This chapter aims at providing an overview of the existing reception studies in the area of game localisation. After briefly describing the main characteristics of game localisation and its focus on users and their player experience (PX), the paper discusses the small number of reception studies in game localisation that have been carried out to date within the framework of Translation Studies, discussing their research objectives, methods and tools. The paper concludes by highlighting the need for further reception studies in the area of game localisation and presenting future paths for research in this area.
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Bernal-Merino, Miguel Ángel. 2009. “Video games and children’s books in translation”. JoSTRANS: The Journal of Specialised Translation (11): 234–247. Accessed: January 7, 2017. Online at: [URL]
Bernal-Merino, Miguel Ángel. 2011. “A Brief History of Game Localisation”. TRANS. Revista de Traductología 15. Special issue on games localisation, 11–17. Accessed December 16, 2016. [URL]
Bernal-Merino, Miguel Ángel. 2016. “Glocalisation and Co-Creation: Trends in International Game Production”. In Media Across Borders: Localizing TV, Film, and Video Games, by Iain Robert Smith, Andrea Esser and Miguel Ángel Bernal-Merino (eds), 202–220. London/New York: Routledge.
Chandler, Heather M.2005. The Game Localisation Handbook. Hingham, Massachusetts: Charles River Media.
Chiaro, Delia. 2004. “Investigating the perception of translated Verbally Expressed Humour on Italian TV.” ESP Across Cultures 1 (1): 35–52.
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Ellefsen, Ugo. 2016. Harnessing the roar of the crowd: A quantitative study of language preferences in video games of French players of the Northern Hemisphere. Unpublished MA dissertation, University of Roehampton.
Fernández Costales, Alberto. 2014. Video game localisation: adapting superheroes to different cultures. Quaderns: revista de traducció 21: 225–239. Accessed December 13, 2016. [URL]
Fernández Costales, Alberto. 2016. “Analyzing Player’s Perception on the Translation of Video Games”. In Media Across Borders: Localizing TV, Film, and Video Games, by Iain Robert Smith, Andrea Esser and Miguel Ángel Bernal-Merino (eds), 183–201. London/New York: Routledge.
Fuentes Luque, Adrián. 2013. “An Empirical Approach to the Reception of AV Translated Humour”. The Translator 9 (2): 293–306.
Geurts, Francine. 2015. What do you want to play? The desirability of video game translations from English into Dutch according to Dutch gamers and non-gamers. MA dissertation, University of Leiden. Accessed December 13, 2016. [URL]
Holmqvist, Kenneth, Nyström, Marcus, Andersson, Richard, Dewhurst, RichardJarodzka, Halszka, and Joost van de Weijer. 2011. Eye Tracking: A Comprehensive Guide to Methods and Measures. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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Kruger, Jean-Louis, Szarkowska, Agnieszka, and Krejtz, Izabela. 2015. “Subtitles on the Moving Image: An Overview of Eye Tracking Studies”. Refractory: A Journal of Entertainment Media 25. Accessed December 16, 2016. [URL].
Mangiron, Carme. 2013. “Subtitling in Game Localisation: A Descriptive Study”. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology 21 (1): 42–56.
Mangiron, Carme. 2014. “What makes a good translation? Quality in game localisation”. Paper presented at the 10th Languages and the Media Conference, Berlin, 7th November 2014.
Mangiron, Carme. 2016. “Reception of game subtitles: An empirical study”. The Translator, 22 (1), 72–93.
Mangiron, Carme and O’Hagan, Minako. 2006. “Game Localisation: Unleashing Imagination with ‘Restricted’ Translation”. Jostrans: The Journal of Specialised Translation 6: 10–21. Accessed December 13, 2016. [URL].
Martin, G. Neil and Sullivan, Erin. 2013. “Sense of Humor Across Cultures: A Comparison of British, Australian and American Respondents”. North American Journal of Psychology 15 (2): 375–384.
O’Hagan, Minako. 2009. “Towards a Cross-cultural Game Design: An Explorative Study in Understanding the Player Experience of a Localised Japanese Video Game”. Jostrans: The Journal of Specialised Translation 11: 211–233. Accessed December 13, 2016. [URL].
O’Hagan, Minako. 2016. “Game Localisation as Emotion Engineering: Methodological Exploration”. In Conflict and Communication: A Changing Asia in a Globalising World, by Minako O’Hagan and Qi Zhang (eds), 81–102. New York: Nova.
Rossato, Linda and Chiaro, Delia. 2010. “Audiences and translated humour: An empirical study”. In Translation, humour and the media, Delia Chiaro (ed), 121–137. London: Continuum.
Skoog, Karin E.2013. “The Regional Differences of Languages and Their Impact on Game Localisation: Exploring Spanish Localisation across the Americas”. Gamasutra, 11 September 2013. Accessed January 7, 2017. < [URL]>
Szarkowska, Agnieszka, Izabela Krejtz, Krzysztof Krejtz, and Andrew Duchowski. 2013. “Harnessing the Potential of Eye-tracking for Media Accessibility”. In Translation Studies and Eye-Tracking Analysis, by Sambor Grucza, Monika Pluzyczka, and Justina Zajac, 153–183. Bern: Peter Lang.
Suojanen, Tytti, Kaisa Koskinen and Tiina Tuominen. 2014. User-centered translation. London/New York: Routledge.
Cited by (9)
Cited by nine other publications
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2024. Can video game subtitling shape player satisfaction?. Perspectives 32:1 ► pp. 59 ff.
Zorrakin-Goikoetxea, Itziar
2022. Transcreación y adaptación cultural en videojuegos: proceso, producto y recepción. TRANS: Revista de Traductología 26:1 ► pp. 213 ff.
Mejías-Climent, Laura
2021. Conclusion. In Enhancing Video Game Localization Through Dubbing, ► pp. 223 ff.
Mejías-Climent, Laura
2021. Dubbing in Video Games. In Enhancing Video Game Localization Through Dubbing, ► pp. 117 ff.
Khoshsaligheh, Masood & Saeed Ameri
2020. Video game localisation in Iran: a survey of users’ profile, gaming habits and preferences. The Translator 26:2 ► pp. 190 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 9 october 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.