Understanding the role of culture and cultural attributes in digital game localization

Culturalization plays an important role in game localization. It is associated with cultural attributes (e.g. language). When a digital game is localized for a target audience, game context and contents should be suitable for local culture that includes specific customs, traditions, and beliefs. Without the proper understanding of the specific culture of a target audience, game localization and culturalization may not be successful. Furthermore, it may lead to a failure in marketing and promoting sales. In this report, we reviewed the literature about culture and identified common cultural attributes. We also reviewed the importance of digital game localization and culturalization in digital game development. We discussed the examples of simple, partial, and full digital game localizations, including the 'Pokémon Go' game, “Scissors-Paper-Stone”, and commercial digital games that use cultural attributes as contents and context. Lastly, we discussed the importance of each cultural attribute and how they can be used in game localization and culturalization. The discussion in this report can provide insights into the importance of culture and cultural attributes in digital game localization and culturalization for game designers and practitioners.