Game Culturalisation: Adapting Content for Different Markets

This guide is for game designers, producers and publishers preparing a game for several regions. It explains what culturalisation covers, how age ratings and national law affect content, and how to build a review into your production schedule.

Culturalisation decisions are about risk and respect, not censorship for its own sake. A symbol, gesture or historical reference that is harmless in one market can block a rating, trigger a store rejection or alienate players in another.

What is game culturalisation, and how does it differ from localisation?

Game culturalisation is the review and adaptation of a game's visual, narrative and gameplay content so that it fits the laws, values and expectations of each target market. Localisation adapts language and formats; culturalisation goes further and may change art, characters, story elements or mechanics.

Translators often spot cultural problems first, because they read every line. Fixing those problems, however, may need designers, artists and legal advice. For the overall process, see our complete guide to video game localisation, and for definitions of related terms, our article on translation vs localisation vs internationalisation.

Which age-rating systems apply in which markets?

Each major market has its own age-rating system, and the same content can receive different ratings in different regions. The main systems a studio meets are summarised below.

PEGI describes its system as "used and recognised throughout Europe". Its labels carry content descriptors for violence, bad language, fear and horror, gambling, sex, drugs and discrimination, and interactive descriptors such as in-game purchases and "Paid random items" (PEGI: What do the labels mean?). The USK labels cite section 14 of the German Youth Protection Act, and the ESRB ratings guide sets out the North American categories.

On digital storefronts the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) offers "A streamlined global age rating system for digitally delivered games and apps". Ratings are not optional: Google Play states that "Apps without a content rating will be removed from the Play Store." (Google Play Console Help).

Why did games once need a different version for Germany?

Games sold in Germany were long edited to remove Nazi symbols, because German criminal law restricts the use of symbols of unconstitutional organisations. Section 86a of the German Criminal Code (StGB) defines these symbols broadly:

"Kennzeichen im Sinne des Absatzes 1 sind namentlich Fahnen, Abzeichen, Uniformstücke, Parolen und Grußformen." (Symbols within the meaning of subsection 1 are in particular flags, insignia, parts of uniforms, slogans and forms of greeting.)

The law includes an exception, in section 86(4) StGB, for uses that serve purposes such as civic education, art, science, research, teaching, or reporting on current events or history. In 2018 the USK changed its practice and began assessing in individual cases whether such symbols in a game are socially adequate under that exception (Legal Tribune Online). Before that, developers typically replaced swastikas with other shapes. Studios still need to plan for a case-by-case decision rather than assume approval.

What content typically needs culturalising?

Content that commonly needs culturalising falls into a few recurring groups. Review each group for every target market.

• Historical and political symbols: flags, insignia, uniforms and references to real conflicts.
• Religion: sacred texts, places of worship, religious figures and symbols used as decoration or as enemies.
• Maps, borders and place names: disputed territories and the names used for them.
• Gestures and body language: hand signs and poses whose meaning varies between cultures.
• Numbers and colours: associations with luck, death or mourning differ by culture.
• Humour, names and wordplay: jokes and character names that do not survive translation; these need transcreation rather than literal translation.
• Violence, blood, sex and drugs: the content that most often moves a game into a higher rating category.
• Gambling mechanics: loot boxes and other paid random items, which carry their own PEGI descriptor.

Does culturalisation apply to store pages and marketing too?

Culturalisation applies to everything a player sees, including store pages, trailers, icons and advertising. Platform policies treat store metadata in the same way as the game itself.

Section 11.5 of the Microsoft Store Policies says: "Content may be considered sensitive or offensive in certain countries/regions because of local laws or cultural norms." A key art image or tagline that passes in one region can therefore lead to a rejection in another.

How do you run a culturalisation review?

A culturalisation review is most effective, and cheapest, when it starts during pre-production. The steps below fit most production schedules.

1. List target markets and platforms, including the rating systems each one uses.
2. Share early material, such as the story outline, character and location concepts, and key art, with reviewers who know each market.
3. Flag risks by severity: legal or rating blockers, likely player offence, and minor preferences.
4. Decide on one global version or regional variants. A single version that works everywhere is simpler to maintain.
5. Brief translators on the decisions so that names, terms and references are handled consistently.
6. Check again during LQA, because new content and late art changes can introduce new issues; see LQA in game localisation.
7. Review marketing before each regional campaign starts.

Common culturalisation mistakes

Most culturalisation problems are found too late, when changing art or story is expensive. These are the mistakes to avoid:

• Leaving the review until translation, when assets are already final.
• Assuming that a rating in one region predicts the rating in another.
• Over-correcting and removing content that players in the market expect and value.
• Forgetting user-generated content, chat and community features, which carry their own risks.
• Using real maps or flags without checking how each market names and draws them.
• Translating jokes and names literally instead of adapting them.

Cultural risk also affects which markets you enter first; our guide to which languages to localise a game into first covers that decision.

How TranslationWorks can help

TranslationWorks is a UK-based translation agency that helps game studios adapt content for new markets, working with native-speaking linguists in 150+ languages. Our IT and gaming translation team translates game text and store pages, and our linguists flag cultural references that may not work for a target audience as they translate.

For names, humour, taglines and trailers that need creative adaptation, our transcreation service rewrites the content for each market rather than translating it word for word. We are ISO 17100 certified, ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 registered and Cyber Essentials certified. Ask for a free quote with your target markets and we will reply within 24 hours.