For most people, celebrating Christmas means getting together with your family or friends, eating too much and then topping it off with a slice of pavlova. Some people, though, are doing things a little differently this year and celebrating Christmas in-game in Final Fantasy XIV Online.
Final Fantasy XIV Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game that skyrocketed in popularity earlier this year and just released its final expansion, Endwalker, which has been met with huge praise online. You play as the Warrior of Light, a lone hero thrust into a war between mystical forces and immortal races. It’s also the kind of game where players can create their own communities and companies and do things that are definitely not in the game description.
“I play alongside some of my oldest friends but we’ve sort of come across a group that takes the gaming experience to the next level,” says Taron, one of the players who’s involved in these in-game Christmas celebrations. “Just going above and beyond, trying to replicate a real world atmosphere in game. I’ve been very lucky to become a part of that.”
This year Taron’s group, called a Free Company in the game, will be hosting a banquet, a costume contest and playing party games like musical chairs and hide and seek. They’re also redecorating their Free Company mansion to replicate the feeling of a white Christmas: “We have two Christmas trees surrounded by a flood of present boxes, we’ve set up candles and changed it to a darker interior to bring out that traditional Christmas theme … Everyone puts on their most cheerful attire to sit around the fireplace and joke around.”
The celebrations aren’t just limited to Taron’s group of friends, either — lots of Free Companies plan events to help people celebrate this time of the year online. Another player, Hayden, runs a Free Company called Amberlight with his wife, and they put on annual holiday events. This year, Amberlight members will be handing out gifts to other players, singing Christmas carols on a stage and taking photos with Santa.
“I dress up as ‘Shiji Claus’ since my in-game name is ‘Shijiro Gurimoa’,” says Hayden. “All the participants take turns posing with my character sat on a giant throne, just like Santa photos you’d have as a kid. Finally, we end the night with a fun game or two over Discord voice chat and enjoy friendly banter and laughs until everybody goes to bed.”
A lot of work goes into organising these events, but Taron and Hayden agree that it’s worth it.
“Holding large events like this bring joy to members and are an opportunity to form bonds with fellow Free Company members who may be new or haven’t felt that they’ve had an opportunity to get to know their fellow members yet,” says Hayden.
The beauty of MMOs is that players can do whatever they like — there’s an entire in-game world to create a life in, not just a main story with surrounding characters. Anything is possible in an MMO, as long as there are players willing to bring it to life.
Taron says it’s fairly easy to get involved with players who want to make the most of that creativity: “Just be open to things in-game. If you see a bunch of players walking in a straight line dressed as giant chickens, follow the line, see where it goes … Those are the people that you want to send a friend request to — the people who don’t take the game super seriously.”
“I ran around messing around in-game for a long time, and someone just randomly gave me an invitation which took me to my first event with this group, which turned out to be one of the best things ever.”
Celebrating Christmas in a game might be unconventional, but for many players it’s a chance to celebrate the holiday with friends in a safe and welcoming space — especially during a pandemic. If you’d like to get involved in a Christmas celebration in Final Fantasy XIV Online, you can visit Amberlight’s Free Company page or be on the lookout for people spreading Christmas cheer in-game. It might be the perfect way to feel the festive cheer if you can’t see your friends or family IRL this year.
