With any competitive scenario comes trash talk, but online gaming probably takes the cake. This has become such an issue in the MMO Final Fantasy XIV that it has drawn the attention of the game’s director and producer Naoki Yoshida. Earlier this week he released an official statement on the Square Enix site in response to all the negative reports about player interaction. He took the time to outline in great detail the types of prohibited behavior, specifically non-participation and taunting. Naoki Yoshida has presented this as a warning to FFXIV players so as to give them a chance to adjust their online behavior to avoid repercussions such as suspension and permanent bans.
Outlining Prohibited Behavior in Final Fantasy XIV
Naoki Yoshida understands that when it comes to FFXIV PvP gameplay, things can get intense very quickly. As a result, he’s also aware of the ways that players can be provoked to act during gameplay. He outlines lethargic behavior based on reports that certain players will deliberately under-perform in a competitive environment. Normally, this is where people work in teams and depend on each other to do their best. Instead, taunting and sarcasm appear to be running rampant.
However, taunting in FFXIV is clearly even more of an issue considering how thoroughly Yoshida has detailed it. Aside from players using chat to insult each other, others have been using the in-game systems to taunt each other. As Yoshida explains, some players have been spamming Quick Phrases repeatedly to both annoy players and mock their performances. Then there are the FFXIV emotes that players are using to taunt downed players such as setting off fireworks.
This all comes on the heels of Crystalline Conflict, a new FFXIV PvP event introduced in patch version 6.1. It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Naoki Yoshida expressed gratitude for interest players have shown since its launch, and genuinely wants people to keep playing. Instead, is response serves as a calm and collected warning to just be nice. The statement ends with a promise to keep making new and fun content for FFXIV.
