Players escape from loneliness in their favorite MMORPG

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The turn of the year is celebrated around the world, often with family and friends. Unfortunately, one gamer was unable to actively participate in the celebrations this year. Instead, he logged into Final Fantasy XIV – where he had a really nice celebration with the community.

MMORPGs live and die with their community: be it the tight-knit raid guilds in World of Warcraft or the ambitious squads from Guild Wars 2. Final Fantasy XIV also has a mostly great community. The game has already received several awards for this, most recently at the Golden Joystick Awards in 2022.

The great solidarity in the said MMORPG community benefited one player in particular over New Year’s Eve.

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Which player is it about? On January 1, 2024, reddit user Shavelk_a posted in the Final Fantasy 14 sub-Reddit. He doesn’t say exactly where he lives, but in his culture New Year’s Eve and New Year are just as important as Christmas in Europe.

Unfortunately, due to a serious illness, Shavelk_a was unable to travel to his family, who were also unable to visit him. His friends also lied to him that nothing was planned.

To escape his loneliness, Shavelk_a finally logged into Final Fantasy 14. There he visited Limsa Lominsa, the city hub with the most active players. In the end, there was a happy ending for Shavelk_a, at least in the game: he talked to many other players and enjoyed the in-game celebrations together.

For the player, that was probably exactly what he needed – at least according to his final words:

My heart felt warm because I escaped from all the problems to my favorite place, to my favorite game.

Shavelk_a via reddit, January 1st, 2024

How did the community react? The Final Fantasy 14 Reddit responded with many warm words. The thread thus reflects the player’s vaunted friendliness. Here are a few quotes:

  • DayleD via reddit: Glad the game was there for you. I hope you have a better 2024.
  • Glaciousg1acx via reddit: I’m glad the events and music helped you get through New Year’s Eve.
  • PKMTrainerEevs via reddit: I’m sorry you’re having a hard time, OP. May 2024 be much better for you

    • Some people also shared their stories about loneliness alleviated by the game:

  • starborndreams via reddit: There was a NYE during Covid where my friends and I couldn’t meet up due to restrictions, so we all dressed up our characters and went to one of the RPG bars and partied there together.
  • RFairclough via reddit: I was alone for Christmas 2021, I had recently gotten into ffxiv and decided to spend my time in Eorzea instead. As I wandered around Limsa, a tiny character dressed as Santa Claus came up to me, gave me a companion and some snacks, and wished me a Merry Christmas and a few kind words before disappearing to wish others the holiday beautify. I literally cried in front of my computer.

    • Final Fantasy 14 is rightly called an MMORPG with one of the best communities. This example shows this once again. However, it also has its downsides: A popular YouTuber for the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV is harassed so badly because of a video that he withdraws

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