Localization SIG

International Game Developers Association

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Welcome to the Game Localization SIG of the IGDA!

This SIG was started in June 2007 in order to serve the need of the game localization community, i.e., those involved in the process of proactively planning for content adaptability in target international markets, performing the requisite translation and adaptation, and the act of reactively managing expectations when problematic content elements are identified by local customers. The announcement about the formation of this SIG was delivered in the September 2007 email bulletin of the IGDA.

Table of contents 1 Announcements 2 Events 3 SIG Overview 4 SIG Objectives 5 SIG Guidelines 6 How to Get Involved

[edit] Announcements

SIG Steering Committee is Established: In consultation amongst themselves, the SIG chair and co-vice-chairs agreed to establish a small steering committee in order to better direct the SIG's activities and include experienced voices from both the localization and game industries. The current SIG steering committee consists of the following individuals:

• Tom Edwards: SIG Chair & Independent Consultant
• Heather Chandler: SIG Vice-Chair & Independent Consultant
• Miguel Bernal: SIG Vice-Chair & Lecturer/Researcher
• Fabio Minazzi: localization industry representative from Binari Sonori
• Richard Honeywood: games industry representative from Blizzard Entertainment

SIG Guidelines and a Call for Working Group Proposals: The SIG leadership has created a set of guidelines that will help govern the SIG as well as provide guidance on establishing Working Groups. We'd like to encourage all SIG members to read the guidelines and please think of how you'd like to contribute to the SIG efforts. A Working Group is an excellent way for members to accomplish tasks that might otherwise not be possible from within their own domain of control and a great way to spread the responsibilities of the SIG among interested and passionate members (not just the Steering Committee). The SIG guideline document is available here: http://igda.org/wiki/Localization_SIG_Guidelines.

Localization World Working Group is Established: In order to organize the SIG's efforts for contributing to the Localization World event in Berlin (see below), a working group headed by Miguel Bernal has been established. More information can be found here: http://www.localizationworld.com/lwber2008/programDescription.php#WS3

[edit] Events

May 13, 2008 - ION Conference (Seattle): Tom Edwards will present a lecture entitled Online Worlds and Offline Worldviews - Managing Geocultural Expectations in Game Content at the ION Game Conference (formerly known as OGDC) in Seattle (conference takes place May 13-15). For more information, access the ION Conference site here: [1]

June 9, 2008 - Games Localization Roundtables at Localization World (Berlin): Some members of the Loc SIG are involved in organizing rountable discussions on game localization at the Localization World event in Berlin. The roundtables take place on the pre-conference day, June 9, 2008. For more information, access the Loc World site here: [2]

Note - all information about Past Events can be found here: http://igda.org/wiki/Localization_SIG_Past_Events

[edit] SIG Overview

Reason/need for a Localization SIG: The number of game industry and localization industry professionals who are engaged specifically and exclusively in games has been increasing in proportion to the industry’s growth. This group of specialized professionals is currently split between either being more “game industry-oriented” or more “localization services-oriented”, without an appropriate “home” in which the hybrid field of game localization can exist. The game localization practice contains its own unique challenges and solutions that would benefit from a community space in which its professionals can interact and grow in association with the games industry. At the same time, the utility software localization industry has been developing tools and workflows that the game industry could utilize to save time and money which would benefit everybody involved in the localization process, as well as the game industry and the gaming community.

[edit] SIG Objectives

Goals/Mission: To provide a focal point and nexus for the growing number of game localization professionals in order to build community, draw together best practices and processes, and emphasize the requisite international dimension of game content development towards the goal of improving global game development processes and local end user experiences.

Potential projects/Initiatives: Beyond the goal of drawing together and building community among those involved in game localization, the SIG would also seek to fulfill collaborative projects. Some possible examples include:

• Activities at Industry Events: Ensure that the SIG has a clear presence at events like GDC, Localization World, etc.
• Critical Localization Issues Guide: Compile the contributions of members from various locales to produce a guide for top localization issues in each major games market. This wouldn’t be a comprehensive encyclopedia, but would at least include the top 5 overlooked issues in each market.
• Game Localization Seminar: Organize at least one annual, one-day game localization tutorial/seminar, preferably in conjunction and in association with one of the GDC events.
• Best Practices White Paper: Generate a game localization best practices white paper that contains the more generic practices and procedures that have proven useful across the industry, while remaining company-agnostic and obviously not proprietary.

[edit] SIG Guidelines

The SIG guideline document is available here: http://igda.org/wiki/Localization_SIG_Guidelines.

[edit] How to Get Involved

To express your interest in the Localization SIG and/or start getting involved, you can do any or all of the following:

• Email the Loc SIG Chair [Tom Edwards, tomedw@englobe.com] with any questions, suggestions or comments.
• Join the Loc SIG mailing list, found at this link: [3]. This list is temporary until the IGDA web site upgrades are completed, sometime in the coming months. Feel free to introduce yourself, send ideas, and/or express your thoughts on game localization.
• For Facebook users, join the "IGDA - Localization SIG" group, with more information found here: [4]
• Take the Loc SIG survey, found at this link: [5]