Gaming Across Cultures: The Localization of God of War Ragnarök into Arabic

Abstract

Game localization is increasingly prevalent nowadays and developers use this process to sell their games globally through simultaneous shipping. This field is highly connected to audiovisual translation since games are a blend of visual, audio, and linguistic content. This study examines the challenges of localizing semi-open world games in Arabic through a case study of God of War Ragnarök. The study aims to determine the strategies the translators use to deal with cultural-bound elements in the game. The data in this research is collected manually and analyzed according to Pederson’s 2005 model of Extralinguistic Culture-Bound references and Al-Adwan’s 2015 revised euphemisation model. The research analyzes the in-game texts, including menus, instructions, and subtitles, focusing on Norse mythology, religion, and profane language. The study reveals that the overall translation approach used in the game is Source Language-oriented through the technique of retention as the game is deeply rooted in Norse mythology, which is an aspect that is preserved in the localized Arabic version of the game. However, a combination of different Target Language-oriented approaches such as generalization, substitution, omission, and semantic misrepresentation are used to deal with religious references and profane language. The research shows that the translation approaches used in such cases can significantly influence the gaming experience, especially through the neutral portrayal of Non-Player Characters (NPCs), which are central to the storyline and overall gameplay. Additionally, the analysis shows that translators do not adhere to the subtitling conventions, which can hinder the flow of information presented to the players. The study emphasizes the need for additional research into subtitles in localized video games and suggests that more focus should be placed on maintaining the character's tone, as this can often be lost during translation. Keywords: Localization, video games, subtitles, extra-linguistic reference (ECR), culture.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Humanities and Social Science