Most computer and video games entertain the masses. The gaming industry in particular has seen a boom in recent years. The overall value of this industry in the global market was around $173.70 billion and it is there to stay and rise. It is not going to stop sometime soon. As per the analysts, the industry will be touching $260 billion by the year 2025. Video game translation services have become the need of the gaming industry considering its boom and surge in demand.
Video games have also evolved over the period of time and have been into more life-like experiences now. It also has increased user involvement and higher skills requirements. Therefore, translating its content requires considering a lot of minute details and observations. Translators have to consider a lot of aspects while translating video games. Here are the five ways that tell how user-friendly video games could possibly be.
- More user control while playing games
The user is going to get addicted to games when he has more control and freedom while playing the game. More liberty at the user’s end can change the narrative and can also improve the experience and fun. A user who gets involved in the fun-making decisions may feel more tempted to play and get addicted. Apart from the player’s increased freedom over the storyline and character build-up, controls and functionalities as well. It may include the option of giving the undo or redo command to the user. This can tempt more users to come and play.
- Preventing mistakes in action-based games
The biggest hindrance a user can face while playing a game is error messages. A new user takes time to play and excel in the game. The learning period could be hard on him. He might fail again and again with receiving a lot of messages. This particularly counts for the action and other games. In order to stay ahead in the competition, the developers should plan to work on a game that has no errors and the learning phase should be easier for the user.
Quality assurance is what is extremely vital in the game development process and it there for a reason. Moreover, professional translation services should be hired for this purpose so that the translation knows how it is important to translate the content considering the user’s stance in mind.
- Consistency and muscle memory
There are set standards to follow to maintain quality in every industry and the gaming industry is also no different. The continuous years’ struggle of game development has given birth to the convention that is being put into buttons that perform actions. Games are supposed to have particular control features. It is imperative that the developers meet the expectations and standards that potential buyers have in their minds for a new game.
- Building recognition
Video games are for leisure process and people tend to play the games to get relaxed and have a good fun time. They go for such options when they get to escape from the stress of daily life and routine. However, when it comes to console games, these could be complex and taxing for the users. A good design should be one that has the user’s memory load. This is only possible when the placement of the crucial games is made accordingly and in an obvious position. It should also ensure that the help messages and prompts are available easily.
In order to make it good and better, the key is to lessen the cognitive load of users by presenting the right information at right time. Information guidance through the game at different steps is far better as compared to the long boring guidelines session when you are not even into the game content and barely get what it says. Therefore, focusing on recognition can make the game super user-friendly and he can stick to it for longer.
- Games relating to real world
Things and games which are more relating to the world leave a more long-lasting impact. Video games are being translated into almost every other language now. The Arab market is also a big potential market for games. Therefore, Arabic translation services are also acquired to cater to the Arab players and their needs. Humans process in a fixed and certain logical order. The things which get out of this logical order can confuse and frustrate people. Therefore the games should have a good relationship with the real world so that people can relate to them while playing and they may get more popular among the masses. Games should focus on bridging the good gap between reality and fiction.
The developers should also keep a good focus on the representation of the real-world conventions to engage the user in the most effective manner. One of the effective methods in this regard is introducing localization. It considers the customs and conventions of the local users of the game. Therefore, when developers address the users’ needs and preferences they feel more attracted to the games and can relate well.
Final words
Video games and their translation is a serious deal. It is important that these are translated and localized in the best effective manner to engage more players. Five tips that can make video games user-friendly have been shared with the strategies of implementation.
