Exploring video game subtitling : a local user-oriented reception study

Abstract

In recent decades, the revenues of the game industry surpassed that of other forms of entertainment, such as that of the cinema. Contemporary video games tend to have elaborate story lines which leaves extensive room for subtitles to be included. Nonetheless, there is no standardisation in video game subtitles. Whereas research in the field of Audiovisual Translation led to guidelines for intralingual and interlingual subtitles, such norms are not in place for video games. This is evident by the way subtitles are often displayed verbatim without attention being paid to legibility by video game developers, potentially making the video game unplayable for some users. Research in this area is worthwhile as video game subtitles are beneficial to a range of users, from those who do not want to miss out on any information to those with various degrees of hearing loss. Furthermore, research from a Translation Studies standpoint would consider the constraints associated with subtitling as well as the interactive nature of the medium. By gathering information and feedback from local players, this study aims to propose subtitling strategies that can pave the way for future studies.