Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The History of Localization and Dubbing in Video Games

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Enhancing Video Game Localization Through Dubbing

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting ((PTTI))

  • 482 Accesses

Abstract

Starting with a general overview of the most prominent figures in the game industry, Chap. 2 reviews the rapid evolution of the interactive medium, tracing the origins of localization and those of dubbing in particular, with the aim of discussing the main challenges that the industry has faced and the needs it reflects nowadays. This historical review is structured in the different decades that have passed since the origins of interactive media as particular changes can be observed in each decade regarding sound technologies, which are key in the evolution of dubbing in video games. Some examples of popular games and consoles will be mentioned to illustrate the evolution of dubbing in this media since the early 60s up to the current decade.

The story of videogames reflects the momentous shift to a progressively more technological society.

—Baer (2005. Videogames: In the Beginning, 2. Springfield: Rolenta Press)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Chaume (2018), Deckert (2020), Díaz Cintas and Remael (2021).

  2. 2.

    Triple-A titles are those video games whose budget is large, are expected to generate high income—similar to movie blockbusters—and their developer has a strong position in the industry.

  3. 3.

    By typing a particular word followed by the operators “:eng_2019” and “:spa_2019”, the user can retrieve the desired term(s), checking the corpus in English and Spanish, respectively. For example, Fig. 2.1 was obtained by typing the combination “video games:eng_2019,videojuegos:spa_2019,doblaje:spa_2019” (no space is needed after the comma).

  4. 4.

    Source: Ngram Viewer, available at <https://t.ly/X7oG>. As indicated in the original website <http://books.google.com/ngrams>, for further discussion on the use of this tool, see the original paper: Jean-Baptiste Michel, Yuan Kui Shen, Aviva Presser Aiden, Adrian Veres, Matthew K. Gray, William Brockman, The Google Books Team, Joseph P. Pickett, Dale Hoiberg, Dan Clancy, Peter Norvig, Jon Orwant, Steven Pinker, Martin A. Nowak and Erez Lieberman Aiden. Quantitative Analysis of Culture Using Millions of Digitized Books. Science (published online ahead of print: 12/16/2010).

  5. 5.

    This information was accessed through personal communication with the dubbing professional Enrique Gutiérrez and the dubbing director Rosa Sánchez, who agreed to be interviewed about their vast experience in the Spanish film and video game dubbing industry (September 22, 2020).

  6. 6.

    This information was also accessed through personal communication with the dubbing professional Enrique Gutiérrez and the dubbing director Rosa Sánchez (September 22, 2020).

References

  • Aarseth, Espen. 2001. Computer Game Studies, Year One. Game Studies 1 (1): 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Acks, William, Sam LaCroix, France Costrel, and Melissa Wood. 2020. High Score. Comeback Kid. Netflix.

    Google Scholar 

  • AEVI (Asociación Española de Videojuegos). 2019. La industria del videojuego en España. Anuario 2019. Madrid: AEVI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arenas, Juan. 2017. Doblajes Memorables. MeriStation, July 2. https://as.com/meristation/2012/08/05/reportajes/1344157200_106152.html.

  • Baer, Ralph H. 2005. Videogames: In the Beginning. Springfield: Rolenta Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernal-Merino, Miguel Á. 2006. On the Translation of Video Games. JoSTrans—The Journal of Specialised Translation 6: 22–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2011. A Brief History of Game Localisation. Trans 15: 11–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2015. Translation and Localisation in Video Games Making Entertainment Software Global. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2016. Creating Felicitous Gaming Experiences: Semiotics and Pragmatics as Tools for Video Game Localisation. Signata. Annales Des Sémitoques 7: 231–253. https://doi.org/10.4000/signata.1227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2020. Key Concepts in Game Localisation Quality. In The Palgrave Handbook of AudioviTranslation and Media Accessibility, ed. Łukasz Bogucki and Mikołaj Deckert, 297–314. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Chaume, Frederic. 2012. Audiovisual Translation: Dubbing. Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2018. Is Audiovisual Translation Putting the Concept of Translation Up Against the Ropes? JosTrans—The Journal of Specialised Translation 30: 84–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2020. Dubbing. In The Palgrave Handbook of Audiovisual Translation and Media Accessibility, ed. Łukasz Bogucki and Mikolaj Deckert, 103–132. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Collins, Karen. 2008. Game Sound: An Introduction to the History, Theory, and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • De Maria, Rusel. 2019. High Score! Expanded: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games. 3rd ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press and Taylor & Francis Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deckert, Mikołaj. 2020. Capturing AVT and MA: Rationale, Facets and Objectives. In The Palgrave Handbook of Audiovisual Translation and Media Accessibility, ed. Łukasz Bogucki and Mikołaj Deckert, 1–9. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Díaz Cintas, Jorge, and Aline Remael. 2021. Subtitling: Concepts and Practices. London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dietz, Frank. 2006. Issues in Localizing Computer Games. In Perspectives on Localization, ed. Keiran J. Dunne, 121–134. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Donovan, Tristan. 2010. Replay: The History of Video Games. Lewes: Yellow Ant.

    Google Scholar 

  • ESA (Entertainment Software Association). 2019. 2019 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry. Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernández Costales, Alberto. 2012. Exploring Translation Strategies in Video Game Localisaton. MonTI 4: 385–408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fritsch, Melanie. 2013. History of Video Game Music. In Music and GaPerspectives on a Popular Alliance, ed. Peter Moormann, 11–40. Berlin: Springer VS. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-531-18913-0.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Granell, Ximo, Carme Mangiron, and Núria Vidal. 2015. La traducción de videojuegos. Sevilla: Bienza.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grimshaw, Mark. 2014. Sound. In The Routledge Companion To Video Game Studies, ed. Mark J.P. Wolf and Bernard Perron, 115–124. London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heimburg, Eric. 2006. Localizing MMORPGs. In Perspectives on Localization, ed. Keiran J. Dunne, 135–154. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hennessey, Jonathan, and Jack McGowan. 2017. La historia en cómic de los videojuegos. Girona: Evolution Cómics (Panini).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kehoe, Barry, and David Hickey. 2006. Games Localization. Localization Focus 5 (March): 27–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kent, Steven L. 2001. The Ultimate History of Video Games. New York: Three Rivers Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kines, Melianthe. 2000. Planning and Directing Motion Capture for Games. Gamasutra, no. 19 January.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klevjer, Rune. 2014. Cut-Scenes. In The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies, ed. Mark J.P. Wolf and Bernard Perron, 301–309. London and New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levis, Diego. 2013. Los videojuegos, un fenómeno de masas. 2nd ed. Barcelona: Paidós.

    Google Scholar 

  • López Redondo, Isaac. 2014. ¿Qué es un videojuego? Claves Para entender el mayor fenómeno cultural del siglo XXI. Sevilla: Héroes de Papel.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mangiron, Carme. 2004. Localizing Final Fantasy—Bringing Fantasy to Reality. LISA Newsletter Global Insider XIII (1.3): 5.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2007. Video Games Localisation: Posing New Challenges to the Translator. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology 14 (4): 306–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/09076760708669046.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2017. Research in Game Localisation. The Journal of Internationalization and Localization 4 (2): 74–99. https://doi.org/10.1075/jial.00003.man.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mangiron, Carme, and Minako O’Hagan. 2006. Unleashing Imagination with ‘Restricted’ Translation. JoStrans. The Journal of Specialised Translation 6: 10–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mangiron, Carme, Pilar Orero, and Minako O’Hagan. 2014. Fun for All: Translation and Accessibility Practices in Video Games. Bern: Peter Lang.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Martínez Robles, David. 2003. De Super Mario a Lara Croft: La historia oculta de los videojuegos. Palma de Mallorca: Dolmen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maxwell-Chandler, Heather, and Stephanie O’Malley Deming. 2012. The Game Localization Handbook. 2nd ed. Sudbury, MA: Jones.

    Google Scholar 

  • Méndez González, Ramón, and José Ramón Calvo-Ferrer. 2017. Videojuegos y [para]traducción: Aproximación a la práctica localizadora. Granada: Comares.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michel, Jean Baptiste, Yuan Kui Shen, Aviva Presser Aiden, Adrian Veres, Matthew K. Gray, Joseph P. Pickett, Dale Hoiberg, et al. 2011. Quantitative Analysis of Culture Using Millions of Digitized Books. Science 331 (6014): 176–182. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1199644.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mulligan, Mark. 2020. Recorded Music Revenues Hit $21.5 Billion in 2019. MIDIA, March 5. https://www.midiaresearch.com/blog/recorded-music-revenues-hit-215-billion-in-2019.

  • Muñoz Sánchez, Pablo. 2017. Localización de videojuegos. Madrid: Editorial Síntesis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newman, James. 2004. Videogames. London and New York: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • O’Hagan, Minako. 2007. Video Games as a New Domain for Translation Research: From Translating Text to Translating Experience. Tradumàtica 5. http://www.fti.uab.es/tradumatica/revista/num5/articles/09/09.pdf.

  • O’Hagan, Minako, and Heather Chandler. 2016. Game Localization Research and Translation Studies Loss and Gain under an Interdisciplinary Lens. In Border Crossings. Translation Studies and Other Disciplines, ed. Yves Gambier and Luc van Doorslaer, 309–330. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • O’Hagan, Minako, and Carme Mangiron. 2013. Game Localization: Translating for the Global Digital Entertainment Industry. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Parsons, Neil. 2007. Historia de los videojuegos: Berzerk. La Esfera Musical, December 3. https://laesferamusical-np.blogspot.com/2007/12/historia-de-los-videojuegos-berzerk_9047.html.

  • Pérez Fernández, Lucila María. 2010. La localización de videojuegos (inglés-español): Aspectos técnicos, metodológicos y profesionales. Málaga: Universidad de Málaga.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillpott, Matthew. 2016. An Introduction to Text Mining. PORT (Postgraduate Online Research Training). School of Advanced Study, University of London. https://port.sas.ac.uk/mod/book/view.php?id=554&chapterid=328.

  • Retrolaser. 2014. Laserdisc, de La Revolución Al Fiasco. Retrolaser.Es, October 12. https://retrolaser.es/laserdisc-historia-en-las-recreativas/.

  • Rodríguez Breijo, Vanessa, and José Manuel Pestano Rodríguez. 2012. Los Videojuegos en España: Una industria Cultural incipiente. Ámbitos. Revista Internacional de Comunicación 21: 361–379. https://doi.org/10.12795/ambitos.2012.i21.18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wijiman, Tom. 2020. The World’s 2.7 Billion Gamers Will Spend $159.3 Billion on Games in 2020; The Market Will Surpass $200 Billion by 2023. Newzoo, May 8. https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/newzoo-games-market-numbers-revenues-and-audience-2020-2023/.

  • Wolf, Mark J.P. 2005. The Medium of the Video Game. 3rd ed. Austin: The University of Texas Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Translation and Communication, Jaume I University, Castelló, Spain

    Laura Mejías-Climent

Authors
  1. Laura Mejías-Climent
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laura Mejías-Climent .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Mejías-Climent, L. (2021). The History of Localization and Dubbing in Video Games. In: Enhancing Video Game Localization Through Dubbing. Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88292-1_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88292-1_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-88291-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-88292-1

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation