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Article published In: The Journal of Internationalization and Localization
Vol. 5:1 (2018) ► pp.74–93

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Creativity and playability in the localisation of video games

 | University of Roehampton
Published online: 10 August 2018
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https://doi.org/10.1075/jial.00011.ber
Abstract
Creativity is one of the most highly debated topics in translation not only because of how it relates to authorship but also because of the unavoidable cultural ramifications and the business implications for all the parties involved. Identifying the parameters within which creative translation operates in entertainment media requires a complex process that comprises a large amount of variables beyond the linguistic ones. Semiotics is suggested as a robust analytical tool to study the layering of meaning-making in entertainment products, in other words, their polysemioticity. Multimedia interactive entertainment software (MIES), a. k. a. video games, adds levels of complexity never seen before in translation due to their functional requirements. In order to identify the features that separate other entertainment products from MIES, this article analyses also the translation of novels, comics and films. The concept of playability is utilised as a way of isolating the pragmatic challenges of video game localisation.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The translation of creative products
  • 3.Playability in video game localisation
  • 4.Conclusion
  • References
  • Ludography
References (62)
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Ludography
Animal Crossing (Nintendo 2001-present)Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
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Pokémon (Nintendo 1996-present)Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Scribblenauts (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment 2009-present)Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
SingStar (Sony Computer Entertainment 2004-present)Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
The Bard’s Tale (InXile Entertainment 2004)Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt 2015)Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tomb Raider (Square Enix 1996-present)Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wolfenstein: The New Order (Bethesda Softworks 2014)Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
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2020. Key Concepts in Game Localisation Quality. In The Palgrave Handbook of Audiovisual Translation and Media Accessibility [Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting, ], ► pp. 297 ff. DOI logo
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2019. Pandemic, localization and change of guard. The Journal of Internationalization and Localization 6:2 ► pp. 69 ff. DOI logo

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