new challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

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New Challenges in New Challenges in Interactive Media Interactive Media Localization Projects Localization Projects Víctor Alonso Lion Víctor Alonso Lion @valion valion Localization Localization Consultant Consultant New Challenges in Interactive Media Localization Projects The purpose of this talk is to try to explain the changes localization is I International Conference on Video Game and Virtual Worlds Translation and Accessibility Faculty of Translation and Interpreting UniversitatAutònomade Barcelona changes localization is living nowadays. We are in an environment of continuous change. And these changes are definitely going to continue with, in addition, an exponential increase of changing speed.

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How are globalization, technology and the rise of social networks and virtual communities affecting interactive media localization projects? Globalization and the increased access to new technology have opened new opportunities but also bring quite a few new challenges.The game localization process cannot be considered at the end of the game production cycle anymore. Code and content internationalization has to be considered since the very beginning of the design process. Awareness of international requirements needs to be present at an early stage of the game creation.Of course localization approaches vary depending on the specific needs and the global ambition of the developer. New online project management and collaboration tools, combined with an easier outsourcing, makes the creation of global teams possible for companies of all sizes. Many of the tasks that big developers could only perform in-house, now can be taken care by all types of external vendors. Cloud computing and virtualization is an important enabler of this trend.The amount of content that needs to be localized has increased significantly. Developers and distributors need to consider alternative approaches for different types of content. Wikis, Forums and online Guides can now be managed by the players themselves. Those who consider Crowdsourcing as a cost saving approach are failing, while those who enable fan participation and use this approach to create a sense of community are creating solid networks of contributors and buyers.An easier access to international markets also brings new challenges. A direct translation is not valid anymore to engage costumers. Players need to feel they are taken into consideration in the games they chose to play. Culturalization checks are now crucial, not because of legislation, but because a crowd of game players is scrutinizing every single detail. Localizers and developers have to work together in order to produce a set of products that will please the different markets. Localizers need to be proactive and propose changes, while developers need to code with a conscience that their game will need local adaptations.The session will explore the mentioned topics and trends and will provide guidance on what works and what doesn’t. The reasons why a new global, community driven, and locally adapted mindset is necessary to succeed in such a competitive industry will be analyzed.

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

New Challenges in New Challenges in

Interactive Media Interactive Media

Localization Projects Localization Projects

Víctor Alonso Lion Víctor Alonso Lion @@valionvalion

LocalizationLocalization ConsultantConsultant

New Challenges in

Interactive Media

Localization Projects

The purpose of this talk is

to try to explain the

changes localization is Localization Projects Localization Projects

I International Conference on Video Game and Virtual Worlds Translation and

Accessibility

Faculty of Translation and InterpretingUniversitat Autònoma de Barcelona

changes localization is

living nowadays.

We are in an environment

of continuous change.

And these changes are

definitely going to continue

with, in addition, an

exponential increase of

changing speed.

Page 2: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

These changes are in fact, at

least I understand it this way,

a great opportunity to those

willing to reconsider their

processes, those ready to

reconsider what is “the right

way” of doing things today,

and those who are open to

check new ideas and check new ideas and

transform them in new

opportunities.

Those who are open to press

the reset button from time to

time are the ones that will

adapt the better to all

changes.

Page 3: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

I strongly believe that

interactive media and new

media localization is the

part of our industry that has

the most potential to enable

research, and change.

This due to the fact that

Interactive Media and Video

Games in particular offer a

framework which is at all

times at the edge of new

technology.

Interactive Media content

localizers could be the ones

that will lead the

“localization revolution”.

Page 4: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

So what is going on in our

environment?

What is exactly this strange

ecosystem we are working in

today in new media today in new media

localization?

We will first try to describe this

Ecosystem and a few of the

enablers or facilitators of this

change.

Page 5: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Enabler # 1: Global Playground

It is of course no news

anymore that we live in a

global world.

Interactions come and go in

seconds from Beijing to San

Francisco, from Berlin to

Barcelona, or Singapore to

Dublin,Dublin,

This is of course a general

trend in all content related

industries, nothing

specifically particular for

localization professionals or

professionals working on

interactive media.

Still it is radical change

important to note.

Page 6: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Increased access to new technology Enabler # 2: Global

Increase of technological

access

And we are only at the

beginning of this. A second

enabler we can mention

which is going to facilitate

this "revolution": The raise

of broadband connectivity

will definitively give access will definitively give access

and open collaboration

channels to millions we do

not even consider today.

This will bring not only

significant content

changes, but also new

competition in all areas.

Page 7: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Enabler # 3 (1): Social Media Landscape:

We have given ourselves (developers by creating it and users by adopting it) a layer of

worldwide interactions: social media. We can see this as simply a layer of new

communication channels.

Videogames, social games and Virtual worlds play a crucial part in all this.

Page 8: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Enabler # 3 (2): Social Media Landscape:

Interactions are not preprogrammed (they can be designed however), and can be triggered by the

community itself.

In addition, a new layer is coming. It's basically a gaming layer (ref. Jesse Schell : Carnegie Mellon’s

Entertainment Technology Center); or as I prefer to call it, an "interactive layer". This new upcoming layer

is here to stay and will influence many other areas. I believe education and eLearning will be the first ones

to join “this game”.

Page 9: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

The challenges

Page 10: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

CHALLENGE CHALLENGE --11--

Page 11: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Challenge #1: Preparation

Localization cannot be an

afterthought: “Got my

English/Japanese stuff and

now let's try to sell this

somewhere else. Lets make it

French, Spanish .... Germany

is a pretty big market too... “

The bad news is that you will

not make it on time anymore. not make it on time anymore.

Costumers do not really wait,

and the most common

situation today is that a new

thing will come out while you

are working on making your

media international and you

will lose you buzz timeframe

for making your project a

success.

Page 12: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Concept DesignPre-

ProductionProduction

Post-

ProductionLaunch

GAME DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Localizers and developers have to work together in order to produce a set of products that

will please the different markets. Localizers need to be proactive and propose changes,

while developers need to code with a conscience that their game will need local

adaptations.

As mentioned Code and content internationalization has to be considered since the very

beginning. Awareness of international requirements needs to be present at an early stage

of the game creation in order to facilitate a smooth internationalization process.

Production Production

Localization Testing

Localization related Engineering & Technical

Procurement Internationalization

International

Launch

INTERNATIONALIZATION AND LOCALIZATION PROCESS

Page 13: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

CHALLENGE CHALLENGE --22--

Page 14: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Challenge #2: Flexibility

Not many projects come as a big bunch

of files that you have to deal with and

organize the translation from there.

Your process has to be ready for

working in iterations.

If you allow the project management

analogy, no waterfall project will work,

but an agile approach will suit the

process better.

© Disney

You have to be ready to process your

files on a batch basis.

Still of course, it is crucial to offer a solid

ground: process to handle style,

glossaries, etc...

No matter if you are a freelance

translator, a team, or a company.

Your structure and way of working has

to be flexible.

Page 15: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

CHALLENGE CHALLENGE --33--

Page 16: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Challenge #3: No static content

This is the most important trend we

have seen lately.

Games can be internationalized and

even ready for localization, with even

an early involvement of localization

teams (no matter if internal or

external); the new challenge of

continues change is here.continues change is here.

Not even AAAs with years of previous

development are static anymore.

NextGen consoles allow for DLC

content.

And we are not talking only about

MMOs who by themselves are really

virtual worlds....

Those changes evolve and create

new content everyday.

Page 17: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

CHALLENGE CHALLENGE --44--

Page 18: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Challenge #4: Community

owned content

But how is this interactive

media changing? The

community is starting to have

influence in the content:

Source and Translation.

Do you know what is the 2nd

biggest wiki in the world? WOW

wiki, just after wikipedia, with 80k

articles (June 2010) Which is kind articles (June 2010) Which is kind

of amazing . Think of it. People

creating content and more

content on information of a world

that is not real .

Community owns the content

today. Not the technicians.

Community owns the content

but is even influencing the

way we localize it.

The input of the final user reaches much easily the clients,

the developers. The community somehow decides what the

next expansion will look like, what developers will create,

what kind of characters are more popular and which ones

will not be attractive. This input comes from this social

network layer we have created ( and we all have somehow

created it: even if only by our participation).

Page 19: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

CHALLENGE CHALLENGE --55--

Page 20: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Challenge #5: Massive content

In the early days of interactive media,

there was not much content to localize.

The idea of a game was that a game

needed to be simple and global since its

more basic design. You needed to please

everybody with a few basic concepts.

The amount of content that needs to be

localized has increased significantly.

Developers and distributors need to Developers and distributors need to

consider alternative approaches for

different types of content. Wikis, forums

and online guides can even be managed

by the players themselves. But those who

consider Crowdsourcing as a cost saving

approach, are failing. Those who enable

fan participation and use this approach to

create a sense of community are creating

solid networks of contributors and buyers.

Images copyright:

Lego©

Microsoft ©

CDC Games©

NetGame ©

Blizzard©

CCP Games©

Page 21: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

CONTENT CONTENT

isis whatwhat WE CARE ABOUTWE CARE ABOUT

•• Big Big RPGsRPGs and and MMOsMMOs

+ 1 + 1 MioMio. . WordsWords

•• AAA AAA GameGame

AboutAbout 500k 500k wordswords toto translatetranslate

300k 300k wordswords toto dubdub. .

•• Basic Basic gamesgames

No l10nNo l10n

•• Social Social gamesgames

1k 1k wordswords

300k 300k wordswords toto dubdub. . (20 (20 blockbusterblockbuster moviesmovies).).

50 50 dubbingdubbing actorsactors per per languagelanguage(250 (250 studiostudio hourshours))

Page 22: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

CHALLENGE CHALLENGE --66--

Page 23: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Challenge #6: Security

In the past, to secure the

assets trusted by the client

you had or had to have a

locked room, or to heavily trust

your external and internal

team.

There were unavoidable licks There were unavoidable licks

in security. This forced many

developers to bring production

in-house, with all the cost that

generated by having a

complete international

localization team internally.

Page 24: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Today technology has brought us what we were strongly looking for... virtualization. Today

we can ensure files will never ever go out of our network and still enable an external

collaborator to access them with the rights we need to give them.

Basically, with virtualization you can ensure no assets, tools, content ever, never, leaves

your server. Being able to work with this technology will increase your chances of clients

trusting you their content assets.

Page 25: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

CHALLENGE CHALLENGE --77--

Page 26: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Challenge #7: Collaboration

You need to have buddies. You won’t

be able to do it alone.

Massive content leads to

increased process control.

You will need to share glossaries,

discuss terminology and share your

style guides. style guides.

Collaboration tools like wikis,

discussion forums, tools to share

files are absolutely mandatory

nowadays.

And if your clients are still not using

these tools at the moment... they will.

Page 27: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

CHALLENGE CHALLENGE --88--

Page 28: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Challenge #8: Technology

One important thing I say to people that wants

to enter the loc field is... you need to be up to

date on technology, you need to be friends

with it.

Technology is your essential everyday tool.

You need to master not only related

technology, but also be a master in the use of

this social layer mentioned before.

You simply will not perform right if you work on

an industry , supposed to be at the edge of an industry , supposed to be at the edge of

new tech, without being yourself open to test,

try and invest time in researching new

approaches everyday.

Its challenging, but definitely worth the effort.

You will need to understand how your content

is built, understand automated language

strings, on-the –fly messages, at least a few

basics of language engineering.

Even if it is only to explain to your clients

engineers, what they can and cannot do with

the content if it is supposed to be localized.

Page 29: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

CHALLENGE CHALLENGE --99--

Page 30: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Challenge #9: Transparency

Of course localization approaches vary depending on the

specific needs and the global ambition of the developer.

New online project management and collaboration tools,

combined with an easier outsourcing, makes the creation

of global teams possible for companies of all sizes.

An interesting and challenging consequence of this is

that you wont be able to hide the way you are working,

who your collaborators or outsourcers are... who your

partners are.

Its very clear if you are a MLV, your local partners will

probably need to work with local PR and Marketing

teams of the final client.

The same can happen if you are a team of translators:

you may need to work together at client premises to test

the game, .. or clients will require each contributor to

sign a personal NDA...

We should better work on this, specially companies.

Control will not work anymore in such a connected world.

Page 31: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

CHALLENGE CHALLENGE --1010--

Page 32: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Challenge #10: Engagement

If you want to engage your players you will need to

understand them. You will need to know them deeply

and know the tricks that will make them love your

work.

For translators you need to be awesome writers

/copywriters. Know when to use an expression closer

to marketing and when to use a more creative and

literature like style.

Direct translation is not valid anymore to engage

costumers. Players need to feel they are taken into

consideration in the games they chose to play. You consideration in the games they chose to play. You

will need to adapt to your local and culture , not

because of legislation, but because a crowd of game

players is scrutinizing every single detail of your

output.

The more popular the game, the more critics you will

have. And today, they can use social media as “loud

speakers” to spread their message (positive or

negative).

Users are fans and emotionally bound to the product.

They could really feel spoiled and disappointed if a

game translation, voice over or functionality in a

specific language is not working properly.

Page 33: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

Conclusion:

So how can we deal with this environment of continuous change?

I personally believe Project Management is a strategic competency essential not only for companies

working on localization but even for the freelance working on smaller projects or on a specific tasks.

Project management as the disciplineof addressing and navigating change, risk and opportunity.

The technician cannot work in his own silo anymore, and needs to understand the overall needs of

the client, understand the “why” of this continuously changing environment. We need to adapt, we need

to be connected, we need continuous communication and be open to change the way we work.

We all better be adaptable to change.

Page 34: New challenges in interactive media & video game localization projects

www.pinknoise.eswww.pinknoise.es

Víctor Alonso LionVíctor Alonso LionVíctor Alonso LionVíctor Alonso Lion

TwitterTwitter: :

@@valionvalion

Personal blog: Personal blog:

www.globalcontentstrategy.comwww.globalcontentstrategy.com

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