The COVID virus hits everyone equally. While the demographics of this game tend younger, the developers should not forget that, because FFXIV was designed as an inclusive game (see the evidence here), there are thousands of older gamers like me who are more at risk than the younger population.
Therefore, it was very alarming to see that Square Enix has decided to resume the housing demolition timer. (See the news here)
First, let me quote their justification for resuming the demolition timer:
While this is true for many people with means and can easily work from home, the same cannot be said for many players worldwide, who may be unemployed, or who may be more at risk of hospitalization due to the virus.
Older gamers like me are significantly more at risk of hospitalization if we contract the virus, even at a "tender" age of 42.
As we can see, according to the CDC, roughly 7% of older people (50-64) would need to be hospitalized. Though many in the community might assume that everyone playing the game is in their twenties or thirties, there is definitely still a significant part of the player base who are older and at risk of hospitalization.
Furthermore, resuming the housing demolition timer also indirectly hurts minorities more, as minorities are more at risk of hospitalization than white individuals:
Now, one might ask: well, don't you have time to pop into your house after you recovered? After all, the housing demolition timer is 45 days long.
However, COVID is an illness that can actually wreak so much havoc on your body that you could be hospitalized for 20 days.
And that's the typical course of illness. Some patients might even enter a coma, and here is one paramedic who spent 83 days in the hospital, 50 of which he was under a coma: https://www.cbs19.tv/article/news/lo...1-3a244fd2eb04
Therefore, it is very easy for some COVID patients to miss the housing demolition timer due to spending 45+ days in the hospital. I am aware not everyone who contracts COVID would spend 45+ days in a hospital or even be hospitalized. However, even if you spent 30 days in the hospital, the 15 days after you were discharged would be consumed with various complications. We know that some discharged patients continue to suffer from long-haul syndromes: https://health.ucdavis.edu/coronavir...g-haulers.html. These long-haul syndromes include extreme fatigue which makes the person not be able to do any work. Plus, you might also be spending the 15 days with family who thought you would be gone, or to worry about financing the massive bill due to COVID.
For older gamers and minorities, the chance of this type of scenario occurring and happening to us more than doubles as compared to the younger, white population, as evidenced in the graphs. Square Enix, please consider the reality that not everyone has the same privilege to work from home and be able to treat COVID as simply a flu that is inconveniencing their lives. Some people might be struggling to find employment at all, and yet others might contract the virus and be stuck in hospital for too long, causing them to miss the demolition timer.
The United States has just set record after record of coronavirus cases this week: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronav...o-end-in-sight. Is it really appropriate to resume the demolition timer just as we enter a second wave, where the double threat of the winter flu and the coronavirus hit us at the same time? Square Enix, please reconsider this decision.
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Therefore, it was very alarming to see that Square Enix has decided to resume the housing demolition timer. (See the news here)
First, let me quote their justification for resuming the demolition timer:
Although COVID-19 continues to have a large impact on our daily lives and economy, we are grateful for our many players worldwide who have continued to play FFXIV after our decision to suspend auto-demolition. We believe this new lifestyle and economic situation of living alongside COVID-19 will continue for the long-term and have therefore decided to resume auto-demolition.
While this is true for many people with means and can easily work from home, the same cannot be said for many players worldwide, who may be unemployed, or who may be more at risk of hospitalization due to the virus.
Older gamers like me are significantly more at risk of hospitalization if we contract the virus, even at a "tender" age of 42.
As we can see, according to the CDC, roughly 7% of older people (50-64) would need to be hospitalized. Though many in the community might assume that everyone playing the game is in their twenties or thirties, there is definitely still a significant part of the player base who are older and at risk of hospitalization.
Furthermore, resuming the housing demolition timer also indirectly hurts minorities more, as minorities are more at risk of hospitalization than white individuals:
Now, one might ask: well, don't you have time to pop into your house after you recovered? After all, the housing demolition timer is 45 days long.
However, COVID is an illness that can actually wreak so much havoc on your body that you could be hospitalized for 20 days.
And that's the typical course of illness. Some patients might even enter a coma, and here is one paramedic who spent 83 days in the hospital, 50 of which he was under a coma: https://www.cbs19.tv/article/news/lo...1-3a244fd2eb04
Therefore, it is very easy for some COVID patients to miss the housing demolition timer due to spending 45+ days in the hospital. I am aware not everyone who contracts COVID would spend 45+ days in a hospital or even be hospitalized. However, even if you spent 30 days in the hospital, the 15 days after you were discharged would be consumed with various complications. We know that some discharged patients continue to suffer from long-haul syndromes: https://health.ucdavis.edu/coronavir...g-haulers.html. These long-haul syndromes include extreme fatigue which makes the person not be able to do any work. Plus, you might also be spending the 15 days with family who thought you would be gone, or to worry about financing the massive bill due to COVID.
For older gamers and minorities, the chance of this type of scenario occurring and happening to us more than doubles as compared to the younger, white population, as evidenced in the graphs. Square Enix, please consider the reality that not everyone has the same privilege to work from home and be able to treat COVID as simply a flu that is inconveniencing their lives. Some people might be struggling to find employment at all, and yet others might contract the virus and be stuck in hospital for too long, causing them to miss the demolition timer.
The United States has just set record after record of coronavirus cases this week: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronav...o-end-in-sight. Is it really appropriate to resume the demolition timer just as we enter a second wave, where the double threat of the winter flu and the coronavirus hit us at the same time? Square Enix, please reconsider this decision.
Continue reading...