vegas to gamble has a compulsive disorder because some people who go there do have a disorder. Your post does not recognize that many people who play MMO's do it for fun and as an alternative to other activities.

Compulsive disorders are not diagnosed simply on the basis of routine behavior. They are diagnosed on the basis of whether the person can control his behavior or willingly injures himself or others in order to continue the compulsive behavior. While the amount of activity is one indicator of a possible disorder, it is not sufficient to reach a conclusion as to clinical addiction or dependency.

Fourth. in my opinion, you are somewhat jumping from a hypothesis, to a casual observation to infer a causal relationship. If in fact you are looking for real indicators or dependency here are a few questions to ask:

1) have you changed your lifestyle (quit school, changed jobs, etc) so you can play an MMO
2) have you tried to quit playing and been unable to stop
3) have you lied to friends and family about how much time you play
4) has your health suffered and still you continue to play
5) are you depressed when you can't play (depressed in a clinical sense...unable to sleep, feel very sad, sleep too much, get drunk to take up time until you can play again, etc.)
6) do you get angry when others suggest you stop playing so much

If anyone answers yes to any of these questions, then its relevant to ask what in the MMO makes them 'feel' better?


Nonetheless, I like the thread and applaud the raising of the issue. While I suggest it should be worded a bit differently, I still thinks its a worthwhile topic.

[Jakson]

1) have you changed your lifestyle (quit school, changed jobs, etc) so you can play an MMO
2) have you tried to quit playing and been unable to stop
3) have you lied to friends and family about how much time you play
4) has your health suffered and still you continue to play
5) are you depressed when you can't play
6) do you get angry when others suggest you stop playing so much

1. Kinda, asked for sundays/mondays off work so I could do sky way back then.
2. No, because I haven't tried to quit. Yet.
3. No.
4. Nope, always have been pretty lazy.
5. Isn't anyone depressed when they can't do what they want to do? I sure as hell am sad I can't play FFXI when I'm at work, school, etc.
6. Nobody has suggested it, though if it came from somebody that matters to me, maybe I would.

I play FFXI because it's cheap, 99.9% of TV is stupid, and occasionally I get to do something that gets my heart pumping without being incredibly aggravating (hi2u Halo).

[amentis]

Why do I play FFXI?

It's cheaper than LSD. No, seriously. FFXI is the cheapest drug there is. I have an addictive personality. It keeps me off of drugs so hey, I'm not complaining >.>

[phrost]

Why do I play FFXI?

It's cheaper than LSD. No, seriously. FFXI is the cheapest drug there is. I have an addictive personality. It keeps me off of drugs so hey, I'm not complaining >.>

This.

One late night a group of friends posited that final fantasy is the cheapest form of interactive and always varying entertainment that is cheaper and safer than going out with buddies to cut loose and get drunk, without getting arrested, robbed, shot, or infected with a myriad of STDs.