The
gaming industry is the most lucrative market in the world. It’s popular among all ages of people, no matter whether they’re young or old. It possesses a large business opportunity for game app developers that want to expand their gaming business across borders. Similarly, companies opt for softwares that is in their native language so that they can keep all the subsidiaries on the same page. If the software is in a different language then the companies take assistance from
professional software translation services. This happens on a larger scale.
For launching a game or software for a foreign market, you must know the worth of the gaming and software industry in that region. Moreover, Germany has the second-highest smartphone penetration. Therefore, it will be a rational decision of yours to target the German gaming market. For this, you’ve to translate your games into the German language. If you go for
video game translation services then you’ll also be able to cater to other German markets like Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Austria.
The German Gaming Market
Do you know that the German gaming market is the fifth largest market in the world and the largest in Europe? Moreover, it is consistently growing. The reason for immense growth is online services and in-game purchases.
Market Trends
You will be surprised to know that 34 million Germans play video and computer games. 36% of them play regularly and 42% play occasionally. The average German gamer is 37.5 years old. The most common platform for games in Germany is mobile devices and mobile developers reap revenue from in-game purchases. Approximately 48% of gamers like to play games on PCs and consoles. Out of this number, 42% play
games on PC, and 10% play games on consoles.
Adopting the German Language Style
The language style followed in every region is different. For the German target market, you must understand the type of software or game and then decide whether you need to go for the formal or informal German style. Do you know that the formal German style is more polite? People can feel conservative and they might get confused because of this style. On the other hand, informal German is more personal and it evolves with cultural changes. You can use informal German for the app and game title however for business softwares, you must use a formal tone.
Consider Graphics, Fonts, and User Interface
When writing for a German target market, try to be specific and use short words and phrases. Depending upon the text, the German language can result in long sentences and long words. For this, you must be very careful in shortening the length of the string as it can distort the message.
Font Types
There are no specifications for German fonts. You can select it if it resonates with your game or target audience. The selected font should support German special characters which are the letters with the umlaut such as Ä, ä, Ö, ö, Ü, and ü. You can write these letters as Ae, ae, Oe, oe, Ue, and ue. This writing style demands attention to detail.
Resonating with Cultural and Local Nuances
The culture of Germany is influenced by the pop culture of Japan, Russia, and the US. Moreover, it is also influenced by traditional European neighbors. No doubt, that they are liberal towards different themes and topics but they don’t tolerate blood and weapons shown in games. Do you know that gambling is regulated in Germany and people gamble it in state-owned casinos? As far as games are concerned, only luck-based games that feel like gambling are acceptable without the involvement of money in them.
Privacy and Personal Data Security
German people are very concerned about their personal data and privacy. For this, your game must comply with General Data Protection Regulation GDPR rules and regulations. To ensure privacy and personal data you should hire a
professional translation agency because they employ translators that have prior experience of video game translation services.
Use an Acquisition Strategy
Apart from German translation services, in order to capture the German market, you must promote video games at Gamescom. It’s one of the annual events of its kind that attract more than 370,000 gamers from around the world. Moreover, social media and YouTube usage in Germany is also very high. Therefore, many game and software developers use these digital platforms to capture the German gaming market.
Wrapping Up
German people are under the influence of other cultures and the market of video games and software is no exception to it. The gaming translation services are essential for game users so that they can download the games and experience that games are actually developed for them. The German language offers two complementary approaches, formal and informal. Apart from business-orientated softwares, you can use informal German language. One thing that you should keep in mind while going for German translation services is that you should avoid the shortening of words as it can alter the meaning. Try to select the format that can support umlauts.
