Game Localization Round Table - Localex, King


Track: Preconference | P02 |
Special Registration Requirement
Wednesday, June 14, 2017, 9:00am – 12:30pm 
Wednesday, June 14, 2017, 1:30pm – 5:00pm
Held in: Marenostrum C
Presenters:
Belén Agulló García - Deluxe Media 
Bekir Diri - Localex 
Dmitry Drozdov - King 
Daniel Finck - Loquatics 
Philip Harris - Bigpoint GmbH 
Elina Lagoudaki - Turner 
Chen Lin - King 
Sheila Morris - Keywords Studios 
Thiago Schreiner - Blizzard Entertainment 
Miguel Sepulveda - King 
Ruzena Wegener - Bigpoint GmbH
Moderators: Michaela Bartelt-Krantz,
Vanessa Wood

This full-day round table consists of several distinct sessions presented by experts in game localization and is open to clients (game developers and game publishers) and to qualifying vendors (game localization specialists). We aim to provide the best possible venue to enable a fruitful and balanced debate. To this end, we will do our best to maintain a balanced group of participants. The day will end with an open discussion based on information and questions from the day’s presentations.

This session is full. Please contact us to get on the waiting list.

Advisory Board Members: Michaela Bartelt (Electronic Arts), Miguel Bernal-Merino (University of Roehampton), Simone Crosignani (Jinglebell Localization), Fabio Minazzi ( Binari Sonori – A Keywords Studio), Miguel Sepulveda (King) and Vanessa Wood (Bigpoint GmbH)

Agenda:

Welcome and Introductions

Save the Meaning
Presenters: Philip Harris (Bigpoint GmbH), Ruzena Wegener (Bigpoint GmbH)
Localization provides a necessary and much needed bridge between the narrative and translator. When that bridge breaks, the players let us know. Bigpoint manages the process differently with localization and narrative design working on the same team, allowing each quick and easy access to the other and giving the translators a direct line to the narrative design. In this presentation we’ll show the benefits of using this process, the ability to aid the translator’s directly, the improvements in translation quality and how the process can be adapted to the needs of all parties.

Game Localization vs. Turkish
Presenter: Bekir Diri (Nubuto Limited)
The game industry has evolved the past ten years into a giant, and now more than 50 million game players around the world enjoy different types of games on their mobile phones, computers and game consoles. Social websites like Facebook, game consoles such as PlayStation and Xbox, and every PC host many offline and online games and applications. Gamers generally choose to play the same game on various platforms, which increases the reputation of the games and expectations of gamers. Since many platforms don’t bear the same specifications such as RAM, CPU and Video Card, the game companies created nearly the same game but with limited game playing features. Game globalization is a long and toilsome process so translators or language service providers need to deal with different issues: context, terminology, cultural effect and visual translation. Every different game platform attracts its audience and gamer and thus every single platform has its unique translation and localization process. Language families, directions and fonts decide the toughness of the localization process; character corruption and length, screen limitation and so on. So what are the specific game localization issues in Turkish and what are the solutions for this?

The Q-Factor Turnabout — Adapting Localization Alongside Changing Attitudes toward Quality and Quantity in a Maturing F2P Industry
Presenters: Daniel Finck (Loquatics), Sheila Morris (Keywords Studios), Thiago Schreiner (Blizzard), Miguel Sepulveda (King)
The ingredients for good video game localization are no secret and well-documented at this point. All of us know which variables are critical and which pitfalls to look out for. In the reality of our jobs though, succeeding is less about following best practice protocol, but more about our ability to “make things work” when circumstances are inevitably and incessantly less than ideal. This has been especially apparent in free-to-play (F2P) and mobile publishing, which underwent a turbulent evolution from being the belittled metrics-driven stepchild of the industry, to becoming celebrated as the game-changing business model, which eventually outgrew its boom and established its own market alongside AAA games over the course of only a few years. Part of this process has been a paradigm shift among F2P decision makers in the return on investment valuation regarding their content’s quality and quantity, which ultimately predetermines the three basic constraints of any related localization management — cost, scope and schedule. The intriguing challenges arising from this are the subject of this panel discussion, in which localization leads working in the industry look back, share their experiences and discuss strategies then and now.

Lunch

Effective LiveOps Localization Strategies
Presenters: Chen Lin (King), Dmitry Drozdov (King)

Globalization vs. Localization of Games for Kids
Presenter: Elina Lagoudaki (Turner)
For a long time most of our efforts were concentrated in streamlining our localization processes and in building an exceptional pool of talent who could localize anything, even the impossible. As projects became more technically complex and production timelines shrank, while a global launch date had to be maintained, a robust localization process was not enough to guarantee the on-time product completion. It was only when we started working alongside the producers and developers at the design stage that we managed to create truly global products that could hit a global release date.

The Game Localization School — How Do I Become a Game Localization Professional or Where Can I Find One For My Company?
Presenter: Belén Agulló García (freelance)
We have all been struggling at least once in life as employers to find qualified candidates to cover game localization positions: linguists, testers, project managers, team managers, coordinators and so on. Do they have a background in games? Do they know how things work? Game localization is a young industry and there are not many universities or organizations offering professional and realistic training for future applicants. Sometimes this is due to the protective and conservative nature of this industry. In the past this did not pose any problems because game localization was building itself with practice and was in a situation of doing its best, but today this industry has become serious and we need to evolve. Due to the seamless growing needs in game localization, its fast-paced nature and high-quality standards, we need professionals who are as prepared as possible to face the countless challenges of localizing video games. Liking games and being passionate about them is not enough. So is current training meeting the industry’s needs? Is it realistic? What can be done from inside of the games industry to improve this scenario? How and who can help move it forward? Why does this even matter to companies?

Open session

Wrap-up