From Japan to the world: How to translate a game

appealing to overseas players whose expectations on issues such as sexism are increasingly influencing the content of major titles.

I'm not a gamer myself (I'm an adult), but I bet "oh I wish this game had less sexism!" is a thought exclamation made by no one ever.

I have worked translating games before but thank God it was before wokeism went mainstream, translating a game/movie to overly sensitive audiences (actually only a tiny loud fraction of it) must be suffocating these days.

World: Give us a game that realistically portrays the Yakuza.

Also World: GASP! Racist, sexist, homophoebe!

I just don't think gangsters have been known for their politically correct posture.

Real gamers want more, not less, sexualization. The people complaining are not playing.

If developers pander to the wrong people, they will feel it in their wallets.

JayToday 06:44 am JST

I bet "oh I wish this game had less sexism!" is a thought exclamation made by no one ever.

Apart from female gamers like me and millions of others, at least.

owzerToday 08:54 am JST

Real gamers want more, not less, sexualization.

Same answer as above.

SuzukoToday 10:24 am JST

It is a guy's industry.

Same answer as above.

isabelleToday  11:10 am JST

Apart from female gamers like me and millions of others, at least.

Good to see this kind of comment. I met my fiancé 20 years ago in the video game Star Wars Galaxies and, after a long-distance relationship for 9 years, we've been a couple now for the past 11 years. And we're still gamers. And our phone bills are significantly lower, haha.

But it was through knowing her, and some other women gamers, that opened my eyes to the abuse they go through. I had to play my girlfriend's account sometimes while she was at work in order to help grind for in-game stuff. And, OMG, the constant stream of messages that I would get on her account, most of them vulgar. Yeah, I know all about "guy talk" as I'm a guy, but as a guy I also know that men are the problem.

I had to play my girlfriend's account sometimes while she was at work in order to help grind for in-game stuff.

Men yesterday: I had to survive famines, wars, and the Bubonic Plague.

Men today: I had to play my girlfriend's video game for in-game stuff.

Destin SkyeToday 12:28 pm JST

Good to see this kind of comment.

And thanks for your comment too.

Yes games -- like society in general -- really need to be more inclusive. Unfortunately, in both games and society, there's still a very long way to go.

I'm not a gamer myself (I'm an adult), 

I don't get that "I'm an adult" thing... does being an adult imples your that eye-hand coordinations goes AWOL or that people suffering from this condition (adulting) loose their thumb movment or something???

I tell you this cause I have 46 years old and play games and I know a plethora of people of my age or older that play games on a regular basis. But since we do play, we are not adult?.... at least going by the meaning that I know of we should be.

adult adjective

1. fully grown or developed

behaving in an intelligent and responsible way.

I am not in a gaming industry, but how difficult is it to make different versions of translations/language styles for the very same game and give the user an ability to choose from it?

I am not in a gaming industry, but how difficult is it to make different versions of translations/language styles for the very same game and give the user an ability to choose from it?

Of course it depends on the scale (size) of the game but, talking only about resources it may require an additional 1/4 of the cost for developing the game to change it to one language only.

If the changes are greater, i.e., change a character hairstyle, cloathing, etc., the cost goes up, and additional language also means more money.

Regarding the memory requirements (pc, conosle) that may also mean a heavy tole if you include different languages (and content) for the user to choose from. In this case that will mean that the developer will have to put a lot of information in the game, and the user will have to donwload/install a huge file, but most of that content won't be used cause the region/language the user chose will not require it.

In short, giving the user the option to choose (there have been some games that do that), means increased costs to the developer and the user

I'm not a gamer myself (I'm an adult), 

What does that mean? An adult can not be a gamer?

In what realty?

In what realty?

The one that exists outside of the Metaverse, poindexter!

They are hell bent on sterilizing every culture until there is nothing left of anything resembling a human trait.

They are hell bent on sterilizing every culture until there is nothing left of anything resembling a human trait.

Why are you looking to video games for ‘anything resembling a human trait’?

You know video games started as a block pixel. Where’s your nostalgia coming from?

They should just do what all sensible Japanese studios are being forced to do...use AI to translate accurately and not re-write the dialogue and loading it with the woke agenda, as that group of localizers were exposed doing with anime the other month.

What is wrong with translations? I am more than happy with “Somebody set us up the bomb.” It adds character.

Jay Today 06:44 am JST

I'm not a gamer myself (I'm an adult), but I bet "oh I wish this game had less sexism!" is a thought exclamation made by no one ever.

It is a thought that activists like Anita “I’m not a fan of video games” Sarkeesian ( https://youtu.be/-5N5b5WDaYE ) has had, a woman who is on record as saying “Everything is sexist. Everything is racist. Everything is homophobic. And you have to point it all out.” It is from this position that activists non-gamers like Sarkessian get to offer one-sided “penetrating” analyses of what they perceive to be “sexism” in video games, such as how the depiction of Catwoman is sexist because she does not have a cape like Superman or Batman ( https://youtu.be/ujTufg1GvR4 ). Games like Green Lantern evidently did not exist in her timeline ( https://youtu.be/Osko13AiBIQ ). I just think of such activists as the “women should not be viewed or depicted as sexy” squad.

GenHXZ Today 04:32 pm JST

They are hell bent on sterilizing every culture until there is nothing left of anything resembling a human trait.

This. Humanity as a collection of indistinguishable units. A black and white box of Fruit Rings is just the same as Fruit Loops © after all right? To continue to support Toucan Sam is a form of Speciesism and is an affront to millions of tropical birds. And you just know that the line “follow the nose, it always knows!” is an Anti-Semitic dog whistle.

GenHXZToday 04:32 pm JST

They are hell bent on sterilizing every culture until there is nothing left of anything resembling a human trait.

Who is "they" exactly?

jeffyToday 06:29 pm JST

This. Humanity as a collection of indistinguishable units.

Or "humanity where everyone is respected and no-one is belittled or bullied."

You don't need to make everything indistinguishable to not be insulting. Just don't be insulting.

If you have a good game design, you don't need to resort to sexist tropes. Though, judging by the comments here, it seems that that's what at least some of the public wants.

isabelle Today 07:38 pm JST

sexist tropes … that's what at least some of the public wants.

Or, “sexually arousing imagery … that’s what at least some of the public wants.”

But that is OK right? If the desired utopia is a society where nobody should be belittled or bullied, what is the problem with a man playing video games that feature a barely clothed computer generated woman with unrealistically sized breasts? Is there any problem with a woman who has a poster which features half naked firemen and erotic romance novels on her night stand with a long haired shirtless man riding a horse on the cover? If the particular game isn’t in the activist’s taste, why should that sensibility dictate what others must enjoy? Let game developers make what they want to make and let the market decide naturally.

jeffyToday 09:04 pm JST

Let game developers make what they want to make and let the market decide naturally.

Developers still can, and they no doubt will. But what "the market" is increasingly saying is that portrayals of women are outdated, which is (in part) what the article talks about.

If a developer wishes to make a game about scantily-clad, big-breasted females they can, and some people evidently still want that, but increasing amounts of people don't, as such portrayals don't appeal to them.

And developers -- even if they don't care about inclusivity -- would be foolish to limit their market by doing so. As I say above, there's no "need" for sexist tropes. And there is increasingly less of business case for them too, meaning that, in the end "the market" will indeed decide, as you say.

isabelle Today 10:32 pm JST

Developers still can, and they no doubt will. But what "the market" is increasingly saying is that portrayals of women are outdated, which is (in part) what the article talks about.

Actually what I read in the article is,

One key example is "how Japanese game developers dress their heroines" as the #MeToo movement changes mindsets, said Franck Genty, senior localization manager at Japanese game giant Bandai Namco.

"We tell them that the cleavage is a bit too exposed, or the skirt is a bit too short," he told AFP. "Before, they weren't very flexible, but they've become more proactive on such subjects."

…

Masayoshi Yokoyama, the series' executive producer, told AFP. "We ask our teams in the United States and Europe to read the game's script, and they tell us if they see things that wouldn't be acceptable in their country."

See the difference? Japanese game developers at Bandai Namco were making the games one way, then localization teams in other countries started telling the developers to make changes based on what they claim were local sensibilities. So it is not a case of developers making the game they wish, but others imposing on them what to make. And so it is interesting to see how AP’s story is covered elsewhere:

Fans have been concerned about how activist localizers could encourage censorship in games being brought westward, but rarely have they [=localizers] spoken so brazenly about it.

— https://nichegamer.com/localizers-admit-to-proactively-censoring-games-for-western-audiences/

Sega’s official social media got an overwhelming amount of negative criticism after linking an article confirming their games are censored based on western localizers.

The official Sega Twitter account linked to an article which confirmed the executive producer for the Like a Dragon series asked their western team to “read their game scripts and tell them what isn’t acceptable.”

…

Examples like these are why many despise western localizers, because certain sects in the west are obsessed with political correctness and are hellbent on curating the content of adults, telling them what they can and cannot enjoy, and explaining that certain content is “offensive” and must be changed.

— https://nichegamer.com/official-sega-account-criticized-for-questionable-localization-methods/

Let’s be frank: There is something fundamentally broken in an artistic medium when those in charge of its shepherding it have begun to proudly censor – and boast about censoring – a given artist’s personal work.

Sadly, such is the case for the medium of video games, as the localizers responsible for bringing Bandai Namco’s Japanese titles to the Western world, puritanical censorship of said works – particularly any ‘sexy’ female designs therein – has become not just common, but the industry norm.

— https://boundingintocomics.com/2024/01/26/bandai-namco-localization-teams-admit-they-order-japanese-video-game-devs-to-censor-their-female-character-designs-we-tell-them-that-the-cleavage-is-a-bit-too-exposed-or-the-skirt-is-a-bit-too-sho/

So it is not a situation of the market deciding. The overwhelming negative responses to Sega on Twitter when they referenced the localization article are far better indicators of what the market desires ( https://twitter.com/SEGA_OFFICIAL/status/1751414554779881713 ). So it is a case of agendas being pushed into a product “for modern audiences” just like is being done with movies and television shows. It is inorganic and inauthentic and more people are waking up to it everyday. It is social engineering, such as persons like Larry Fink of BlackRock are wont to do ( https://youtu.be/KwwN5kwjAtQ ).

Whatever the local developers do, it can't be worse than what the USA does to British comedies when it remakes them.

Often altering things for a local audience is done with the best intentions, but actually ruins what was good about it in the first place. People do like to have the full experience rather than one that has been messed around with to make it seem less foreign.

However, if the language and attitudes would be deemed highly offensive in the country you are selling to, then it is probably right to change it.

isabelle

Jan. 29  07:38 pm JST

Who is "they" exactly?

simple… Cultural Marcsists

jeffyToday 01:05 am JST

So it is not a case of developers making the game they wish, but others imposing on them what to make.

The company (developers) is making the game it wishes to make (the localizers are still part of the developers), taking into account local tastes. Again, it's what "the market" dictates, and markets differ across the world.

Other companies can and do make more sexist games, and if an individual artist or programmer at Bandai Namco (or anywhere else) is disgruntled as they can't draw big breasts anymore, they can move to a company that aligns more with their values. There are plenty of them: hentai games are still a thing, for example.

I'm not a radical feminist that wants to ban the portrayal of breasts or anything. My point is that if you have a good game, you don't need the sexism, and you are limiting your market if you do this. So why do it?

isabelle Today 09:36 am JST

So why do it?

For the reason you yourself said:

isabelle Jan. 29 07:38 pm JST

that's what at least some of the public wants.

This video from YouTuber Dimitri Monroe, someone who self identifies as an LGBQ, etc. individual, can explain in more detail than I can here: https://youtu.be/8aaFxPFRP1M.

Essentially Monroe’s argument is that what is presented as the “Global Standard” is actually social activism that is being encouraged by investment groups like BlackRock. This analysis agrees with my own assessment. It is therefore not what the market is organically dictating as you maintain, but social activism attempting to “force change” to use Larry Fink’s own words. Numerous examples of how social activists are going beyond simply adapting games to local markets may be found here:

https://nichegamer.com/8-years-awful-localizations-games-anime/

And as if to address your argument about “limiting one’s market,” Monroe’s video notes:

The Western thesis for creation is that every piece of media is for everyone, often resulting in the same bland, infinitely repeatable result, hitting all the same bullet points and current trends. Japan on the other hand focuses its creation. Not everything is for everyone, but there is, if you go looking, something for everyone.

— 18:46–19:11

This is the situation that I and many others find desirable: a diversity of content for a diversity of peoples. That is where true diversity is to be found. “Different folks, different strokes.” But those who push the “Global Standard” are doing so to force people into an inorganic conformity in line with globalist social engineering plans. I’m sorry, but that can in no way be considered “diversity.”

jeffyToday 01:22 pm JST

Essentially Monroe’s argument is that what is presented as the “Global Standard” is actually social activism that is being encouraged by investment groups like BlackRock.

I can assure you that I am not being "encouraged by investment groups like BlackRock", though I obviously can't vouch for the entire rest of the world. And there isn't, to me, a "global standard": as I say above, different markets differ in what they do/don't want.

I am speaking as a human - plain and simple - and if there are others like me (which there no doubt are), this will "organically dictate the market."

You may think it's all a big conspiracy (and there may be some huge BlackRock-driven plot going on in the world, which I'm not privy to) but I can assure you that it's, at the very least, not all driven by this, as there are normal people like me involved too.

For the reason you yourself said:

Fine, but as I said, the developer is limiting their market by doing so. Companies make decisions on business cases and, in the case of Bandai Namco here, they take the market into consideration. If companies want to make games about breasts they can do, but they will no doubt see their sales gradually decrease. Whether that's acceptable or not is up to the company.

We're clearly of very different viewpoints, but your posts have been interesting to me. Learning that some people think it's all a big conspiracy has been new knowledge for me, so thank you for that - even though we will no doubt continue to disagree.

isabelle Today 03:07 pm JST

even though we will no doubt continue to disagree

Well if your views were changed so quickly I would be quite surprised. I would not expect anyone to agree with me so hastily. But if more people could be respectful while disagreeing as you do here, we would all be in so much better shape.