It appears that only people in the business of translation or creating content for broader audiences truly understand how vital the localization process is. Others had to learn it the hard way – and it’s a common nightmare for new developers!
Continuing our journey through the Witcher’s many locations and accent choices, we arrive in the warm, sunny region of Toussaint.
Many video game developing companies have an accessibility team or hire accessibility consultants, and since 2017, the yearly Game Accessibility Conference has taken place. In this event hosted by the International Game Developers Association Accessibility SIG, game developers, accessibility specialists, gamers with disabilities and many more gather and discuss how to implement accessibility across all sectors of the game industry.
The first article focused on the translation obstacles on the path to localization paradise. Taking center stage in parts two and three of our feature on the Witcher are accents – and wow, what an array there was in the English version.
In our first article we delved into the meaning of the fictional pact and how it works for video games in terms of images, sounds, UX/UI, among others. These are the fundamental factors that allow players to connect with games and enjoy them. But what’s the deal with the (invisible) elephant in the room: idiomatic localization and culturalization?
The 15th anniversary of The Witcher series’ video game debut is upon us! The adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series was first released in-game format on the PC/Mac in 2007, which was followed up by a sequel in 2011, before the critically acclaimed The Witcher 3 was released in 2017 across most gaming platforms, and, owing to the popularity of all things Witcher, the third installment was localized into 15 different languages – including Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Russian!
The importance of the fictional pact for any multimedia project is well known in today’s world. The concept of plausibility is not foreign to us: in order to emotionally connect with a story it should comply with that fictional world’s pre-established norms.
Analysis of the current status of video game development in Argentina and the surrounding region with a look at the future based on the conclusions from the EVA (Argentina Video Games Expo).
The topic of women and other non-binary groups has long been known and discussed. This topic is discussed regarding not just how their likenesses are represented in video games but also in their industry presence.