Game Localisation amid Geopolitical Tensions: Taiwanese Independent Game Developers in the Global Gaming Market

Abstract

Independent (or “indie”) game developers, as counterparts to commercially oriented mainstream developers, are often characterised by greater creative autonomy due to reduced external control. In reality, independence typically entails limited resources, necessitating many to sell games beyond the domestic market. For indie developers from Taiwan, the escalating geopolitical tensions across the Strait complicate this global navigation, especially given China’s emergence in the global gaming industry. Grounded in game localisation research and informed by a sociological lens, this study investigates the impact of geopolitical dynamics on the development and circulation of Taiwanese-made games by eliciting Taiwanese indie developers’ perceptions of geopolitical tensions and their GILT strategies (globalisation, internationalisation, localisation and translation). The thesis is designed to first establish the context of research with a case study on controversy surrounding Red Candle Games, followed by an interview-based study of fifteen Taiwanese indie developers. It adopts Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice (1977) to understand the power structure and social interactions among the main actors of game development and circulation. This is complemented by Pym’s Translation Economics (2017) to analyse the financially driven dimension of GILT strategies to access global markets. The findings reveal a strong advantage in the sizable Chinese market, maximising translation economics, due to this market’s linguistic and cultural proximity for Taiwanese games, while over-reliance on this market exposes Taiwanese developers to geopolitical tensions. The interviewees demonstrate their awareness of the delicate balance where engagement with the Chinese market may call for careful industry relations management and design adjustments, especially for games expressing Taiwanese identity, putting at risk the very creative autonomy indie games epitomise. This precarious negotiation is discussed in terms of Bourdieu’s habitus, field and, in particular, capital, by extending Consalvo’s (2007) gaming capital. The thesis concludes by suggesting pointers for GILT strategies for Taiwanese developers, including the notion of “strategic ambiguity” (Brown 2024a) often referenced in diplomacy and political communication to manage geopolitical tensions. This research contributes to an empirically supported understanding of how geopolitics serves to shape the market mechanisms, likely transforming the global gaming industry and games over time