Like most of the fantasy-based MMORPGs I can name off the top of my head, Final Fantasy XIV features several playable races. You’ve got the elvish Elezen, the beefy Roegadyn, the human-like Hyur, and the itty-bitty Lalafell. And then, in a category all of its own, are the catgirls.
Yes, there are people out there who simply know Final Fantasy XIV as “that catgirl MMO,” as if this isn’t a part of one of gaming’s biggest franchises, with more than a dozen industry-rattling mainline entries. I mean, for JRPG enthusiasts, the name Final Fantasy has plenty of non-catgirl connotations.
But, then again, Final Fantasy XIV does feature the Miqo’te, a race of cat-people. Yes, there are male Miqo’te, but it’s the catgirls that get all the attention. There are even entire conversations about catgirl butts because of this game. Do you care about how thicc these catgirls are? Because some people do. Passionately.
So okay, in this light, I guess I can see how the whole “catgirl MMO” think might be off-putting to some folks. It does tend to draw some of the weirder elements of the fandom and internet culture.
But if you can get around that, you realize that the whole catgirl thing has a weird appeal to it. While I’m not willing to create whole forum posts about the voluptuousness (or lack thereof) of Miqo’te booty, I do play Final Fantasy XIV as a catgirl.
The thing is, this is actually my second character. Back in 2013, when the game relaunched as A Realm Reborn, I created a non-catgirl character. And while that was a long time ago, I’m pretty sure my thoughts were along the lines of “I want to play as a catgirl, but I don’t think I have the confidence to pull it off.”
But oh, how things have changed since then. Now I just want to hang out with my Miqo’te friend and play dressup and all the things that go along with having a catgirl BFF. In fact, this meme sums it up pretty well:
Yeah, this was created from the image at the top of this article, which comes from this reddit thread.
And if you want to read more about the catgirl craze, you can check out this forum thread on GameFAQs. There’s just something about letting out your inner catgirl that, once you learn to be okay with it, is kind of appealing.
So really, I almost feel like people who specifically go out of their way to not play as catgirls are just people who secretly want to play as catgirls. So to those people I say: You’re not fooling anyone. Stop being such a coward, pick Miqo’te, and play Final Fantasy XIV how it was meant to be played.
