A bit miffed that a lot of the game writing discourse I see still avoids the elephant in the room, aka: the English language as its obligatory baseline. Not only as the tool we all have to use, but also English (US) being the the only valid aesthetic framework for what is considered quality. - ThreadSky

rdemiranda.bsky.social • 48 days ago

A bit miffed that a lot of the game writing discourse I see still avoids the elephant in the room, aka: the English language as its obligatory baseline. Not only as the tool we all have to use, but also English (US) being the the only valid aesthetic framework for what is considered quality.

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pixelbismuth.ca•47 days ago

I feel kinda bad that i'm buying into that but my first language is not widely spoken in the way I speak it. That really hurt when i tried going for a French Gamejam and no one could read my game.

So if i want people to see and enjoy my work, it needs to be in English.

rdemiranda.bsky.social•47 days ago

Yeah, and to be honest French is still a pretty comfortable language to speak in this industry (and even then, as you mention --and I share the experience myself). Anyone who speaks something less common, with a different alphabet for example, might find themselves even more ostracized.

pixelbismuth.ca•47 days ago

i certainly felt like i couldn't fit in because i was speaking the wrong French.

wojtekborowicz.bsky.social•48 days ago

Yes!

Setting aside their problematic history with crunch for a second, I respect that CD Projekt Red wrote Witcher 3 in Polish first and then localised to English. I think it's rare particularly in AAA to not default to English.

rdemiranda.bsky.social•48 days ago

Of course you absolutely have elements of language that transcend cultural standards, there is an art to crafting good words and impactful stories that rise above it; but, also, some things that are considered self-evident are fully subjective and may or may not serve a specific artistic goal.

iamleyeti.bsky.social•48 days ago

My take: the people who could raise this issue and make a difference because of their status only speak English, thus they are unable (unwilling?) to get this is an issue to begin with.

rdemiranda.bsky.social•48 days ago

Exactly. I remember having written a thread about this topic on the old place years ago, and while its reach remained limited, every single people who shared, engaged or resonated with it were non-US English speakers. Not a single american gamedev participated in the conversation. Not one.

rdemiranda.bsky.social•47 days ago

(though it doesn't seem to be the case anymore, and I am super glad for this 🙏 Thanks to everyone who shared so we can broaden the conversation a little more!)

felixelvis.bsky.social•48 days ago

Yes. From a cultural point of view, it's absurd that most, if not all, AA and AAA games that are made in France are written in English. If we translate this idea to cinema, literature, theatre... it makes no sense at all, so why do it in video games? 🤷

iamleyeti.bsky.social•48 days ago

Amen!

martinrgt.bsky.social•48 days ago

Look at us french people using English to advocate the use of other languages than English in creative processes 🤗

rdemiranda.bsky.social•48 days ago

🫠

koksiroj.com•47 days ago

If French game devs were as stubborn as the (animated) short film crowd we could've had such a better catalogue of French games instead of whatever keeps popping out of Montreal. I need more French VA in my games so badlyyyy

koksiroj.com•47 days ago

(Btw not to shit on Montreal or Quebec or anything but it’s sad that the only exposure to French American gamers get is whenever a Ubisoft employee pops up on stream)

horse.twilightsparkle.space•47 days ago

And furthermore, the local Québécois-made games that I sometimes see on Radio-Canada "game roundup" articles all have anglophone names, and very rarely talk about Québec or Montréal…

koksiroj.com•47 days ago

I instantly thought of Felvidek, a treat for folks in a particular area of Eastern Europe. I've seen some of the gameplay and loved the dialogue, but the writing hits way funnier in Slovak/Hungarian/Czech due to the localised jokes and tone that is perfectly in sync with the game's direction.

horse.twilightsparkle.space•47 days ago

This looks like a great game! Thank you for sharing it.
I'll have to play it in Polish as it's the only Slavic language that I know.

koksiroj.com•47 days ago

I think it's a perfect example of a game that doesn't only use a non-American culture as a baseline, but refuses to "globalise" it for an international audience. I hope more studios dare to pitch games with writing that might seem to foreign to investors, so that the atmosphere becomes truly unique

crewmate.bsky.social•47 days ago

Voice Acting used to be a AAA thing. Nowadays it’s expected, with streamers that didn’t play Disco Elysium before the VA update. And cRPGs like Divinity OS2 and Pillows of Eternity 2.

And the shorter time periods for translations with simultaneous world wide releases.

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