The days of the Cold War are long gone and have been replaced by the hotter topic of global warming. ‘Colonization’ and ‘superpower’ may have become dirty words these days when global harmony and fair play are the mantras for our planet’s survival.
However, in recent years, there has been a new entity of power slowly but steadily rising on the horizon: Enter the Super Power app store!
In 2014, Japan and South Korea made huge strides and surpassed the US in revenue on Google Play. Reports rank China third for revenue in Apple’s app store. Southeast Asia is a HUGE emerging market: Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam account for almost all gaming revenue in this area of the planet.
What is the conclusion of all this?
1. Language is not a barrier.
2. The appeal of games and mobile games is a worldwide phenomenon.
3. There is a lot of money at stake and this means fierce competition and careful planning to power successful apps and games.
4. The internationalization and localization of games and applications drive mobility in applications and games.
5. Not least, the human quest for easy entertainment is now literally in the palms of your hands, holding your mobile phone. Never has the opposable thumb been put to such vigorous use.
The game must go on!
A stationary stone collects moss
The driving force behind any business is profit. The world of video games is no different. This is a highly competitive world and the gaming market is killer. To survive, evolve, and bring the bacon home, apps and games must not only be entertaining for the guy next door: they must capture new platforms and markets. And they need to be fast and furious about it or fall by the wayside.
How can they do this?
Internationalization and localization
This two-step process is what allows a game to adapt to different regional and linguistic cultures. Must include:
Review the regional and language settings that will determine which location is used, as well as the date, time, and number formats.
Adaptation of the user interface
The code must handle text in multiple languages.
Regional settings (not language) should control the format of the data, as multiple countries may use the same language, as well as the same person traveling through different countries.
The user interface should be ‘mirrored’ while using right-to-left languages; the only exception here would probably be phone numbers.
It is also necessary to test the internationalized application or game for auto-layout issues and strings that are not part of the internationalization-localization process.
Enjoyment MUST be stress free
The game is to enjoy; the player cannot be subjected to a confusing and frustrating experience. There is also no room to be culturally and politically inappropriate or downright offensive. The localization of the game must also ensure that the translated, internationalized and localized version is faithful to the original.
Many players take their games very seriously. Localization of games, including those on mobile platforms (iOS or Android localization), should allow players to fully immerse themselves. All the pleasure of the games is to transport the player to a fantasy world more attractive than reality, where lives can be replenished in battles with strange creatures in unknown exotic lands! Nothing should interrupt this ‘voluntary suspension of disbelief’.
The location must be from the word GO
Game localization cannot be an afterthought and game developers would benefit from shedding the ‘let’s see’ attitude. Successful developers have understood that game localization is an integral part of the development cycle alongside coding, design, or writing. In the early stages, when games were being designed and played on limited and limited platforms, this “afterthought state” might have been acceptable. But with the proliferation of mobile technology and the growing demand for games across linguistic, cultural, and geographic boundaries, video game localization has become a reality.
Localization – NO translation
It should be very clear by now that game internationalization and localization is not just about language. It encompasses cultural symbols, customs, ethos, environment… everything that goes up to make civilizations, in fact!
There are many pitfalls to avoid:
Concerns about piracy and the importance of timely capturing markets can lead to incomplete game translations. The context must be clear when translating the text, regardless of the stage of game development. The whole picture must be taken into account.
Localization should be an early consideration in game development, as cultural concepts need to be clear from day 1. For example: scantily clad female characters can be an issue in some countries. If this isn’t considered early in the design cycle, it could become a costly and intractable headache when the game has to move to more socially conservative markets.
Games must evolve with current events. Consider the example of how a series of pedophilia cases in Belgium discouraged the use of the word ‘pedometer’ in a game about weight loss because of the negative connotation that prefix carried.
Separate text files make the game moddable and translated versions can be pasted into the localized version.
A text freeze or deadline for text changes is a very good idea to control translation costs and keep game development on schedule.
Be aware of cultural issues, taboos, and sensitivities early on.
Accents are important for voiceovers. A cowboy with a Texan accent plays in a video game intended for the Chinese market.
Who does the localization?
Game developers for millions in game development. Therefore, there is no point in cutting corners when it comes to game localization to break into new markets.
Cheap translations aimed at cost control can result in complete failure and make the developer an international laughing stock.
Whether it’s artwork, translation, marketing, packaging, or bridging the cultural gap, it’s highly skilled work that is the domain of trained and talented professionals.
Timing is of the essence to capture the mood of the markets.
Discretion and trust are absolutely necessary to combat the evil menace of IP piracy.