Final Fantasy 14 Vigil

Although gamers as a group are known to be a competitive bunch, this is still one of the best communities to be a part of. Yes, it has its darker sides, but there are equal amounts of heartwarming gaming stories out there.

One such example, involves a group of Final Fantasy XIV players who rallied around a terminally ill fellow player. Word initially broke of the Final Fantasy XIV player's health problems over the weekend, and one real-world friend decided to share the story.

Codex Valhda (Final Fantasy XIV username) was a 29-year-old fan of Square Enix's MMO who was pronounced brain dead on Friday. The doctors decided to keep Codex on life support long enough so friends and family could say their goodbyes. During this time, a friend of Codex's made a post on Reddit simply to generate some support for the player.

However, the outpouring of support was more than anyone could have predicted. It started with a single player sitting vigil outside of Codex's Free Company house, but soon ballooned into a large group. So many players eventually showed up for the vigil that Final Fantasy XIV couldn't load them all for a single wide screenshot.

Shortly after word of the vigil permeated the Final Fantasy XIV forums, players on other servers began to show their support as well. There were vigils on servers like Hyperion and Excalibur, as well as a fireworks show and special message.

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Although Final Fantasy XIV may have been a disappointing MMO at first, the A Realm Reborn re-launch seemed to go over much better with fans. It didn't change the MMO landscape, but clearly plenty of gamers enjoy the experience Square Enix has delivered.

More than that, though, it's heartwarming to see a group of players rally around a fellow subscriber, showing their support as best they can. We saw a similar thing with Destiny, when Bungie gave a recovering player a special gift as a sign of support and gratitude. It's important to remember that behind every avatar is a real person and it's amazing to see players take a step back and realize that.

Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Codex.

What do you think of players holding virtual vigils for an ailing player? What is your favorite example of players rallying behind each other?

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Source: Reddit

Follow Anthony on Twitter @ANTaormina