Friendship in FFXI.

Shamu – a random MMO friend to a real friend.

I don’t know how much you care or value friends that you make in FFXI, but I do care about them beyond FFXI if they mean something to me.

Well today, I was just watching this video on YouTube of how a random audience in HK go hug a celebrity during an event that involves the audience to particpiate. Its really messed up IMO. Anyway, so I was sending it to people on MSN who were Asian / Cantonese speaker and out of no where, Shamu, who already quit FFXI for ages decided to have a chat. O.O

FFXI vs other MMO’s

What I like about FFXI, is everyone are on the same goal, just want to adventure and have fun. Unlike WoW, you can create infinite characters, change servers, killing each other all day, or even having fun killing your own friends. In other games, achievement is really, just killing the biggest dragon, beating the game, going into instances and farming gear until next patch comes out and put all your gear previously farmed into shit. Also, FFXI doesn’t have or encourage PvP, this makes people less aggressive and encourages more socialization between other adventures. (Well unless you are in HNMLS, where drama is just a bundle with the LS itself)
FFXI has something that’s no other games could offer, and that’s creating friendly social group and friendship that goes beyond the game.

Friends in FFXI

FFXI have a very good social system, Linkshells. This thing really pulls everyone together. Another thing I think FFXI’s good at, is NOT providing a forum or voice chat. This means people have to find alternatives such as privately owned chat server (eg. Ventrilo, TS), privately hosted forums, or hell even over the phone. I don’t know people notice this, but I think Square not providing these services actually help people to create a more friendly atmosphere. Personalization (privately owned stuff) makes both the Ventrilo and Forums a warmer place to stay and socialize, discuss and just chat about the most random things they encounter in everyday life (because it is not monitored).

Last but not least, is your character. FFXI isn’t an easy game. Building a character from ground up isn’t easy at all. This actually discourages people from making other characters, but to “role play” your one and only “main character”. Name changes is not available (unless you are willing to take a chance). So whatever you do with your character, is your reputation to the Vanadiel community. Your in-game character, is you. Your attitude from that character is you, because your only existance in the Vanadiel community is only and only going to come from that one character.

Shamu and I

Shamu and I dates back to March 2004. We were both n00b but we had the same goal, to adventure ‘-‘. I was in Gladiator LS for awhile and was just enjoying the game through making gil, doing quests and missions together. We spend a lot of time sitting in Lower Jeuno just chatting random stuff about how to get this or that.. and eventually, we started talking outside FFXI.

FFXI made exping not soloable, well not easy / time consuming so… this is what happens when you don’t have PvP, you PL your friends. I’m sure if you are a mage, you’ve PLed someone before.

Shamu and her Manteel

A year ago, I was still in the process of leveling Goldsmithing. Bard JSE came out but I was…. not even done leveling. She would go nag me everyday to finish leveling Cloth 60 so I could make her the JSE. I mean she could have gotten some random JP to make it but… she insisted of me making it. That’s when I know MaievTalu was more than just a pixelated character, but a friend. Her JSE was the 1st one that I made with my pixelated character :O Btw, she was a really hardcore player, she plays a lot, I mean literally everyday. But then a few months later, she decided to quit for good for RL reasons :O. Sad in a way but I’m not going to block someone from getting a life.

Friendship beyond FFXI

So out of no where today, she decided to chat. I mean she quit FFXI for like.. a year? We started talking about the YouTube video, then we just started talking about real life stuff. Its pretty surprising how a hardcore player was able to just drop everything and quit ‘-‘. Not only that, to also have a balanced life now. Going out with friends and get drunk (lol to that), going to school, learning how to drive and chilling with friends. She even ask me why I haven’t quit yet XD I told her… RL friends, social grounds, its still nice in some aspect, just like us talking. I even help her with school work before >.> lol. Anyway, if it wasn’t for RL friends and the social circle, I would have been gone for awhile.

So ya, FFXI’s nice in a way, that you make friends who will /t you outside of FFXI. Friends that actually CARE what you do and how you are doing outside of the game circle (or maybe she just wanted to see if I’m dead yet). So if you know one of these friends in-game, should really treat them like a real friend. But as always, take caution when knowing someone online, afterall, someone could set you up with fake identities and pictures and totally set you up (to give you an image that their pixelated and the person behind the character is a girl when they are a guy in real life). You can’t tell the person simply by talking to them so… do take note who you talk to etc.

As always, read that “remember your school, friends, work etc….” … like read it! Its there for a reason :D Remember the game is for fun, to social, chat and to know cool people. It shouldn’t be an obligation to play the game. To be honest, at one point I was so into the game…I was in a shithole for awhile until Eeto picked me out from the gutter, to let me realize the real world is actually so much better than the virtual world. So it was really nice to know that FFXI people are willing to treat you like a real friend.

Maybe someday I should go down to Miami and get a Tattoo of a Taru >.>…. I wonder how much it is for a Tattoo in Miami Ink O.O! Anyone know?