{"id":169889,"date":"2022-12-27T17:51:11","date_gmt":"2022-12-27T17:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/the-real-fantasy-in-final-fantasy-14-is-owning-a-damn-house\/"},"modified":"2022-12-27T17:51:11","modified_gmt":"2022-12-27T17:51:11","slug":"the-real-fantasy-in-final-fantasy-14-is-owning-a-damn-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/the-real-fantasy-in-final-fantasy-14-is-owning-a-damn-house\/","title":{"rendered":"The real fantasy in Final Fantasy 14 is owning a damn house"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Every week, I put 3 million of my hard-earned coins into an enterprise that I know will result in disappointment: the Eorzean housing lottery, where the odds have, so far, never been in my favor. Every week, I lose. I go collect my automatic refund, and then I have a little laugh at that well-known quote about the definition of insanity, which involves doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. Nothing exemplifies this madness better than the ordeal of trying \u2014 and failing and trying again \u2014 to buy a house in Final Fantasy XIV<\/em>a game that leans into the comically opaque bureaucracy that surrounds modern home ownership while also serving as a sad, desperate scratch card.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Having a home base is a critical part of the RPG experience, and FFXIV<\/em> is no different. But getting housing in Eorzea is a vastly different creature to the sort of ad-hoc settlements in Fallout<\/em> or homesteads in Skyrim<\/em>. Bureaucracy is an integral part of the game, and there’s a bleak sliver of humor in seeing it spring to life around the acquisition of a digital house in a fantasy world. But there’s an unhinged beauty in the way FFXIV<\/em> embraces the formal order of administrative process and procedure, especially after I dutifully log in week after week to discover that I have, once again, lost a small plot to someone named Zaddy Holemilk. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The last time I went to look at a house that I lost, the owner had filled the yard with twinkling lights, graceful trees, and a cute patio set. I don’t care about building a cafe, and I don’t want to hold house parties. I’m a simple catgirl, and I just want a home<\/em>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I’m a simple catgirl, and I just want a home<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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One might wonder why you even need a house as the constantly adventuring Warrior of Light \u2014 everybody loves you, and there’s always a free <\/em>inn room in every city. The answer is: why not? housing in FFXIV<\/em> is the main attraction for players interested in social roleplay and design projects. There’s a vast universe of furniture and decor options and finicky placement tricks that take time and practice to master. Houses serve as blank canvases to remodel into anything from modern mansions and themed cafes to nightclubs and bathhouses. Some players \u201chire\u201d others to work at their restaurants and shops (yes, there are 18-plus roleplay venues and brothels); running a popular \u201cbusiness\u201d can be a viable way of making in-game money through player tips. The residential neighborhoods in each main city have different vibes. For instance, Gridania has the flowery, Disney-like Lavender Beds, and Limsa Lominsa has The Mist, a serene beachside enclave that remains the white whale of my real estate dreams. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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