I'm currently doing research for a thesis in international marketing regarding video games market and how they are adapted locally regarding the cultural expectations of consumers and local pressures (laws, censorship, etc.).
So far I've found a lot of example that I can explain through the scope of marketing for box arts and censorship stuff, but I'm a bit off regarding games where the actual content inside the game has been changed for those reasons.
The only real example I've got so far is the ace attorney hamburger fiasco. Any other ideas ?
TL,DR : Any example of how the content of a game has been changed to answer some local cultural needs ?
just watch "did you know gaming" or something. they always mention localization changes, like for example the hippo lady in links awakening not being naked in the german release.
>>332303397
Will do, thanks.
Any other ideas ?
>>332303475
read hardcoregaming101, I guess.
>>332303475
Bravely Default would be semi-topical. Also, if you are going to use didyouknowgaming the Silent Hill games have a couple of times they had to change stuff, namely a enemy type that wad too similar to an infant child. Japan as a whole has trouble knowing what is acceptable outside their own culture. Inversely I remember something about Bethesda having to change the name of the "Fatman" for their Japanese release of Fallout 3.
>>332303991
>>332304245
Thanks too
In the US release of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, they made the protagonist an American while he is Japanese in the JP version
>>332303475
Another intresting little tibit about Japanese Culture v. Western Culture. In games with Elves, or characters with Elf ears (Zelda, Link). Japanese people use long cow ears instead of western pointy ears, because in Japan just having pointy ears would be the equivilant of them having horns on their head i.e. it makes them look demonic. Don't know if thats useful, but little stuff like that is interesting. Lots of weird miscommunications, and cultural diffrences.
>>332302978
>>332304767
Do you have an info pic that wasn't made by autists?
>>332304682
>>332304651
>>332304767
All of these are interesting too, thank you
>>332304767
again the SJW's try and ruin everything fun
>>332302978
first example i can think of is ice climber, they changed the seal enemies to yetis because they thought that seal clubbing would be taken poorly in the US.
also decent article by IGN here: http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/04/17/culturally-censored-games
>>332305389
>http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/04/17/culturally-censored-games
this was real good also, thanks
>>332304767
>using the removal of tranny gladiator as a point against feminism
no game called fucking "tranny gladiator" or "nigger killer" or "jew kicker" is going to hit the market, surely even /v/ must understand this. also they lied about having witcher staff members on board despite literally looking like a joke game like air control.
>>332304245
they also had to completely remove the option to nuke megaton for the Japanese release. guess nuclear bombs blowing up cites is still a touchy subject.
>>332305842
>surely even /v/ must understand this
don't kid yourself.
They changed the entire backstory of Vivian from Paper mario thousand year door. In the original jap version, Vivian is trans/crossdresser, made female in the translated release to not offend.
Pokemon has probably a thousand examples of "localization changes". Even things as simple as names are changed. While in the Japanese version any NPC character can have names like Tetsuya, Noboyuki, Thomas and Stefan, in the English version all Japanese-sounding names are removed except in very specific areas like the Fighting Dojo. Even move names can sometimes be changed because Japanese doesn't really have swears like English does (in the sense of words that are 'inherently bad'); so Sand Hell became Sand Tomb. There are many Pokemon moves that had their names changed in this way. And that's only the beginning.
There's a did you know gaming where in zelda dx or something using magic powder on a chu chu changes them in German so they say something like give me a condom and I'll give you my juice or something idk
>>332306556
I thought the point of them calling Vivian a guy was to insult her/him/xir and it didn't translate well.
>>332304767
>&knuckles
>>332306763
That's true and a good example. Thanks !
Wasn't there also some minor drama before the PS4 came out about what it would be called in Japan, since the number 4 is unlucky as it is also the word for death?
This is Ly, a character from Rayman 2. The original design is the US/European one, it was changed when the game was released in Japan.
>>332302978
Try
http://legendsoflocalization.com/
>>332307847
Nowadays most people use the reading "yon" instead of "shi" (this also means "death") for anything to do with the number 4. Anyway, the console is still called "Playstation Fo(ur)" in Japan.
>>332302978
I don't know where you are from, but the Starcraft 2 Brazilian portuguese localization was pretty laughable, trying to adapt names from iconic units like the Overlord, Ultralisk, etc into shit that didn't make any sense
>>332307889
I don't understand the issue with it.
>>332308491
Maybe it was too naked looking for the rating
>>332309459
My guess was the nekkid and the face (shape of the eyes and mouth) made her look too much like a middle easterner, maybe a turn off to the racist japs?
>>332302978
LA here, can confirm I have great view of Mt Fuji.
