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Understanding the Role of Culture and Cultural Attributes in Digital Game Lo-
calization

Aung Pyae

PII: S1875-9521(17)30049-6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.entcom.2018.02.004
Reference: ENTCOM 245

To appear in: Entertainment Computing

Received Date: 9 May 2017

Revised Date: 9 February 2018
Accepted Date: 10 February 2018

Please cite this article as: A. Pyae, Understanding the Role of Culture and Cultural Attributes in Digital Game
Localization, Entertainment Computing (2018), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.entcom.2018.02.004

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 Understanding the Role of Culture and Cultural
Attributes in Digital Game Localization

Aung Pyae
Swinburne Business School
Swinburne University of Technology
Melbourne, Victoria,
Australia

ABSTRACT
Culturalization plays an important role in game localization. It is associated with cultural attributes
(e.g. language). When a digital game is localized for a target audience, game context and contents
should be suitable for local culture that includes specific customs, traditions, and beliefs. Without the
proper understanding of the specific culture of a target audience, game localization and
culturalization may not be successful. Furthermore, it may lead to a failure in marketing and
promoting sales. In this report, we reviewed the literature about culture and identified common
cultural attributes. We also reviewed the importance of digital game localization and culturalization
in digital game development. We discussed the examples of simple, partial, and full digital game
localizations, including the ‘Pokémon Go’ game, “Scissors-Paper-Stone”, and commercial digital
games that use cultural attributes as contents and context. Lastly, we discussed the importance of
each cultural attribute and how they can be used in game localization and culturalization. The
discussion in this report can provide insights into the importance of culture and cultural attributes in
digital game localization and culturalization for game designers and practitioners.

Author Keywords
Digital games, culture, localization, culturalization, game design, human-computer interaction

INTRODUCTION
Cultural computing has been introduced as a new paradigm in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
for more than a decade (Rauterberg, 2006). It has become an interest for HCI researchers and
practitioners in designing cultural computing systems. It covers the cultural impact of computer
systems on users, as well as requirements for the support of cultural innovation with a mixture of
technology and cultural objects in a computer system (Kaur, Singh, & Kaur, 2015). ‘Cultural
Computing’ is defined as ‘Integrating cultural aspects into the interaction, allowing users to
experience an interaction that is closely related to the core aspects of his/her culture [sic]’
(Rauterberg, 2006, p.2). It is also a computing method in which developers and designers take into
account the essential cultural aspects in designing a particular system for end-users. It provides a new
trend to the research filed of HCI by using computer technology to compute the effect of culture on
human’s unconscious state and self-conscious state of mind (Salem, Nakatsu, & Rauterberg, 2006).
Hofstede, Hofstede, and Minkov (2010) state that usage patterns differ from one culture to another
according to their different power structures. In designing functionality and the interaction of global
devices, including computer systems, the cultural background of end-users should be taken into
account (Röse, 2002). The implementation of intercultural design for computer systems is far beyond
a regular design process by taking into consideration different mentalities of users, patterns and
problem-solving strategies that are associated with culture (Heimgärtner et al., 2011). To design
intercultural systems and interfaces, designers must clearly know what users need or want
(Holzinger, 2005).
In designing and developing computer software applications, sometimes designers and developers
unintentionally apply their own cultural values to software interface design. As a consequence, users
who are culturally different from designers and developers might encounter difficulties in using that
system. To design a culturally appropriate system for users with a specific cultural background, it is
important to take into account cultural issues in computing systems, which includes simple language
translation, designing cultural interface, and the underlying structure of the application. Zimmerman
and Akerelrea (2002) state that it is necessary to consider cultural issues for different cultural groups
when designing and developing a particular software for end-users with different cultural
backgrounds. Today, some global organizations (e.g. Microsoft) have been taking into consideration
the importance of cultural issues in designing digital systems for global users (Thippaya, 2006). In
this regard, cross-cultural studies are generally important to understand the cultural issues of a
particular software system for a specific user group with a unique cultural background. However,
they are time-consuming and expensive. Thus, there are relatively few studies that have looked at
cultural differences in computing systems (Sheikh, Fields, & Duncker, 2009).
In recent years, HCI researchers and designers have taken into account the importance of culture and
intercultural differences in designing interfaces for users with different cultural backgrounds (Plocher
et al., 2012; Shen et al., 2006). According to Clemmensen (2009), culture in HCI is an important part
of internationalization or localization. Heimgärtner (2018) states that culture influences HCI heavily
as end-users are always operating a particular system within a specific cultural context. Clemmensen
(2009) highlights that as computer and internet users have tremendously increased among global
users, the existing and traditional approaches to culture and HCI is no longer sufficient. One
important objective in intercultural HCI is to provide developer of global products a way to design
and develop their products that can be successfully offered in the global market (Heimgärtner,
2013b).
Kyriakoullis and Zaphiris (2016) highlight the complications of culture when it comes to interface
design and understanding cultural values is essential for designing and implanting successful and
widely accepted user interfaces. Heimgärtner (2013a) also states that one of the important goals for
intercultural HCI designers and usability practitioners is to take into consideration fundamental
cultural differences in designing interface and interactive systems for the members of different
cultural groups. To bridge the gap between cultural aspects and HCI design is an important step in
localization and globalization, and it can be achieved by taking into consideration relevant cultural
parameters for intercultural user interface design (Heimgärtner, 2013a).
The role of culture in game development and production is considered important because of
increasing and demanding global market for digital games. When a particular game software is
designed and developed for a specific user group with a unique cultural background, it is important
to take into account the integration of local culture and cultural attributes. When digital games are
designed for the global market, it is necessary to meet the cultural needs of players in different
countries and regions. Edwards (2011) points out that most people in the game industry are aware of
cultural cause and effect, understanding that an action in a particular context can lead to either
positive or negative reaction in another context. The way that a local gamer will react to game
content is associated with the context in which he or she exists, such as religion, ethnicity, language,
and location (Edwards, 2011). Thus, digital games localization has become one of the important
stages in game development, production, and marketing.
The challenging part of game localization process is culturalization, which generally includes the
adaptation of sound, game visual elements, and scripting in a particular culture into another culture
(Di Marco, 2007). Although most game publishers are aware of standard game localization practices
and process, only a few of them are familiar with the task of game culturalization in which contents
are further adapted for a broader, diverse audience (Edwards, 2011). Chandler (2014) defines that
culturalization is an important part of game localization, which takes a closer and deeper look into a
game’s contents and assumptions. Fung (2012) states that culturalization is a step beyond
localization, which makes a fundamental examination of a game's assumptions and choices that
should be viable in both global and local market. The author also points out that culturalization is
more meaningful level, which ensures players to engage in the game contents, which are not
offensive and culturally inappropriate. Understanding the specific culture and related cultural values
of the target audience before localizing a particular game system is an important stage in the game
localization process.
In this study, we review the literature on culture, including definitions, theories, models, and
frameworks. We also discuss the common attributes that belong to culture according to different
cultural theories and frameworks. Then, we discuss the importance of localization and culturalization
in the digital game context. We review and discuss different game localizations, including simple,
partial, and full conversion of digital games into the localized version. Lastly, we discuss the
importance of each cultural content and how they can be integrated into localizing and culturalizing
digital games. The discussion in this paper can provide insights for researchers and designers into
understanding the importance of localization, culturalization, and cultural attributes in designing
digital games for players living in different cultural societies.

UNDERSTANDING CULTURE
The definition of culture is broad and complex (Tylor, 1958; On-Point, 2005). According to
Heimgärtner (2013a), there are several concepts of ‘Culture’. Culture represents the distinctiveness
of a particular society, ranging from a small indigenous tribe to a country or a region as a whole.
People are not born with specific culture, but they learned (UNESCO, 2009b). Culture and human
beings cannot be divided. People need own culture to be distinct and outstanding among other people
in the world. One’s own culture can be comparable to the essentiality of water to a fish to survive.
Culture sustains us, and it plays an important part of our daily lives, including religion, language,
food, and dress. People may not notice the existence of culture in the same community. They may
only know when they are in other community where different cultures and customs are practiced.
According to Hall (1959), culture refers to a silent language, which steers people unconsciously.
What is important in a specific culture may not be important for different cultures. For instance,
cheek-kissing as a greeting gesture is socially accepted in some European countries, whereas it is not
common in some Asian countries.
The culture is varied from one community to another depending on geographical location, weather,
socioeconomic status, and religion. The cultural diversity is an interesting and broad topic for
researchers, and to date, there are many scholarly definitions of culture and its diversity. According
to UNESCO, the term “culture” is defined as; “Culture as the set of distinctive spiritual, material,
intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, that encompasses, not only art and
literature but lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs” (UNESCO,
2009b, p9). Tylor (1958) defines that culture is the complex subject that consists of knowledge,
belief, arts, morals, law, custom, and any other abilities and habits that a person inherits from a
particular society. The author also states that people do not acquire cultural attributes biologically,
but they grow up in a particular society in which they have daily exposure to specific customs and
traditions. Ryan et al. (2010) mention that culture shares a commonality of thought and behavior, as
well as conformity with ruling standards, norms, and rules.
Basically, people live in a particular community by sharing similar cultural attributes such as signs,
symbols, signals, gestures, and behavior. People can recognize their fellow members through shared
cultural values. For instance, a person living in a multiracial community can know his or her people
by recognizing dress, language, appearance, and other social norms. Although culture can be
different from one society to another, sometimes similar cultural attributes can be seen in different
societies depending on the factors, including geographical location, colonization, localization, and
globalization. For instance, western music (e.g. pop culture) can be seen as a global culture around
the world. Trompenaars and Charles (2012) created a model of culture, which includes three layers:
artifacts and products (explicit layer), norms and values (middle layer), and basic assumption
(implicit layer). The authors state that explicit culture represents the symbol of a deeper level of
culture. It includes observable artifacts and products such as arts and crafts, monuments, food,
buildings, fashion, and language. For the middle layer, it includes norms and values. ‘Norms’ is
defined as the mutual sense of a particular group of what is right and wrong while the values
represent what is good or bad. For instance, bowing is considered as important social norms and
values in Japanese culture.
Williams (1970) states that cultural values are implicitly or explicitly shared in a particular cultural
society, especially abstract ideas about what is good, right, and desirable. Bardi and Sagiv (2003)
describe that cultural values reflect joint beliefs, attitudes, and perspectives that the individual
members of a particular society should hold and express. In Hofstede’s theory (1984), culture is
defined as the collective programming of the mind, which differentiates the members of a particular
group from another. The author mentions that culture is distinguished from human nature (universal
and inherited) and an individual’s personality (specific, inherited, and learned). According to
Hofstede’s onion diagram (2005), cultural differences can be represented in several ways such as
symbols, heroes, rituals, and values. Basically, symbols consist of language, jargon, gestures, and
objects that present a specific meaning, which is only recognized by the members of a group that
shares the same culture. Heroes are distinctive characters in a particular group, society, or country
with the same culture. Rituals are socially essential within a particular cultural society and they are
carried out for their own sake (e.g. greeting and paying respect to elders).
According to the UNESCO (2009b), the cultural domain can be grouped into different categories:
Cultural and Natural Heritage, Performance and Celebration, Visual Arts and Crafts, Books and
Press, Audio-visual and Interactive Media, Design and Creative Services, and Intangible Cultural
Heritage. The cultural and natural heritage includes museums, archaeological and historical places,
cultural landscapes, and natural heritage. The Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Pyramids in Egypt are
two of many examples. Performance and celebration refer to all live cultural events such as
traditional dance, opera, musical concerts, and puppetry. Visual arts and crafts consist of artworks
ranging from paintings to sculptures. Books, newspapers, and periodicals are considered as cultural
attributes under books and press. Under the category of Audio-visual and interactive media, radio,
film and video, television broadcasting, internet, and modern digital games are included. Design and
creative services include fashion design, graphics and interior design, landscape and architectural
design, and advertising design. Intangible cultural heritage covers languages, dialects, expressions,
and other social practices (e.g. greetings).
Usunier and Lee (2005) list four cultural elements that include language, institution (e.g. family and
social organization), material production (e.g. music and art), and symbolic productions (e.g.
religious beliefs, wedding rings, and road signs).The authors also state the sources of culture:
languages, nationality, education (general), profession (specialized education), group (ethnicity),
religion, family, sex, social class, and organizational culture. The cultural framework created by
Tersptra and Sarathy (2000) also reveal the cultural variables namely technology and material
culture, language, aesthetics, education, religion, attitudes and values, social organizations, and
politics-law. Andreatta and Ferraro (2012) also create a list of elements of culture that includes
language and communication, environment and economic, family and kinship, sex and gender,
political and social organization, supernatural beliefs and religions, and art. Smith-Jackson et al.
(2010) also report cultural attributes included in cultural ergonomics methodologies such as
language, nationality, history, gender, religion, education, and geographical areas. Barkan (2012)
also lists the major elements of culture, including symbols, language, norms, values, and artifacts.

CULTURAL ATTRIBUTES
Defining cultural attributes and their classifications is a wide-ranging topic. In the previous section,
we discussed the definition and classification of cultural attributes that are varied from one author to
another. However, there can be seen common cultural attributes across many books and scholarly
articles. In this section, we select the common attributes of culture and discuss the definition of each
cultural attribute, how it is important in a particular society, and how it can be diverse from one
culture to another.

Language
In every culture, language is one of the most important cultural attributes. It is an essential cultural
attribute that plays a vital role in the human world in terms of communication, expression,
perception, education, and learning. Language as a form of communication among fellow members
of the same society is distinctive in all communities from a small group to a country-at-large.
Civilization throughout the history of mankind would not be developed without creating and using
language. Human uses language for various purposes more than communication such as literacy,
religion, laws, arts, and performances. Moreover, it is one of the most important and greatest cultural
heritage, which has been inherited from one generation to another. Andreatta and Ferraro (2012)
state that it is impossible to study a specific culture without understanding its language. Similarly,
without understanding the specific culture, it is not easy to study a particular language.
Language can be influential on people’s thoughts and perceptions in a community or society. People
use language to express their feelings, thoughts, ideas, concepts, and arts (e.g. music, poems, and
literature). Fred (2012) defines that language is vital to the identity of a nation and a set of symbols
shared by a particular group of people to communicate meaning and experience. The author
continues to say that language connects people together and it reflects the way people see, live, and
think. According to Claire (1998), language is a system of signs that have a unique cultural value.
People view their language as a symbol of their social identity and it represents cultural reality.
Sometimes, language is regarded as nationalism. Wardhaugh (2002, pp. 219-220) views the
relationship between language and culture that “the culture of people finds reflection in the language
they employ: because they value certain things and do them in a certain way, they come to use their
language in ways that reflect what they value and what they do”. The uniqueness of language in all
communities will remain important for many generations.

Norms and Values

Every society has its own norms and values (Trompenaars & Charles, 2012). According to Prentice
(2012), social scientists define the term ‘social norms’ as socially shared and enforced attitudes
specifying what to do and what not do in a particular situation. Cialdini et al. (1990) define that
social norms refer to the rules and standards that are accepted and understood by the members of a
particular group or society and that guide and prohibit their social behavior without the written laws.
Paying respect to elders or seniors in a particular society (social norm) is important and considered in
a polite manner. This social norm is well-accepted within this society (social value). However, in
other communities, people see such kind of social norm and value differently because of their norm
and value, on the other hand, is different. There is no specific answer to the cultural conflict between
different norms and values. What cultural norms and values are right or wrong depends on how
people see a social norm and its values based on their cultural background. For instance, Asian social
norms and values are different from Western social norms and values. The attitudes and values can
help people determine what is right, appropriate, important, and desirable based on the basis of
ideologies rooted in a particular culture (Terpstra and Sarathy, 2000). Quester et al. (2007) explain
that the boundaries that culture sets on behavior can be defined as norms. The authors give the
examples that in France, people kiss any acquaintances as a gesture of greeting, whereas the
traditional Maori greet each other by touching the noses. However, in Japan, such manners are
inappropriate because physical contact should be kept minimal during social interaction.

Sex and Gender

The role of gender and its equality may not be the same in the countries all over the world. In some
cultures, sons are more favorable than daughters. For instance, in some Asian countries, some
parents prefer to have sons than daughters because of their traditional customs, beliefs, and culture.
The term ‘sex’ refers to the biological or genetic differences between men and women (Andreatta
and Ferraro, 2012). According to World Health Organization (WHO, 2015), ‘gender’ refers to “the
socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers
appropriate for men and women”. Ryan et al. (2010) define that gender is a mixture of nature and
culture and it includes biology and learned behaviours. They explain that gender identities are like
theatrical performances on the stage and people act based on the ideals of gender identity (e.g.
femininity and masculinity) that force us to perform or act in particular ways.
Fred (2012) explains that the term gender is used to differentiate between biological aspects (e.g.
giving birth) and cultural aspects (e.g. responsibilities to family). For example, in many societies,
the characteristics of femininity are generally accepted as dependence, gentleness, empathy,
motherhood, and tolerance, whereas masculinity is regarded as courage, strength, leadership,
aggressiveness, and independence. However, today, these general characteristics are not the case for
many societies. In some countries, there can be seen women leaders in many areas such as politics,
science, engineering, education, technology, and even in the military. On the contrary, there can be
seen women as a form of domestic helpers or caretakers who serve the family. The rooted culture,
norms, and values in a particular society can influence largely on the role of gender and its equality.
Andreatta and Ferraro (2012) describe that the definitions of femaleness and maleness can be
different from one society to another. According to UNESCO’s report on gender equality and
culture, it is stated that the cultural interpretation of gender is crucial to the individuals and their
communities as a whole (UNESCO, 2014). The gender equality in culture is vulnerable to the
inequalities and discrimination, and it can be influenced by other social factors such as race, class,
poverty level, religion, age, disability, marital status, and educational level.

Music
In the history of mankind, another prominent cultural attribute as important as language is music. It
is sometimes referred as a universal language that every human being can understand, feel, and
express. Regardless of cultural background, race, ethnicity, sex, social status, and politics, people can
share music. According to Daniel (2007), he states that music plays a vital role whenever a human
comes together for any reason such as a wedding, graduation, marching, sports events, dinner, and
even prayers. Today, it can be seen that western musical culture is largely influential on many people
globally. Generally, people from different cultures can feel and share music from other cultures that
they are not familiar with. For example, it can be seen the recognition of Indian music and culture in
the western countries while Korean pop culture is invading not only in Asia but also in Europe and
North America. Andreatta and Ferraro (2012) mention that what a person actually hears while he or
she listens to a particular music is influenced by his or her cultural background. The musical
categories such as melody, pitch, harmony, and rhythm, can be varied from one culture to another.
The authors point out that the appreciation of music from different cultures is not always guaranteed.
Ryan et al. (2010) describe that if we know the values of a particular culture, we need to understand
the practices that frame the production and consumption of its music. In a person’s life, his or her
culturally bound preferences and familiarity for music starts in infancy and it continues through
teenage and adulthood (Soley and Hannon, 2010; Teo et al., 2008). Basically, people are inclined to
enjoy and remember music from their own culture and tradition (Soley and Hannon, 2010;
Thompson et al., 2010).
Fashion
Fashion is a form of art and expression (Jansen, 2004). Costume and fashion are one of the most
prominent cultural attributes. By looking at the dress or consume a person wears, people can
generally recognize which cultural group he or she belongs to. In this age of globalization, some
cultural groups still wear their traditional dress in their daily lives and occasions. For example,
Indians, especially women, formally wear their national dress in various occasions such as office,
schools, events, and celebrations. Some cultural costumes and fashions are largely well-known
among the global citizens such as Japanese kimono, Scottish kilt, Chinese cheongsam, and Hawaiian
Dresses. Blaszczyk (2009, p2) defines that “Fashion as a cultural force that drew sustenance from
social customs, group psychology, material life, economic institutions, and other types of human
interaction, in turn, influenced them”. The author expresses the fashion in four areas of culture: mode
(the way people dress), manners (the way people express themselves), mores (the way people live),
and markets (the way people are defined demographically and psychologically). Ryan et al. (2010)
state that clothing visually expresses a person who he or she is in symbolic and functional forms.
Symbolic form means that it presents to the world a visual image of a social group or an identity that
a person belongs to (e.g. Ao Dai represents Vietnamese consume for women). The functional form
has a practical purpose of use that relates to the world where he or she lives (e.g. In African
countries, women wear wrapper, lappa, or pagne).

Religion
“Religion has influenced human culture since prehistory, shaping everything from the politics of war
and peace to notions of morality and issues of sex, reproduction, and family. On an individual level,
it has also offered people a sense of meaning, purpose, and comfort” (DK, 2013, p-12). The religion
and beliefs in the context of culture is a broad concept. According to UNESCO’s World Culture
Report (2014), religious beliefs have a strong influence on the particular community and culture. For
many people around the world, religious beliefs are vital to their culture, and it provides the morality
and way of living. There are different religions around the world. All religions have their own
beliefs, practices, principles, values, and teaching. People who share the same religion may practice
differently based on their own cultures and background. For example, the Buddhism in East-Asian
countries may not be identical to the Buddhism in Southeast Asian countries. Andreatta and Ferraro
(2012) point out that in some societies, religion is largely embedded in the social structure of the
society-at-large and religious behaviours are strongly related to economic, political, and kinship
behaviours. The authors explain the functions of religion in terms of social and physical context.
Religion performs important social functions for the well-being of society such as social control (e.g.
socially acceptable behaviour and socially inappropriate behaviour), conflict resolution (e.g. reduce
stress and frustration of individual and group), and reinforcement of group solidarity (e.g. strong
social bond among the society who share same beliefs). These social functions may be varied from
one culture to another based on their cultural background. For example, Buddhists in some cultures
may be vegetarian, whereas others are not. Joseph (2006) describes that religion gives people
purpose of life and meaning to death and without religion, the world will be in spiritual darkness. He
continues to explain the relationship between religion and culture that there will be hardly any
culture without religion and it has been an important reason for creating great cultural
accomplishments throughout the history of mankind. As an example, the Angkor Wat temple in
Cambodia and the Borobudur temple complex in Indonesia are some examples of how religion had
impacted on the literature and architecture of particular cultures.

Arts
Artistic expression is one of the most distinctive characteristics of human beings, and it can be found
in all societies. Aesthetic pleasure of a particular society is felt by people from different cultures
(Andreatta and Ferraro, 2012; Jeremy & Anthony, 1994). Andreatta and Ferraro (2012) mention that
after surviving for their basic needs, people put their effort and time to design their clothes, paint
their houses, decorate their accessories, write poems to express the nature, and compose songs to
reveal their emotions. All of these arts reflect human’s self-expression and aesthetic pleasure in their
lives. Our society will be monotonous without arts, innovations, and creativity that reflect human’s
customs, traditions, and feeling. According to The Arts Council England (2014), it is defined that in
the society without the civilizing influence of arts, people would not be able to enjoy most of what is
pleasurable in life that is educationally critical and socially essential. Generally, the creation,
expression, producing, and consumption of art can be varied from one cultural group to another. For
instance, nudity is a form of art and expression in some Western countries, whereas it can be
prohibited in some Asian countries. The art of body and face painting can be seen in some Asia and
Asia-pacific countries but it can be odd to some westerners. In this modern world, the term ‘art’ is no
longer limited to painting, handicrafts, and sculpture, but it includes any other forms of arts such as
textiles, body painting, photography, and many others (Hatcher, 1999). The definition of ‘art’ in the
21st century is very broad and hard to limit to a certain area. The digital art becomes a form of art
after it became popular a few decades ago (e.g. digital games, 2D/3D drawings, digital sound and
music, visual effects).

Cultural Landscape and Heritage

The cultural landscapes and heritages teach us how people in different cultures, geographical
locations, weather, and economic and social status, lived and survived throughout the history of
mankind. The World Heritage Center (UNESCO, 2015a) mentions that there are a great variety of
cultural landscapes that represent the different regions of the world by combining works of nature
and mankind. They express a long and close relationship between human beings and their natural
environment. Cultural landscapes are distinctive places where human interacts with the natural
system and these interactions arise and cause the development of cultural values in the societies
(UNESCO, 2015b). Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape in Mongolia, Tongariro National Park in
New Zealand, and Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras are some examples of cultural
landscapes in the world. According to UNESCO (2012), cultural heritage includes architectural
works, monuments, monumental sculpture and painting, elements of an archaeological nature, groups
of buildings, and cave dwellings. Eiffel tower in France and Taj Mahal in India are some examples of
many other cultural heritages all over the world. Natural heritage includes the natural areas of the
world that are important for science and conservation or natural beauty (e.g. Great Barrier Reef in
Australia) (UNESCO, 2012).

Cultural Rules and Laws

In multicultural communities, customary rules of behaviour practiced and shared in a particular
group may be seen as strange by other groups of people and even unacceptable (Shiraev & Levy,
2012). The cultural rules and laws can be different from one cultural group to another depending on
their customs, traditions, norms and values, religions, and social organization. In some Asian
countries, which have a monarchy, insulting the royal family is a violation of law, whereas it is not
the case in the western countries because westerners, in general, see it as freedom of expression.
According to WHO report (2009), it is mentioned that cultural and social norms are greatly
influential in shaping individual behaviour and rules of behaviour.

Technology
Technology and human’s culture are linked throughout the history of mankind. Steward (1955)
describes that technology was regarded as a window between the natural world and human society
and culture. People have invented and are still inventing new technologies to fulfill their needs to
survive in their culture and environment such as basic living, communication, education, defense,
and safety. Technology plays a vital role in the civilization of people all over the world. As
technology developed, people’s culture also changed to suit the technological advancement.
According to UNESCO’s report (Urevbu, 1997), technology and culture have an inter-dependence
relationship. The technology exists to fulfill human’s immediate and particular needs as well as to
enable them to be harmonious with the own environment. The author explained that technology (e.g.
tools) is the interface between human and nature and the enhancement of new technologies is linked
to a society’s evolving needs.
Today, because of the emergence of globalization and digital technology, digital culture has become
a global culture all over the world. People from the different background and cultures share the
global culture in terms of technology, brandings, social networking, entertainment, and education.
One of the notable examples is that many people all around the world become the consumers of
global brands such as MacDonald, Starbucks, iPhone, iTunes, and Nintendo Wii. Technology
connects people from different customs and traditions to share global culture in terms of networking,
communication, entertainment, and education. Instagram for social networking, WhatApps for
communication, and YouTube for entertainment, and E-learning (e.g. Coursera) for education are
some examples of many others. The use of technology in different cultural groups can be different.
In some countries, some social networking sites and marketing sites are banned due to their political
and economic reasons. In some countries, adult sites are considered illegal. Some mobile phone
brands are least popular in particular countries because of their own brands that are produced locally
for the global market.

DIGITAL GAME LOCALIZATION

As the global digital game market has been increasing, global game companies have been expanding
their market and sales not only in their countries but also in other regions such as Europe, Africa,
Middle-East, and Asia. For instance, when Niantic released the sensational ‘Pokémon GO’ game,
they targeted the market not only in the United States but also in other countries across the world.
Before a particular digital game is localized and promoted for its sales in a specific region, game
publishers need to ensure that it is suitable and relevant for local players who have been living in a
unique cultural society. To attract local players, it is important for game designers and developers to
localize and more importantly, culturalize their games to be suitable for local customs and traditions.
Thus, digital games localization has become one of the important stages in game development,
production, and marketing.
According to Hagan (2013), game localization is defined as ‘transforming a particular game software
into a new form, which is suitable for the target audience in a specific country with specific cultural
values and needs, including customs and traditions, language, hardware requirements, technical
infrastructure, industry and market, and legal system’. Game localization is more than translating a
game from a particular language to another language or being compatible with the hardware
requirements of a specific country. In game localization, it is important to understand the specific
culture, customs, and traditions of the target audience before localizing a game system from the
original to the localized version. David et al. (2005) highlight that expanding the sales of a game
software in different countries will require a proper and systematic localization that needs to be more
sensitive to local customs, tastes, rules, and regulations. Salen and Zimmerman (2006) state that in
game localization, a game system should represent the specific values of a particular society or
cultural group. It will be lacking important values unless game designers engage games with local
cultural contents and representation.
According to Skoog (2012), game localization is the adaptation of digital games for different markets
of specific regions, which includes changing game components not only graphics but also cultural
references. The main essence of localization is to provide games for players in different regions to
enjoy without losing the originality of the games, but adding local cultural values while being
compatible with the legal and regulatory requirements of specific countries. Basically, there are three
degrees of localization: “Simple Localization,” “Partial Culturalization,” and “Full Culturalization”
(Skoog, 2012). Simple localization consists of basic text translation, simple changes to user
interfaces, voiceover recording. Simple localization takes the least time, whereas partial
culturalization includes touching up the graphical objects (e.g. icons and buttons) and art assets,
adaptation to music to suit the local preference, and tweaking storyline and game characters. Full
culturalization involves more comprehensive tasks such as changing art, sound, level, characters,
gameplay, story plot and adapting game marketing, and this process may take a considerable amount
of time to do.
The process of game localization is beyond a task of text translation. For instance, game localization
includes a number of tasks such as translating, localized coding, hardware requirements, user-
interface, cross-cultural user testing, and marketing policy of a particular country. Thus, game
localization process is rather complicated, and it needs a careful and structured planning. If game
publishers do not research properly on the specific culture of target audience before they localize the
games, they may face unexpected challenges (e.g. cultural conflicts with local community). As a
result, they may not only lose their profits but also encounter other negative impacts. For example,
the game may be prohibited from distribution into the market and in the worst situation; the game
companies may face the lawsuit. Quality in game localization is essential in today’s global digital
market because target audience wants to feel that these games are made for them. It should not be the
games with merely translated text descriptions with errors and poor voice recording (Chandler,
2014).
The systematic approach and careful plan are required in the game localization process. David et al.
(2005) mention that localizing digital games require meeting the technical needs that ensure that
games can be run and played well across different TV standards. Text and strings are well-displayed
in the different languages that may be longer than the original language. Moreover, to expand the
sales of a particular game across different countries, the effort for localization needs to be more
sensitive to local customs, tastes, rules, and regulations (David et al., 2005). In localization process,
game publishers need to look to developers to implement games that can be easily localized without
major changes. This process should include user-interface, text, game features, and a storyline that
can be reusable in the international versions (Chandler, 2012). If developers and designers consider
international versions in mind at the early stage of game development, it will be more cost-effective
and less time-consuming in the post-production before launching into international markets.
As the contents and contexts of digital games are increasingly sophisticated over the last decades,
they have been used for strategizing, exploring, battling, puzzling, socializing, and gambling. Thus,
they have become a place for representing and interpreting real and imaginative things such as
objects, people, animals, attitudes, traditions and customs, landscape, behaviours, and emotions. In
game localization process, game designers and developers localize existing games to meet the needs
of local users and to represent the local culture. When game publishers and designers fully localize
their game products, the term ‘culturalization’ cannot be ignored. “Culturalization is going a step
further beyond simple localization as it takes a deeper look into a game’s fundamental assumptions
and content choices, and then gauges the viability in the multicultural marketplace as well as in
specific geographic locales” (Chandler, 2014, p26). According to Skoog (2012), complete
culturalization for digital games consists of changing contents and contexts of the game such as
graphical icons, colour, sound, characters, level, and game plot. The authors point out that game
culturalization ensures that the offensive and inappropriate contents and contexts of the game are
excluded from the game itself so that the local culture can be correctly represented in the game itself.
When a game system is localized for different markets of different countries, sometimes the contents
and contexts in games cannot be culturally relevant for the target audience. For instance, in some
countries, the violent scene in games and violent and torture-based gameplay may be prohibited. The
contents that can clash with a religion or traditional beliefs can also be disallowed in some societies
and regions. As an example, in the United States of America, the games that involve a fight, blood,
and violence can be accepted among players, whereas it cannot be well-received in the Japanese
society. The customs, behaviours, conceptualization, and beliefs in a particular culture may not be
regarded as appropriate in other cultures. History, geopolitical locations, religions, racisms, sexual
representation, and customs and beliefs are the sensitive issues and the important factors that need to
be taken into consideration while a game system is localized for players in different cultural
societies. Chandler (2014) mentions that intercultural conflict, religion, history, and geopolitical
friction are the big four considerations while designing global game design contents and context.
With regard to the integration of culture in digital games, Salen and Zimmerman (2003) reveal that
games can engage culture in different levels, and the cultural dimension of a particular game can
reflect values and ideologies of surrounding contexts. The authors point out that from a game design
point of view, games can engage with different cultural attributes such as historical context, the
behaviour of sub-culture, cultural stereotypes, a set of ideological values, and lifestyle of a particular
society. Jeannie and Travis (2008) mention that culture and history can be a useful source to generate
the ideas for game development because every culture has a rich history and its own distinctiveness
such as geography, ethnicity, politics, wars, art, culture, and religion. The authors also state that
while designing fantasy worlds, designers sometimes may want to create new cultures and the best
way to do is to combine other cultures that are known such as a combination of Asian style temple
with a tropical island.
In the interactive game design process, serious game players always bring their own culture into the
game and gameplay (Meershoek, 2010). When a particular game is not well-matched with the local
culture of the players, it can cause the conflicting behaviour that slows down the players to reach the
game objectives. Toshihiko (2013) mentions that cross-cultural consideration is necessary for games
development and production. The author points out that some of the global market expansion for
digital games publishers failed due to technology acceptance, game acceptance, marketing issues,
and so forth. Among them, cross-cultural understanding is one of the most difficult factors for game
designers to capture. From the game design point of view, cultural attributes with humorous traits
can add more entertainment values to game and gameplay because it is useful for building the
persona and behaviour of game characters and game stories (Phaedra and Permanand, 2010).
The development of digital games is related to not only digital technologies but also a business,
ethics, psychology behaviour, and science (Zaphiris & Ang, 2007). As game players come from
different cultural backgrounds, they have their own needs and preferences that include mode of
playing, game interface, communication, genre, and game story (Schumann, 2009; Ramli, et al.,
2011). According to IGDA (2011), culturalization can make players more engaged with the contents
of the game at a potentially more meaningful level. In the IGDA’s report, four cultural variables are
mentioned to culturalize digital games, including history (Past and Present), religion and belief
systems, ethnicity and cultural friction, and geopolitical imaginations. The fact about the
representation of historical accuracy in the digital game is one of the most sensitive issues for
culturalization because many cultures are well-protective of their historical legacy and origins. Thus,
inaccurate representation of the history of a particular region in a game itself can lead to negative
consequences. In every culture, a society based on sacred rules that are less flexible to transform into
own creativity to design games for different societies with different beliefs. The cultural stereotyping
in a particular game can lead to misinterpretation of a specific society or ethnic group. Today, there
are disputes among the countries about their geopolitical location through the news. Therefore, it is
one of the most sensitive issues that should be taken into account while localizing and culturalizing
digital games.

SIMPLE GAME LOCALIZATION

In the digital game market, there can be seen a few examples of digital games adapted for local
players. Most of the popular commercial digital games provide basic and simple localized features
for local players. For instance, players from non-English speaking countries can choose their
respective languages (e.g. Chinese, French, and Italian) to play the game. One of the well-known
examples is Niantic’s Pokémon Go, which has become a viral among players in many countries. This
game is a location-based game in which players search virtual characters called ‘Pokémon’ in the
real-world based on locations suggested by the game. Moreover, in this game, virtual locations are
created based on the significant landmarks of a particular region (e.g. Opera House in Sydney,
Australia). Thus, locations are varied from one region to another, as well as countries. To be able to
achieve such game design, designers localize the game by providing different locations and
landmarks of a particular city or country. In this way, players in a particular region can easily explore
the locations in the real-world provided by the game. Unless players are provided with proper
location-based suggestions in the Pokémon Go game, it may lead local players to restricted and
dangerous places and areas while they are playing the game.
The basic localization tasks in the Pokémon Go game are language options for players in different
countries, improving the art of virtual characters based on the local culture, and localizing the names
of game characters. Translation is an important task in game localization because the software-based
direct translation into a particular language can lead to the confusion and misunderstanding for local
players. For instance, in the Pokémon Go game, the direct translation of a particular landmark in a
country may be inaccurate in other languages. Therefore, it is important for game designers and
developers to ensure local languages, customs, and traditions before they translate a game from the
original to the localized system. Furthermore, in designing the Pokémon Go game, it is important for
designers and developers to be sensitive to the religions of a specific country. For instance, in some
countries, creating a virtual gym at a religious location or building can lead to negative consequences
(e.g. the authorities of a particular country may ban the game due to security reasons). Understanding
specific cultural landscapes and heritage of a particular country is also an important task in game
localization, being applicable to the Pokémon Go game. In addition, compliance with the cultural
rules and laws of a particular country is also important in this game. For instance, players may flock
to a specific location where they can catch the virtual character, and as a consequence, it may violate
local rules (e.g. the authorities ban groups of more than five people from gathering). The Pokémon
Go game shows insight into simple and basic tasks that are important in game localization.
Other than the Pokémon Go game, there are other well-known localized digital games, including
Niantic's Ingress, Ubisoft’ Just-Dance, popular Japanese game called ‘Tamagotchi’, Nintendo, and
Microsoft Xbox games. For simple or partial game localization, in these games, we can see different
cultural attributes provided by the game publishers for players in different cultural societies. It
includes supporting language options, compliance with local cultural rules and laws, customs, norms
and values, religions, arts, and technical constraints. In the digital game market, most of the
commercial games are simply localized, and they can be well-adapted for the local players of
different regions (e.g. Nintendo Wii).

PARTIAL GAME LOCALIZATION

According to UNESCO, cultural diversity is defined as the diversity of human cultures, which
includes the wealth of languages, ideas, beliefs, kinship systems, customs, tools, artistic works,
rituals, and other expression admits of many explanations and interpretations (UNESCO, 2009a). In
partial game localization, sometimes, game storyline, rules and play are required to change
depending on the cultural diversity of different countries. People create, upgrade, and play the game
to suit their cultural background and specific customs and beliefs so that they can feel more engaged
in the game and have more fun. Culturalization is necessary for partial game localization, which
represents local customs, behaviours, tastes, and traditions of a particular cultural group. For
instance, ‘Scissors-Paper-Stone’ is one of the well-known cultural games, which has been widely
played by players across the world. Although the concept of the game is generally the same, the
gameplay is partially varied from one culture to another, as well as from one country to another. By
looking at the example of “Scissors-Paper-Stone”, we can easily understand that even a particular
traditionally famous game can be partially varied, adopted, and localized in different countries with
different cultural backgrounds.
The name of the game “Scissors-Paper-Stone” is addressed differently in different countries. In some
countries, it is called “Rock-Paper-Scissors”. The term ‘Scissors-Paper-Stone’ is addressed in their
own languages in different countries. For instance, in Korea, it was called ‘muk-jji-ppa’, whereas
‘Yakyuken’ is used in Japan. Furthermore, different countries name it differently such as "Paper-
Scissors- Stone" in the United Kingdom, "Ching Chong Cha" in South Africa, "Schnick, Schnack,
Schnuck" in Germany, and “Chin Chan Pu" in Mexico. Basically, this game is played between two
players by using three different hand gestures, including “a simple fist’, ‘a flat hand’, and ‘a fist with
the index and middle fingers shaping a letter ‘V’. This game has its own rules and play such as both
players simultaneously show their selected hand gesture without any delay. Some rules of this game
are such as ‘Scissor cuts paper’ and ‘Rock beats scissor’.
This game is originated in Asia and, later spread across the world (Moore & Jennifer, 2006). In
ancient Japanese time, it was referenced as ‘mushi-ken’, and it had a different representation of hand
gestures that includes frog (thumb), slug (little finger), and snake (index finger) (Linhart, 1995).
However, the gameplay and rules were basically the same. Today, in Japan it is called "Jan-ken" that
uses the rock, paper, and scissors hand gestures, and this is the game that the modern rock-paper-
scissors are derived from directly (Linhart, 1998). Hand-games that use gestures to represent the
three different elements of rock, paper, and scissors have been common since the time the modern
version of this game was created in the late 19th century (Linhart, 1998). After spreading into
different regions, this game was adopted and expanded into new objects and rules by different
countries and cultures. For instance, in Korea, ‘Muk-jji-ppa’ is a varied and upgraded version of the
two-player game ‘Scissors-Paper-Stone’, and it was originated in South Korea (Chung, 2011).
Although this game is based on the original ‘Scissors-Paper-Stone, the important game rules and
strategy are rather different from the simple version. There is also a simplified version adopted in
Korea which is called ‘gawi-bawi-bo’, which means ‘scissors-rock-cloth’, and the gameplay is
basically the same.
The game is also adopted and upgraded in the Philippines, and it is called ‘Jak-en-poy’, which is one
of the Japanese names of the game. In the longer version of this game, a song that includes four lines
is sung by the players by displaying hand gestures at the end of each or final line. For the shorter
version, players sing the chanting “Bato-bato-pick” before they display the particular gesture. In the
Malaysian version, the term ‘Scissors’ is replaced by the term ‘Bird’ that represents with the five
fingertips to form a bird’s beak, whereas the open palm means ‘Water’ and the fist mean ‘Stone’. In
Singapore, it also has a related hand game called "Ji-gu-pa" and “Ji’ means “Bird”, "Gu" refers to
“Stone”, and "Pa" means “Water”. Different from the other versions of “Scissors-Paper-Stone”, this
game in Singapore is played by two players using both hands. In other gameplay, there is a variation
in a full-body posture to make up for the hand gestures called "Bear, Hunter, Ninja". In European
countries, this game is also adopted and expanded into different styles. For example, in France, they
play it with four different hand shapes instead of three. It includes Rock (same as Japanese version),
Well (cylinder hand gesture), Leaf (same as Paper or Cloth in Asian version), and Scissors (same as
Japanese version). In Germany, it is called “Ching Chang Chong” and they have both versions of
“Scissors-Paper-Stone” of Asia and French style “Rock-Well-Leaf-Scissors” (Rock-Paper-Scissors,
2015).
The example of ‘Scissors-Paper-Stone’ game shows insights into how games can be localized for
different people living in different cultural societies. For the case of ‘Scissors-Paper-Stone’, we learn
that a particular game can be partially localized by adapting its name into different languages.
Furthermore, in localization, the gameplay can be modified in different cultural groups by altering
the original game rules and play. The addition of cultural elements (e.g. traditional songs) can be also
seen in the case of ‘Scissors-Paper-Stone’. In the localization of this game, we can see cultural
similarities in different cultural groups according to their geographical locations, related customs,
social norms, and values. Although the ‘Scissors-Paper-Stone’ game is modified and adopted by
different cultural groups in many countries, the essence of the gameplay is still maintained, but
adaptable to local customs and traditions. Thus, in the game development process, it is important to
take into consideration game localization tasks at the early stage so that designers and developers can
easily do modifications whenever it is necessary. Understanding local culture and customs in game
localization and culturalization will be helpful in making a decision of whether the game should be
changed the whole plot (full culturalization) or just transforming contents (simple or partial
localization).

FULL GAME LOCALIZATION

For full game localization, it will require a strategized plan and process to create a completely
localized game due to expensive cost, time, and resources. ‘Culturalization’ is one of the most
important tasks in full game localization. There are a number of commercial games in the market that
use cultural attributes as game context and contents, including game story, characters, music,
language, graphical icons, user-interface, and gameplay. For instance, in “Just Dance” published by
Ubisoft, which is popular dance-based games, there can be seen different cultural contents used for
different types of dance games such as cultural dance, fashion, accessories, and music. They use the
different cultures of different countries in their various types of dance games. For instance, the
famous American Pop Dance can be seen in different ‘Just Dance’ games. Furthermore, this game
series also support for other popular Asian cultural dances such as Bollywood dance games and
popular Korean Pop Dance games. In the Bollywood dancing game called ‘Bollywood Katti
Kalandal’, they use not only Indian cultural dance but other Indian cultural contents such as
background pictures that represent the landscape of India, cultural music, costumes and accessories.
Figure 1 shows the screenshot of Just Dance 3’s Bollywood Game.

Figure 1. Just Dance 3’s Bollywood Katti Kalandal.

The other well-known dancing game that uses specific cultural attributes as game context and
contents is Microsoft Kinect-based Xbox’s Just Dance 2015 - "Gangnam Style" by PSY (Microsoft
Xbox, 2015). A few years ago, the popularity of Korean singer PSY’s Gangnam style and his popular
horse-riding dance move spread across the world from Asia to other continents. As a result, it has
become a well-known global culture. Thus, this Xbox “Gangnam Style” game can be a familiar game
not only for a particular cultural group but also for different cultural groups all over the world. In
“Just Dance” dancing game series, it can be seen different cultural contents such as American,
British, Latino, Indian, Korean, and other popular global cultures. Figure 2 shows the image of
‘Gangnam Style’ game (Microsoft Xbox, 2015).
 Figure 2. Just Dance 3’s Gangnam Style game (Microsoft Xbox, 2015).
One of the Xbox Fitness popular games called “BodyWisdom: Tai Chi for Beginners” uses the well-
known traditional Chinese physical exercise “Tai Chi”. In this game, it can be seen that Chinese
cultural contents such as game background, music, and graphics are used. This game is targeted not
only for Asian players but also people from the different cultural background. Schl¨otterer et al.
(2015) proposed a game with purposes to encourage people to have access the vast collection of
European cultures through Europeana, the European aggregator for digital cultural heritage. It is a
simple gamified question and answers system in which players can create the questions and find the
answers through gameplay. The main idea of the gamified system is to promote people’s awareness
of European cultures and heritages. In the popular sports video game, “Shaun White Snowboarding”,
published by Ubisoft, it uses different cultural landscapes that based on the scenery of different snow
mountains and ski resorts in different countries such as America, Europe, and Japan. The Finnish
comic character “Moomin” is quite well-known not only in northern European countries but also in
some Asian countries (e.g. Japan). There are many “Moomin” games that are well-accepted in
different countries with different cultures. As an example, the Japanese version of “Moomin”
simulation game developed by Poppin Games Japan Co., Ltd, is popular in some eastern Asian
countries.
According to Jennifer et al. (2014), they designed and developed a game system that can help foreign
exchange students to understand the German culture, customs, and tradition while they are studying
in Germany. This game application also helps them to familiarize the local culture that includes food,
transport, maps, and other culture-related information. For game designers, it is important to design
engaging game content and context for players. Conrado et al. (2009) mention that computer games
can be a medium for promoting art and culture of a specific country and computer games can be a
form of art itself. The researchers designed and developed a simulation game called “Tuk Tuk”,
which is a popular transport in Thailand. The game content includes the traditional art and culture of
Thailand such as cultural landscape, costume, language, and music. The main objective of this game
is to exhibit the arts and culture of Thailand and to promote people’s awareness of the Thai culture.
The well-known historical adventure European game “Versailles II: Testament of the King” created
by Réunion des Musées Nationaux includes the ancient European cultural context, contents, and
stories. The similar historical adventure games can also be seen in other countries such as the
Forbidden City in China and Egypt 1156 BC Tomb of the Pharaoh in Egypt.
Today, culture is used as context and contents in digital games to educate and to promote people’s
awareness of a particular topic. For example, there can be seen a number of localized games
produced by Millipede, Melbourne, Australia. They designed and developed localized games that can
help residents and visitors to familiarize the culture of a specific city such as iconic places, driving
navigation, tourist attractions and different Australian neighbourhood. The game called “Run That
Town” created by Millipede uses the real census data of Australia and it lets the player make the
planning decisions of a particular neighbourhood in Australia. The Media Development Authority of
Singapore (MDA) published a number of games that represent the country’s history, culture, and old
memories of Singapore. One of their aims is to promote young people’s awareness of the unique
Singaporean culture. One of the games called “Satay Club” reflects the unique history and culture of
Singapore between the 1940s and 1960s. There are many digital games available not only in the
market but also in the research that use culture as game context and content for full game
localization.

DISCUSSION
From a simple to full game localization, it is important for game designers and developer to take into
account the integration of cultural attributes in the game system. In the previous section, we
discussed the cultural attributes that are common to different cultural theories and frameworks. In
this section, we discuss the importance of each cultural attribute in game localization, including the
simple, partial, and full transformation of the games.
The use of language in digital games plays an important role in the design, development, production,
and marketing of game design process. Without supporting different languages for different users,
game localization and culturalization may not be achieved to a certain extent. Lack of the choice of
different languages in a particular game system may lead to a lower success rate in the global market.
The giant game companies such as Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, and Ubisoft, support the options of
choosing different languages in their game systems. For instance, Microsoft Xbox console offers
different languages for players from different countries. In these games, there are a number of
languages that players can choose such as English, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and so forth.
Language is one of the most important cultural attributes that should be carefully considered before
game localization. By providing language options for players, we can avoid problems of
misunderstanding and misinterpretation of a foreign language in playing digital games. Moreover, it
is more likely that users can be more motivated and engaged in the game by following the
instructions and labels given in the language that they use in their daily life.
Norms and values are unique cultural attributes, and their importance can be different from one
cultural society to another. It can be solely dependent on the individual culture, customs, religion,
lifestyle, and socioeconomic status of a particular society. The value of a particular cultural norm,
which is regarded as important in one society, may not be crucial in other societies. For instance,
handshake as a gesture of greeting is globally accepted in most cultural societies. However, it may
not be the case in some cultural groups in which they use other greeting gesture (e.g. Thai people use
a slight bow with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like style in greeting each other). In
designing digital games for a specific cultural group, it is important to take into consideration their
specific norms and values. As an example, violent games are popular in a particular country or
region. However, it might be prohibited in other countries where violence is seen as culturally
inappropriate especially for young people and children. Similarly, games that contain seductive
contents can be hardly allowed in the particular countries. With regard to geopolitical issues among
the countries, some games that can be against of a particular country’s claim to a geographical
location can be edited out or totally banned from the market of this country.
The norms and values in a specific culture are related to the religion. Thus, games that include
controversial contents that may insult a particular religion or belief may not be allowed in some
countries. For instance, when game publishers from the western countries produce their games for
Asian countries, it is important to understand the specific cultural norms and values of these
countries before they localize their product. Generally, Asian cultural norms, values, beliefs, and
behaviours can be quite different from what the westerners practice. If they localize the games that
can be inappropriate for particular cultural norms and values, it can be prohibited by the local
authorities from reaching out to players. In addition, games can decrease its popularity among
players due to the argumentative game contents. In Germany, the use of word “Nazi” is controversial
and sensitive to the authorities and users. The violent and cruel games may not be well-accepted in
Japan. For instance, the game called “The Darkness” produced by Starbreeze Studios was previously
banned in Singapore due to its excessive violent game contents but it was lifted later.
In the game design and development process, game publishers need to carefully consider who their
target user groups are before they produce their games. The user groups may be different in terms of
age (e.g. children, adults, and elderly), sex and gender, races, culture, and educational background.
To produce games for the specific user group, the game design, development, and marketing can be
different in terms of user interface, colours, design, music, and gameplay. Among different user
groups, sex and gender can be considered as one of the important groups for game designers and
publishers. When a game is designed for a specific gender (e.g. female players), game design and
play can be quite different from the design of the opposite sex. For instance, game design for a
female may be different in terms of choice of colours, icons, logos, graphical design, music, and
gameplay. In contrast, game design for male users may include serious gameplay, game design,
music, and sometimes violence. With regard to sex and gender, the role of gender in different
cultures should be taken into consideration by game designer and publisher before they market their
games in the different geographical locations. The role of gender is varied from one culture to
another. In some countries, a particular gender is more favorable than the other. The restrictions on a
specific gender can be seen as sensitive in some countries and culture. Thus, in game localization, it
is important to carefully consider what the role of gender in a particular country is. Regarding the
expression of sex, it can also be varied in the different countries. Some countries may accept the sex
as a form of art and freedom of expression, whereas it can be strictly prohibited in a particular
country with different culture. Therefore, the contents of a particular game should be carefully
designed before localization. For example, the game called “RapeLay” was banned in Indonesia
because of excessive pornography and violence.
The use of music in digital games is one of the important parts of game design and development. The
background music, audio feedback, verbal expression, and sound effects are the essential game
contents that can impact on the success of a particular game. Today, game companies produce their
own video game songs for a particular game series. The role of music plays a vital role in every
cultural context. Different cultural groups have their own styles in representing music. Although
western music is popular and well-accepted internationally, it will not be the case in a specific
cultural context. Generally, local music can be more influential on the people than foreign music.
The local music that contains local language, arts, and culture can attract people more than
international music. Thus, the use of proper music in the game localization and culturalization is
always important to consider influencing of local music in a particular country. For example, in Just
Dance game series, there can be seen much local music and dance for the specific game players such
as Indian, Korean, and Latin music.
Fashion as a form of art plays an important role in the game design process. While considering a
specific culture in designing game and contents, fashion is one of the important design elements for
game designers and artists. Before game designers create their design, it is important to take into
consideration what kind of fashion, consumes, decorations and accessories will be created for game
characters and game context. For instance, if designers design a traditional Chinese game that
represents ancient time, the fashion as game contents should reflect the ancient style in a particular
era. People can easily recognize well-known game characters and its fashion. The famous game
character called “Lara Croft” in Tomb Raider series and her fashions are quite well-known among
players all over the world. In game localization and culturalization, fashion as a cultural content is
also important. When the game artists design their games for a specific user group with the different
cultural background, it is important to reflect the ways they live, wear, speak, and behave. Since
fashion and costume can reflect the uniqueness of a particular cultural group, designing cultural and
traditional fashion, costume, and accessories for game context and characters is a challenge for game
artists and designers. In Assassin's Creed Chronicles game series, there can be seen different versions
of different culture such as China, India, and Russia. They use different cultural costume, fashion,
accessories, and cultural context in the different series for different countries.
To study the culture and tradition of a specific cultural group, it is important not to ignore the fact
that the religion can be largely influential on people and their culture, customs, traditions, and ways
of life. In most countries, religion is still largely playing an important role in their lifestyles in terms
of costume, food, education, media, and even technology. To date, freedom of religion is still a
controversial topic in the world. Thus, when game publishers try to market their products in a
particular region or countries, it is very important not to have the game contents that can directly or
indirectly insult the religion of this particular country. In some countries, some types of game
contents such as pornography, seduction, and unethical behaviours and impressions for players can
be banned from the religious point of view. To date, there were some games that were banned from a
particular country due to the controversial game contents related to a religion or beliefs. For instance,
the game called “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” produced by Nintendo in 1998 used a song
track that contains some parts from a religious prayer and later the publisher had removed the
soundtrack from the library fearing that they might get objection and criticism from religious
organizations and authorities. To date, there were a number of games that have drawn the large
criticism from the religious organization in the particular countries due to the controversial contents
such as nudity, animal abuse, bullying, seduction, homosexuality, racism, and excessive violence.
In every culture, art is one of the most distinctive cultural attributes that can represent the standard,
uniqueness, and creativity of a particular society. People express arts in many different forms such as
paintings, sculptures, literature, consumes, crafts, and architecture. By looking at a specific form of
art (e.g. buildings and temples), it is literally easy to imagine the origin of a particular art and related
cultural groups. For instance, by looking at Chinese temples, it can be easily recognized the
uniqueness with distinct forms of arts and cultures. In digital games, game design is also a form of
art that can present different arts and cultures. Before game artists and designer design the arts and
aesthetics of a particular game system, it is important to take into account what type of game arts will
be presented in this game. It can include 2D images, 3D images, traditional culture, pop culture,
futuristic imagination, western art, oriental art, and many other forms of arts. For instance, digital
games designed by the Chinese game artists can be quite different from games created by the western
designers in terms of user-interface, graphical icons, choice of colours, cultural arts, gameplay, and
game context. Every game has its own uniqueness in art and culture. In game localization and
culturalization, it is important to understand the local arts and aesthetics before a particular game
system is introduced to a specific cultural group. To design a game system for Asian countries, it is
necessary to carefully think about the essence of local arts and culture to be used as contents of the
game. Today, because of the globalization there are many global arts and cultures that are well-
accepted in many countries all over the world. Nevertheless, the essence of the art and culture of a
specific cultural group remains an important factor to be considered in game localization.
The cultural landscape and heritage are a prominent cultural attribute. There are many well-known
cultural landscapes and heritages in the world (e.g. Pyramids in Egypt and The Great Wall of China).
The culture, heritage, and landscape cannot be divided. People recognize a particular culture together
with the well-known landscape and heritage. In digital games, game context, landscape, and
environment are important for game designers and artists to create so that the game can be more
creative, attractive, and presentable. In all digital games, game designers have to carefully think to
design and create the attractive game background, context, and environment because these are
important game contents that can make players more interested and engaged in the gameplay. In
game localization, the cultural landscape is an important game content that should be taken into
consideration in the game design process. If game contents contain the familiar landscape and
heritage in it, the player can be more connected to the game and engaged in the gameplay. For
instance, the famous PlayStation’s Game called “Yakuza 3” contains the cultural landscape of Japan.
Another example is that in the game called “Building the Great Wall of China”, it uses the cultural
landscape and heritage of the Republic of China.
The cultural rules and laws can be varied from a particular country to another. In every country, there
are specific cultural rules and laws for people living in this society and even people who visit there. It
is important for game publishers to understand the specific rules and laws of a particular country
before they introduce their products in the market. Furthermore, the nature of legal system especially
for media laws in a particular country is important to be known for game companies and publisher.
In some countries, any media contents that may be against the culture, customs, religion, and belief
of their countries, can be banned or sued by the authorities and the government. Especially, the
intellectual property and copyright laws should be carefully taken into account before game
localization is done. In the context of game localization and marketing, there are many other
controversial topics that are related to the cultural rules and laws such as nudity, religion, violence,
abuse, politics, history, and economy.
Technology and culture are linked together. As today is the digital age, the use of technology has
been becoming advanced in many countries depending on their socioeconomic status. Furthermore,
the World Wide Web is developing rapidly and generally, people all over the world can
communicate each other in a short amount of time. Nevertheless, it will not be the case for some
countries due to the factors such as socioeconomic situation, politics, technology advancements, and
many others. When game publishers market their games in a specific country, they need to carefully
consider the acceptance and the use of technology in a particular country. For example, in some
countries, the internet is controlled by the authorities, and people may not have freedom of access to
the internet. In some countries, online gambling games and applications can be banned by the
authorities due to their media laws and policies. In some developing countries, infrastructure for
internet and mobile is still limited and the market for online and mobile games may face many
challenges. In short, the acceptance and the advancement of technology are important for the game
publishers to localize their games in a specific country.
In summary, the literature shows that game localization is an important task in game development
and production. From simple to full game localization, the use of culture and cultural attributes play
an important role in digital game localization and culturalization. In this report, based on the findings
from the literature about cultural theories and frameworks, we created a list of common cultural
attributes that are important for game localization and culturalization. We discuss the importance of
each cultural attribute and how it can be used in game localization and culturalization. We also
reviewed how these cultural attributes have been used in the existing commercial games. The cultural
attributes highlighted in this study include language, norms and values, sex and gender, music,
fashion, religion, arts, landscape and heritage, rules and laws, and technology. To localize and
culturalize a particular game system for a specific cultural group, designers and developers can take
into account the importance of the cultural attributes highlighted in this report. The discussion in this
paper can convey some insights for game designers and developers into understanding the
importance of game localization and culturalization in the context of digital games. More
importantly, the cultural attributes highlighted in this report can be insights into the integration of
cultural attributes in a particular game system as cultural contents while localizing and culturalizing
digital games.

CONCLUSIONS
Game localization and culturalization have become an important task in game design and
development due to the increasing demands of the global game industry and market. When game
companies and publishers localize their products for a specific audience, they need to carefully
consider the integration of their specific culture, customs, and traditions in the game system so that it
can be well-accepted in a particular society with a different culture. Game localization basically
includes language translation, technical compliance, changes in graphics, arts, and music.
Culturalization is a deeper level of game localization, which includes changing game context and
contents that are suitable for local customs, traditions, religion, beliefs, rules, and laws.
To be able to successfully localize and culturalize, it is important for game designers and developers
to understand the specific culture and cultural attributes of target player groups. In this study, we
reviewed the literature about culture by looking into different cultural theories, models, and
frameworks. Then, we identified the common cultural attributes described by different cultural
models and frameworks. We also discussed the importance of localization in the game development
process, followed by the role of culturalization in game localization. We discussed three degrees of
localization: “Simple Localization,” “Partial Culturalization,” and “Full Culturalization”, and
reviewed the relevant examples of localized games, including the Pokémon Go, Scissor-Paper-Stone,
and commercial digital games that used cultural contents and context in their games. Lastly, we
discussed the importance of each cultural attribute in digital game localization and culturalization.
The discussion in this report can provide some insights that may be useful for game researchers and
developers into understanding the importance of culture and using appropriate cultural context and
contents in digital game localization.

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