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Gamer-Generated Language and the Localisation of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

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University College London Centre for Translation Studies Gamer-Generated Language and the Localisation of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games Samuel Strong Thesis submitted for the examination of PhD April 2018 Supervisors: Dr Rocío Baños-Piñero Prof. Tim Mathews 1 Declaration of originality I, Samuel Strong, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. 15 April 2018 2 Abstract Video game localisation has received increased academic attention over the past few years. Despite the call for user-oriented research, few researchers have chosen to focus on issues that are central to end-user experience and its relation to the localised text. With the increased connectivity of gaming in general, and certain game genres in particular, gamers’ language use has become an integral aspect of the game experience. As a result, gamers have become innovative, creating and re- appropriating language, often using non-standard forms to coordinate their gameplay. This innovative and non-standard language, that I call gamer-speak, is the object of my research. In particular, the focus is on the gamer-speak generated by French gamers during group play of two localised Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs): World of Warcraft and WildStar. The main aim is to investigate the phenomenon of gamer-speak in MMORPGs and examine its significance for MMORPG localisation. I achieve this through a linguistic analysis and comparison of gamer conversations, analyses of localised texts and its original counterparts, and from survey data collected from active MMORPG gamers regarding their language use. In this thesis I devise an interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological framework for the study of gamer-speak and its influence on MMORPGs which draws principally from Translation Studies and Games Studies. This framework is used to describe the salient features of gamer-speak generated by French gamers when playing the two MMORPGs chosen in the context of Polysystem Theory and Descriptive Translation Studies. The familiarity with and knowledge of French MMORPG players of gamer-speak is determined through surveys. I also examine localised MMORPG text, translated from English into French, paying attention to the role of gamer-speak. Finally, I address the social and cultural implications that gamer-speak has for the target audience of localised MMORPGs. This work adds to our understanding of gamer culture and has implications for game localisation and translation studies. 3 Acknowledgements First, special thanks are due to my primary supervisor, Dr Rocio Baños-Piñero. She has invested immeasurable time and energy to guiding me through a complex and evolving field of research. Her keen eye for detail and infallibly logical vision of my project has been pivotal to all the effort coming to fruition. Prof. Tim Mathews, my secondary supervisor, also deserves mention for investing in this project from the earliest stages and advising on topics that I might not have considered without his contribution. I also must express my gratitude to my family for their sage advice and direction throughout my time working on this study – their experience and positive attitudes has been a driving force throughout the years, and I owe a great deal of my motivation and inspiration to them. I am also extremely appreciative and thankful for the enthusiastic participants in my research: the guilds of gamers, industry professionals, and passionate individuals who have offered feedback, nuance, and insider information on a number of topics, as well as making much of the research design and data collection a pleasure rather than a chore. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I am eternally grateful to my wife Nicole – her enduring support of, and patience with my work on this project will never be forgotten. I wouldn’t be where I am if not for her. 4 Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction ...................................................................................... 17 1.1 Research aims and questions ................................................................... 20 1.2 Thesis structure ....................................................................................... 21 Chapter 2 Localisation and MMORPGs: key concepts and considerations ..... 25 2.1 An overview of the evolving field of video game localisation ............... 25 2.2 A working definition of MMORPGs ...................................................... 32 2.3 Gamer agency in MMORPGs ................................................................. 40 2.3.1 Gamer-generated language and gamer-speak in MMORPGs .......... 41 2.4 Video game localisation and MMORPGs ............................................... 46 2.4.1 The industrial process of video game localisation ........................... 46 2.4.2 Skopos theory .................................................................................. 53 2.4.3 Video games: paratextual, intertextual, multichannel ..................... 55 2.4.3.1 Paratextuality ............................................................................ 56 2.4.3.2 Intertextuality ........................................................................... 58 2.4.3.3 Video games as multichannel texts .......................................... 60 2.4.4 Key challenges in MMORPG localisation....................................... 63 Chapter 3 Theoretical framework ..................................................................... 67 3.1 Situating MMORPG localisation within Translation Studies ................. 68 3.1.1 Descriptive Translation Studies ....................................................... 68 3.1.1.1 The notion of problem .............................................................. 69 3.1.1.2 The notion of solution .............................................................. 70 3.1.1.3 The notion of act ....................................................................... 71 3.1.1.4 The notion of translatability ..................................................... 72 3.1.2 Polysystem Theory .......................................................................... 74 3.1.2.1 Product ...................................................................................... 75 3.1.2.2 Repertoire ................................................................................. 77 5 3.1.2.3 Producer .................................................................................... 84 3.1.2.4 Consumer .................................................................................. 85 3.1.2.5 Institution .................................................................................. 85 3.1.2.6 Market ....................................................................................... 87 3.1.2.7 PST and its suitability for the study of MMORPG localisation ………………………………………………………………..87 3.2 Situating MMORPG localisation within Game Studies .......................... 88 3.2.1 The Ludology vs. Narratology question, and video game transcreation ……………………………………………………………………..89 3.2.2 Sociological observations: ‘game rules’, ‘gamer rules’, and ‘pluralistic ignorance’ .................................................................................... 96 3.2.2.1 Game rules and gamer rules ..................................................... 97 3.2.2.2 Pluralistic ignorance and hypersalience of gamer identity ..... 103 Chapter 4 Methodology .................................................................................. 107 4.1 World of Warcraft: an overview ........................................................... 107 4.2 WildStar: an overview ........................................................................... 109 4.3 In-game chat data collection and analysis ............................................. 111 4.3.1 Methodology for the analysis of gamer-speak in in-game chat data ……………………………………………………………………116 4.3.1.1 Discourse Analysis for the study of gamer conversations ...... 117 4.3.1.2 Classification of gamer-speak terms ...................................... 119 4.4 Localised game text collection and analysis ......................................... 122 4.4.1 Methodology for the analysis of localised game text .................... 125 4.5 Gamer reporting: online survey ............................................................ 128 Chapter 5 Analysis of gamer-speak ................................................................ 133 5.1 World of Warcraft ................................................................................. 133 5.1.1 World of Warcraft in-game text chat ............................................. 134 5.1.2 World of Warcraft voice chat ......................................................... 149 6 5.2 WildStar................................................................................................. 164 5.2.1 WildStar voice chat ........................................................................ 164 5.3 Conclusions ........................................................................................... 176 Chapter 6 Text analysis: the localisation of World of Warcraft and WildStar………………… ...................................................................................... 182 6.1 Player ability names & tooltips ............................................................. 185 6.1.1 World of Warcraft .........................................................................
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