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

Creativity and playability in the localisation of video games

| University of Roehampton
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.
Keywords: creativity, playability, translation, game localisation, co-creation, shared-authorship
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The translation of creative products
  • 3.Playability in video game localisation
  • 4.Conclusion
  • References
  • Ludography
Published online: 10 August 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jial.00011.ber
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Ludography
Animal Crossing (Nintendo 2001-present)Google Scholar
Assassin’s Creed: Unity (Ubisoft 2014)Google Scholar
Batman Arkham City (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment 2011)Google Scholar
Buzz! (Relentless Software 2005–2010)Google Scholar
Dance Central (Harmonix 2010–2014)Google Scholar
Diablo III (Blizzard 2012-present)Google Scholar
Gran Turismo (Sony Interactive Entertainment 1997-present)Google Scholar
Hearthstone (2014-present)Google Scholar
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge (LucasArts 1991)Google Scholar
Overwatch (Blizzard 2016-present)Google Scholar
Pokémon (Nintendo 1996-present)Google Scholar
Scribblenauts (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment 2009-present)Google Scholar
SingStar (Sony Computer Entertainment 2004-present)Google Scholar
The Bard’s Tale (InXile Entertainment 2004)Google Scholar
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt 2015)Google Scholar
Tomb Raider (Square Enix 1996-present)Google Scholar
Wolfenstein: The New Order (Bethesda Softworks 2014)Google Scholar
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