Video game development features and assessment of their impact on localization

Abstract

The problem of inconsistency of the scenario and other soft - and hardware aspects of various digital entertainment products is becoming more and more popular among the scholars from various scientific areas. The main aim of this paper is analyzing the localization issues of mass-media products as well as videogame localization. The quality of an in-game experience of a localized videogame depends on a variety of factors and the most significant of them are the so-called gameplay issues. Under the term “gameplay issues” gamers and researchers often understand the features of videogame development. Facing these features could trigger different emotional reactions among the players. As a material for this paper several in-game textual materials have been chosen, viz.: Final Fantasy Chrystal Chronicles, Spider-Man and GTA: San Andreas. As the research has shown, the most usable and suitable technique for neutralizing the negative influence to the gamers caused by gameplay issues is the correction of the videogame scenario. Thus developers and localization specialists can minimize all negative influence in a fast and cheap way. However, scenario correction is not the only technique used during the development and localization processes of a videogame’s lifecycle. Here could also be mentioned another way to avoid negative emotional reactions: intersemiotical transferring. By using the toolkit of 3D visualization software a wide variety of gameplay issues could be neutralized. This technique shows itself at its best when it comes to censorship issues. In conclusion, several ways of neutralizing the negative effect of the gameplay issues have been discovered and formulated. The materials and examples mentioned in this paper could be applied in the industrial practice of the digital media localization specialists as well as used by beginners in the field of localization. Moreover, this paper could be of help to students looking for scientific information about the highly specialized translation practices.

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