The MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV has introduced a small change with the new patch: The AFK timer is gone. It kicked players out of the game since the summer of 2021 when they were inactive for too long. With this, Square Enix aimed to manage the influx of players during the hype of 2021. Now some players are cheering and explaining why they no longer log out.
This is the small change in the patch: It is a patch note in the “System” area that some players are now happy about: Players will no longer be automatically logged out after 30 minutes of inactivity.
This applies to all zones, it says.
For 10 months, Final Fantasy XIV forcibly removed players from the MMORPG
This is the special aspect: This state of “It’s okay to be AFK and dance” is the natural state of Final Fantasy XIV. The game has actually always been like this.
But the enormous success of Final Fantasy XIV in 2021 led to the sudden introduction of an AFK timer last July. This was intended to reduce server load, as due to the weakness of WoW and the enthusiasm of some Twitch streamers for Final Fantasy XIV, the MMORPG suddenly experienced a boom, even months before “Endwalker” was released.
When Endwalker finally arrived, the servers became increasingly full. Now the hype has somewhat subsided, and 10 months after its introduction, the AFK timer can disappear again.
The AFK timer was supposed to make room on the servers and help ensure that people who are actually at their PCs or PlayStations can play, rather than having their spots blocked by players who are just standing around AFK.
AFK players somehow enrich and beautify the world of Final Fantasy XIV
Why is this so special? Normally almost all MMORPGs have an AFK timer, but Final Fantasy XIV intentionally does not have this timer. This results in people just standing around or dancing in many places in the world. They show their characters to the world. Many in Final Fantasy XIV consider “fashion” very important: How your character looks and how they appear to others.
Some players perceive these “AFK figures” as something “special” because the MMORPG looks livelier and fuller:
- One user says: “When I started with Final Fantasy XIV, there was a guy who stood on the street in Black Shroud for an entire week. I was completely stunned. Today I practically never log out anymore, just like that, so now I understand him.”
- Another user says: “Before Endwalker, there was always a guy who stood on the steps of Aetherite in Ul’Dah and danced. I called him the Meth-Pope because he wore such colorful clothes. The first time in months I saw him again this morning.”
- A third says: “I’ve only been playing since September. I thought it had always been like this, as it has been recently. I feel so silly right now.”
Others are really surprised that the AFK timer was only in the game for 10 months. It felt like an eternity.
This is what it’s about: The example of the AFK timer shows how often little things can make a world in an MMORPG special.
The need to be “part of the world” is apparently great. Even when not playing, people want to show and represent their character.
Although there are also good reasons to turn off the computer:
