Video Game Localization: Adapting Video Games For Global Players

Videospil er let en af de mest globale oplevelser, der findes i dag.

Vi har set videospilindustrien forvandle sig fra spil som Pong, hvor to spillere sidder ved siden af hinanden og flytter en hakket linje op og ned på deres skærm, til massive multiplayer online (MMO) oplevelser som World of Warcraft, med spillere, der interagerer i dette levende univers, alt sammen i komforten af deres eget hjem rundt om i verden.

And this isn’t just a niche little group on the internet. In fact, the European Mobile Game Market estimated that there were more than 2.5 billion - yes, with a "B" - gamers in the world.

That's a lot of gamers.

With smartphones and computers so pervasive, almost anyone with an internet connection can play the latest titles, and players around the world from different cultures can now all share the same amazing gaming experiences.

As the game developer, how do you ensure that all of these gamers around the world have access to the amazing experience you've been working on so passionately?

Lokalisering kan hjælpe dig med at udføre denne opgave! Videospilsoversættelse og lokalisering kan virke skræmmende i starten, men det er præcis derfor, vi er her for at hjælpe.

In this two-part series, we will cover the ins and outs of game localization: what is game localization, why you need to localize your game, and even how to begin your localization process.

Hvad er videospillokalisering?

Hvad er "lokalisering", spørger du? Lokalisering er processen med at tilpasse et stykke indholds fulde betydning til en ny region, herunder oversættelse, tilhørende billeder og kulturelle elementer, der påvirker, hvordan dit indhold vil blive opfattet.

Når det kommer til spil, er hovedmålet her at bevare tonen, følelsen, stilen og brugeroplevelsen, som spillet giver. Afhængigt af typen af spil er der flere forskellige elementer, der skal oversættes:

• UI-oplysninger, herunder spillerinfostatistik, stednavne, elementnavne, kortnavne, navne på ikke-spillere (NPC'er)
• Any in-game dialogue between characters and any prompts from NPCs
• Questtekst og relateret information til at guide spillere gennem verden
• In-game meddelelser, som i multiplayer-spil
• Prompts and instructions on how the player will interact with the world
• Subtitles for any dialogue throughout the game, particularly in cut-scenes

Hvis der er noget, der vil bryde en spillers fordybelse i spillet, ville det være en dårlig oversættelse. Vi ville ikke tale om spillokalisering, hvis vi ikke tog det berygtede "All Your Base Are Belong To Us"-uheld op.

Perhaps one of the first memes, "All your base are belong to us," is actually a translation error from the opening cutscene of the European release of Zero Wing in 1992.

I love this example for two reasons. One, it's just a hilarious relic of internet history. And two, it perfectly highlights the importance of proper translation and localization.

A literal translation was not the right path to take here, with a proper idiomatic translation reading as "we have taken over all of your bases."

Det er ikke nok bare at smide dit spils script ind i et gratis maskinoversættelsesværktøj og kalde det en dag (det er her transcreation og kvalitetssikring kommer ind!).

Localization involves a bit more care. However, the rewards will very much be worth the effort.

The Popularity of Video Games Around The World

Tag ikke bare vores ord for det, lad tallene tale for sig selv. Der er en fantastisk mulighed for at udvide dit spils fællesskab rundt om i verden, med et stort antal spillere, der engagerer sig uden for USA

Just looking at the top countries around the world playing video games, organized by revenue, we already see several different languages, including Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Spanish, Italian:

China is clearly outspending the rest of the world when it comes to video games. That alone should paint the picture that China is a market worth entering if your brand is looking to expand revenue opportunities.

Of course right behind China is the U.S., but just under that are Japan and Germany, and we see Korea and France also within the top 10.

The conclusion is fairly clear with just this one statistic: there are massive revenue opportunities for video games around the world, with multiple languages in the top 10 revenue centers alone.

And these aren't necessarily just one-time buyers. As of August 2017, Valve reported that Steam (the largest PC gaming ecosystem) had a worldwide count of 67 million monthly active users. Meaning, these users will continue to come back to your game time and time again, potentially spending more on in-game transactions and downloadable content.

But, this doesn't just mean that you can ship a game into a new market. That's exactly where localization comes into play.

Why Video Game Localization is So Critical

The benefits of localizing your game can be summed up with one main answer: increased revenue opportunity.

Der er dog endnu mere nuancerede fordele, der gælder for lokalisering af ethvert indhold, men især videospilindhold.

1. Udvid dit publikum

We've already touched on this a bit, but the video game market around the world is huge. And what's equally compelling is that this market is only going to continue to grow.

Som nævnt ovenfor har pc-spil set over 60 millioner månedlige aktive brugere. Men det, der også er vigtigt at erkende, er, at pc-spil ses som det mindste og langsomste marked – kun en stigning på +4,0 % år over år, sammenlignet med en vækst på 45 % for mobilspil.

Så -- hvis det mindste marked har 67 millioner globale, aktive brugere, begynder det oprindelige antal på 2,5 milliarder spillere rundt omkring på alle platforme tilsammen at give en smule mere mening.

2. Introduce New Revenue Streams

I takt med at vi udvider vores publikum, udvider vi selvfølgelig muligheden for nye indtægtsstrømme. Og dreng, lokaliserer en fantastisk måde at maksimere potentialet i dit spil.

NewZoo also reported in 2017 that Asia Pacific reached a revenue of 51.2 billion US dollars, making them the largest gaming market in 2017.

China in particular covers 41% of the video game market revenue worldwide. Gameindustry.biz also noted in 2016 that Europe covered the second-largest revenue generated by both Free-to-Play and Pay-to-Play MMO games, covering 17.8% of the shares worldwide.

3. Adapt to Cultural Expectations

But to effectively expand your audience, and open up new revenue streams, your content must resonate with users. Localizing your game adapts that experience to the cultural expectations and norms for the global audience.

Lokalisering gør det muligt for dit brand at tilpasse dit spil til disse kulturelle forventninger og standarder for at vække genklang og fange spillere.

For example, in Germany, games cannot show any blood or gore, and in China, imagery of skeletons and religious symbols are perceived as insensitive.

The main focus of game localization is to make the game feel culturally relevant. Put simply, anything that makes the game feel as if it wasn't made for that target audience will remove them from the experience.

Videospilslokaliseringsproces i den virkelige verden

World of Warcraft var på et tidspunkt et af, hvis ikke det, største spil, der blev spillet rundt om i verden. Så da udviklerne gik ind på det kinesiske målmarked, var de ekstra omhyggelige med at tilpasse spillet korrekt.

For dem, der ikke er klar over, byder Warcraft-lore på flere fraktioner og løb, som spillere kan vælge imellem, når de opretter deres hovedkarakterer. En af disse racer, der er sat i en fantasiverden af orker og mennesker, er Forsaken, en gruppe intelligente udøde, der har gentaget deres hjemverden.

To highlight the fact that these characters are undead, the player models resemble skeletons, sometimes with bones and skulls visible.

But when adapting WoW for release in the Chinese market, Blizzard worked with a local publisher in China who made the decision to remove any references to skeletons or skulls, an image of bad luck in the target culture.

This meant designing a new model and art for the Forsaken player characters, forgoing the previously mentioned skeleton designs. By adopting the player models, players were not taken aback by what would clearly be a different cultural game design.

WoW offers a great example of video game localization extending beyond just the translation of the text, but also touching on visual and gameplay elements as well.

Og selvom ideen om at skulle oversætte og tilpasse din kode til et nyt målsprog kan lyde som en helt ny hovedpine, kan oversættelsesprocessen forenkles ved at følge internationaliseringens bedste praksis, når du bygger dit spil.

Video Game Localization (Localisation) Is Your Key to Success in New Markets

Localization will enable your game's community to blossom, with players all around the world taking part.

This means entirely new opportunities to grow and evolve your brand's Intellectual Property, explore new ideas, and engage on a global level.

In our next entry, we will discuss the major considerations and planning necessary for your brand for proper game localization, as well as some steps to take in getting started.

Ikke sikker på, hvordan du kommer i gang med din spillokalisering? Bare rolig, vi har dig dækket.

Læs del 2: Lokalisering af videospil: Sådan lokaliserer du dit videospil