Creating Cross-cultural Appeal in Digital Games: Issues in Localization and User Testing

1. Creating Cross-cultural Appeal in Digital Games: Issues in Localization and User Testing Alex Thayer, Quan Zhou, Eliana Medina, Elisabeth Cuddihy, Mark Chen, Beth Kolko Presented at STC annual conference 2005, Seattle

2. An Overview of Digital Games, Globalization & Localization Alex Thayer, M.S.T.C.

3. Definition of Terms • What does the term “digital game” include? • Computer games (Half Life, EverQuest, Solitaire) • Console games (PS2, Xbox, GameCube games) • Arcade games, mobile device games, and more • What is the difference between “productivity” applications and digital games? • Productivity applications (Word, Excel, Photoshop, etc.) facilitate work; digital gaming applications facilitate play • Although some overlap is possible, work and play are two discrete types of computer-based activity

4. General Relevance of the Research • Games are a multibillion dollar industry: • Over $10 billion in the US by some estimates • The world market is even larger • Companies are eager to market to multiple countries in order to recoup development expenses • Game interfaces can inform the interface design of productivity applications: • Human-computer interaction researchers and interface designers are looking at games • Game developers have produced creative solutions to several UI design challenges

5. Relevance of Research to Technical Communication • TC practitioners have a wealth of relevant professional experience: • We know how to perform many tasks during the localization process • We bring cross-cultural awareness to a project • We understand complex ideas about users and audiences • TC practitioners can learn from game documentation: • Some game manuals have won competitions • Some games have integrated systems that offer innovative ideas for context-sensitive Help

6. Definitions of Translation, Globalization, and Localization • Translation: straightforward language conversion • Globalization: one product fits nearly all • Localization: altering a product so it suits a specific country or region • Goes beyond translation • Often deals with UI issues • Requires significant time and resources

7. Overview of Localization Process for Productivity Applications • The user interface must be changed: • Icons may or may not need to be redrawn • Menu and message text must be translated • Documentation must also be translated • Cultural stereotypes must be removed: • Colloquialisms, slang, and potentially offensive terms and images must be changed

8. Localization: How is the process different for digital games?

9. Overview of Localization Process for Digital Games • User interface • Stereotypes • Storyline or narrative • Ratings, violence, and the issue of local law

10. UI and Stereotypes in Digital Games • The user interface must be changed: • Icons may or may not need to be redrawn • Menu and message text must be translated • Documentation must also be translated • Cultural stereotypes must be removed: • Gender, race, and other game design factors require close examination • Heroes/enemies might need realignment

11. Storyline and Violence in Digital Games • The storyline might need some revision: • The application defines the user’s goals • Certain types of narratives or settings are not necessarily appropriate for certain cultures • The game rating is an important factor in certain countries: • Germany and South Korea have more stringent rules on violence • The EU has adopted a general rating system • Plan for green blood and robots!

12. Digital Game Localization: Three Levels of Cost and Time Required • Basic localization: • The game retains its original GUI and icons, leaving only the text to be translated • Complex localization: • The GUI and icons must be translated along with the text • Blending: • The narrative is rewritten and the graphics are recreated to match the interests of a different culture • The UI and icons might be changed or they might remain the same

13. Basic Digital Game Localization: A Bad Example • Avoid the “all your base” syndrome: • Good text translation makes a difference

14. Basic Digital Game Localization: A Better Example • Final Fantasy: • The story holds the appeal; players are willing to learn the game as they play it

15. Complex Digital Game Localization: A Good Example • Crash Bandicoot: • The Japanese press predicted failure… • …900,000 copies sold, spawning a few successful sequels

16. Complex Digital Game Localization: A Few More Good Examples • Sierra had to alter Half Life for audiences around the world: • Robots replaced human enemies • Blood changed from red to green • Gamers bought it anyway, despite age restrictions and less violent content • The list of successful international games is quite long (Starcraft, Age of Empires, etc.)

17. Digital Game Blending: A Good Example • Legend of Darkness is a Korean game: • The developers redesigned the story and gameplay for a US audience: • More emphasis on role-playing, politics, and religion • Added elements of “Gaelic and Lovecraftian horror” • The result (Dark Ages) remains successful in the US • However, not all games are suitable for blending: • The appeal of the Harry Potter series is in the original storyline and characters • The same is true of sports, movie-based, and other literature-based titles

18. Digital Games Localization Model and a Case Study in China Quan Zhou (Chwen Joe), TC Ph.D. student

19. Game Localization: Unique Characteristics of Games • Three Aspects of Digital Games to Consider: • Games are a cultural product, and they are influenced by the cultural background of the designers. • The external environment of games is unique (to the entertainment sector). • Digital games’ target audience is unique (to the entertainment sector). • Digital game localization relates to various characteristics, both inside the game, and out in the real (non-game) world.

20. A Three Dimensional Approach • Dimension 1: In-Game Environment: includes factors embedded in the game and that are developed during game design. • Dimension 2: External Environment:includesexternal factors such as social issues, political issues, legal issues, ideological issues. • Dimension 3: Users:includescultural background of players, conventions, game-playing contexts, attitudes and habits towards games, the role of games in everyday life.

21. Digital Games in China • China's online gaming industry: sales revenue of 1.3 billion Yuan (about 157 million US dollars) in 2003; more than 13.8 million online players • In 2003, online game software development plan written into "863 High-Tech Program" • “Koreanization”: More than 70% digital games in China from South Korea. • Top 10 game ranking: 80% Asian games, 50% Korean games, few western countries, U.S. being the only one on the list this week. (World of Warcraft).

22. Case Studies • Less popular and failed games in China • Successful games in China • EverQuest case • Localization issues beyond China

23. Project IGI2: Covert Strike • Game produced by Norway-based Innerloop Studios AS • “intentionally blackening China and the Chinese army's image as a freelance mercenary fights in the game across three linked campaigns in the former Soviet Union, Libya and China, where he steals intelligence and conducts sabotage in China and shoots at China's soldiers while China's national flag and signs like "China Aviation" pop up frequently”

24. Soccer Manager 2005 • “Contained content that harmed China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and violated Chinese law (MSNBC). Any Web site that offered downloads of the game would be fined up to 10,000 Yuan ($1,210)”

25. Hearts of Iron II • Swedish-made computer game • Banned in China for "distorting history and damaging China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the Ministry of Culture (MOC). • Claimed to “severely distort historical facts and violate China's gaming and Internet service regulations.” • “"Manchuria", "West Xinjiang", and "Tibet" appeared as independent sovereign countries in the maps of the game.” • Included Taiwan as the territory of Japan at the beginning of the game.

26. Command and Conquer Generals: Zero Hour Expansion • Game produced by Electronic Arts (EA) • Banned in 2003 for "smearing the image of China and the Chinese army," according to the state news agency. • 50 other games banned: pirate copies, “negative influence” on young people, pornography

27. Successful Games: Lineage, Ro • Korean games

28. Corum (Korean)

29. World of Warcraft • U.S. game • No. 1 this week

30. EverQuest vs. Mu • EverQuest ranks high in the Western digital market for MMORPGs; the top two digital games in the Chinese market are Lineage and Mu with 2 million and 5 million subscribers each. • EverQuest was initially not on the TOP 10 list • Improved EverQuestII: oriental/Asian version

31. EverQuest oriental version EverQuest western original

32. Localization Evolution: EverQuest US vs. Asia

33. Localization Evolution

34. Localization Evolution

35. Beyond China • U.S.A. • The governor of Washington state recently signed a bill “that bans the sale of certain violent video games to minors”; video games that contain a specific type of violence • News Tribune reports that House Bill 1009 makes it a civil violation to sell or rent to youths under age 17 video games that graphically depict violence against law enforcement officers; fine up to $500.

36. Beyond China • Europe • Similar bans on violence in Greece and Germany:Return to Castle Wolfenstein caused Germany's government to call for the removal of Nazi characters from the game. Activision's homepage with a warning. • Australia

37. Localization of Games • Three-dimension approach reflected through the examined facts. • Not at the end, but at the beginning

38. Engagement & Motivation • Mark Chen, PhD student in Education • Elisabeth Cuddihy, PhD student in TC • Eliana Medina, PhD student in Education

39. Modeling Engagement • What are the aspects that make a game engaging? • Engagement: The psychological state caused by strong focus of attention in which one is drawn into the game. • Our working model of engagement draws upon: • Flow Theory (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi) • Flow: The state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter & they are highly motivated • Presence Theory (Virtual Reality research) • Presence: The sense of being inside a virtual reality. • Narrative theory from film & drama, social computing, emerging theories from games research.

40. Engagement Model for Digital Gaming Interface Usability Interface Fidelity Personal Identification Engagement Attention, Task Performance, & Motivation PersonalInterest Social Relationships

41. Interface Usability Interface Fidelity Personal Identification Engagement Attention, Task Performance, & Motivation PersonalInterest Social Relationships • Interface Usability • How do the hardware & software UI affect engagement during game play? • Good system responsiveness • Appropriate & effective choice of • hardware and software user interface • Predictable interaction via the user • interface (hardware/software)

42. System Responsiveness & Appropriate UI • Will gaming input devices work on target platform? • Will the target game platform have enough memory if translated text is larger in size? • Does the game engine have full support for 16-bit UNICODE fonts?

43. Predictable UI Interaction Some things to check: • Do the icons use metaphors that require cultural knowledge to understand and may be misunderstood? • Metaphors from western fairy tales (e.g., Warcraft III’s hex spell uses a frog icon) • Is the color symbolism meaningful or counter-intuitive for the target culture?

44. Interface Usability Interface Fidelity Personal Identification Engagement Attention, Task Performance, & Motivation PersonalInterest Social Relationships • Interface Fidelity • What is the quality of the audio, graphs, and animation/video? • Can be understood by the players • Can be enjoyed by the players • Does not detract from game play

45. Moderators of Interface Fidelity Inaudible voices, unfamiliar accents Jittery video or animation Poor or distorted audio Text/graphics do not fit on screen Distraction Clearly audible voices Interface Fidelity Smooth graphics Subtitles Readable fonts, clear graphics Key: Reinforcement

46. Interface Usability Interface Fidelity Personal Identification Engagement Attention, Task Performance, & Motivation PersonalInterest Social Relationships • Personal Identification • Is the player able to identify with the games rules, customs, & world? • Able to project oneself into the game • Able to accept the game world as real • while playing

47. Indentification with Game World • Does the game world help or hinder a player’s ability to project oneself into the game? • Is the environment culturally accepted? Culturally understandable? • Levels of sex and violence • Selection of music and graphics • Costumes and character (avatar) appearance • References to religion, mythology, and pop-culture • Consider using cultural notes (popular in manga and anime)

48. Interface Usability Interface Fidelity Personal Identification Engagement Attention, Task Performance, & Motivation PersonalInterest Social Relationships • Attention, Task Performance & Motivation • What elements in the game could distract the player’s attention, or affect task performance and motivation? • Discrepancy between the player’s knowledge and the information presented in the game • Difficulty in understanding the translated version of the game • Deficient character voice-over

49. Moderators of Attention, T.P., & Motivation Geopolitical Conflict Religious Conflict Voice Over deficiency Difficulty with Translation Distraction Challenge/Skills Attention, Task Performance & Motivation Specific Goals Control Clear Feedback Key: Reinforcement

50. Geopolitical Conflict Mazinger Z saves Venezuela Rainbow six 3: raven shield Tropico Ghost recon: island thunder