Mobile game Glocalization
Tuesday, 16th January 2007 Nour Khrais, Founder and General Manager, Maysalward R&D (MRD) Video stream (rm) Mobile Games are among the fastest growing segments in game industry. However, they are also the most challenging products to develop. In recent years, our experimental evidence in game localization in Middle East has showed that localization can deliver 50% extra mobile downloads. The discussion about the influence of culture on games and storytelling leads us to the question: under which circumstances differences in culture lead game developers to localize and what role of does the geography and culture play in building localized games? Our conclusion is that even in expectedly close cultural environments, like Middle East, minor cultural differences play a prominent role in game development and storytelling. And no matter what language Mobile Game player speak, or where they live in the world, they expect the best: a product that is aware of those differences. |