Field Work: Students Localize a New Online Game Through Class Project

They’ll be able to show how they localized an online game from English to Chinese.

“We are really excited that the developer wants to incorporate our translation throughout the game,” says Lu. “For me, this is the first time that I’ve experienced this.”

The two are enrolled in the Institute’s MA in Translation and Localization Management program, which trains students for a variety of product localization scenarios. Every student in Professor Max Troyer’s Games Localization course is required to localize a game as their final class project.

Learning by Doing

While researching possible candidates, Shen discovered the text-based, role-playing game A Dark Forest on the website Itch.io, a platform for open-source game developers like the game’s creator, TinyTakinTeller. 

“The game is actually still in development,” says Shen. “They’re still figuring out the mechanisms and ending, so we might see more versions in the future, and the developers would like us to continue to support the Chinese localization of the game.”

Adds Shen, “We not only localized the text but also implemented a language selector, updated the game UI code to accommodate language changes, and provided insights on localizability checks during the writing process. It’s safe to say that we have been here through every step of the localization process.”

One challenge was that A Dark Forest was developed on a game engine they hadn’t used before. A game engine is a software framework designed to simplify and streamline the development of video games.

“We did a lot of research, watching YouTube videos,” says Lu. “And then we learned that this tool is actually very popular among game developers who want to develop a simple text-based game. We are very happy that we learned how to use it!”

Connecting to a Supportive Community

Both also stressed the importance of the support they received from the game development community online.

“Networking or connecting with the right people definitely helped,” says Shen. “It wasn’t as scary as we thought it might be because we had such a great community supporting us, and the developer has been really responsive.”

Their master’s coursework also proved invaluable in completing the project. 

“All of the techniques Professor Troyer taught us were leveraged in our final project,” says Lu. “Although we were not using the same tools we used in class, the basic elements are the same.”

Adds Shen, “Professor Troyer always encouraged us to go and explore new engines—he actually wanted us to be creative and make something new.”

Both feel confident the project will help them in their careers after graduation. 

“After completing this project, I realized that what Xiaofei and I were doing actually covers the roles of multiple people in a real company,” said Lu, who hopes to become a localization project manager. “In the future, I may not be interacting with the code or translating the text on my own, but after this experience, I know how to manage and communicate with the game developers and the translators.”

In addition to the two students’ work localizing the game for Chinese audiences, A Dark Forest has now been adapted for French and Brazilian Portuguese audiences. Like Xiaofei Shen and Minting Lu’s careers, the game remains in development, but with a promising future.