Balamb Garden Network- Computer Terminal

The BGN may have been the first experience with social media in the Final Fantasy series. Given that this game came out in the late 90's, the timeline matches up with when Internet communities such as forums and fan websites started picking up steam.

You could see who had overdue library books, get advice from teachers, read about the Garden festival, and try to avoid the disciplinary committee. In this game you're only viewing the conversations of others, but it does get updated throughout the game. I think if FFVIII were made today, you'd be able to interact with the BGN and be able to answer questions with a list of multiple choice answers.

I think it really gave insight into the idea that this school was real, and the students and staff interacted with each other even when you weren't there.

What do you like or dislike about the BGN? Is this the first example of social media in FF? Places like Shinra HQ had computers, but those were probably strictly for work.

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I thought it was excellent, I really enjoyed it. Helped immersion like you said!

It was interesting. It, like all the other "little things" in the game really added depth to it. The whole school thing made it incredibly relatable to a high schooler like myself.

That whole game was so different than the FF games that came out before and since.

I loved it. Once I discovered it, I'm sure I made sure to look at it every time I started a new game, and checked things out every now and then (mostly Selphie's page). It's things like this that makes me view Final Fantasy VIII as the Final Fantasy (out of the ones I've played) closest to the real world.