Jump to content
  • Sign Up
×
×
  • Create New...

[STEAM][PRESS]One simple question made localising Pokemon Crystal a lot more difficult than you would think

Steam

By Steam,
in Game News

 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Diamond Member
Steam Shadow Hunter

Steam 0

Posted
  • Diamond Member
Posted
This is the hidden content, please
This is the hidden content, please
was the first game to introduce gender options for the player character, but that made it a touch tricky to localise.

The first question you're faced with in Pokemon Crystal is potentially a simple one: "Are you a boy? Or are you a girl?" Granted, that isn't exactly the easiest question for everyone, but Pokemon Crystal only gives you the two options, so the process is still simple overall. It's not something you'd think about much these days, but was a pretty big deal for video games back in the day. However, the original localiser behind the Pokemon games right from the original Red and Blue right through to Platinum, Nob Ogasawara, has shared a neat little behind the scenes look into the process of localising such a choice, which turned out to be a bit more difficult than you might first expect.

Upon seeing the option, Ogasawara initially thought "'Hot dang, this is progress. It opens up gaming to ******.' (Yeah, naive. I'm glad they've gotten better.)" However, as he notes, "reality sank in. There's no gender-specific text. No options for, 'What's [v1] doing here?' v1 = he, she." What Ogasawara means by that, is that because ********* isn't a gendered language in the way English is, and doesn't have specific pronouns that change depending on gender, there wasn't anything programmed to make the player character's pronouns change automatically based on whether they choose boy or girl, because that wouldn't be the case in *********.

This is the hidden content, please


This is the hidden content, please

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Vote for the server

    To vote for this server you must login.

    Jim Carrey Flirting GIF

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

Important Information

Privacy Notice: We utilize cookies to optimize your browsing experience and analyze website traffic. By consenting, you acknowledge and agree to our Cookie Policy, ensuring your privacy preferences are respected.

  I accept