Kate Edwards: The Global Game: Creating Culturally-Resonant Worlds

In the world of video games, where virtual landscapes take players on adventures there's a crucial element that often goes unnoticed but can greatly impact a games popularity worldwide; cultural adaptation. Kate Edwards, a geographer and culturalization expert, with over three decades of experience in the industry plays a role in ensuring that beloved games like Halo and Mass Effect connect with audiences across the globe.

As the CEO of Geographi LLC and co founder of SetJetters as having held key positions at organizations like the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and Global Game Jam she has devoted her career to navigating the cultural nuances within video games. Her approach extends beyond translation focusing on tailoring content to resonate with players from cultural backgrounds. According to Edwards culturalization involves more than language; it encompasses aspects such, as character design, architecture, clothing styles and environmental details.

Edwards journey, into the realm of culturalization strategy began during her time at Microsoft in the 1990s, where she initially served as a strategist. Her primary focus was assisting the company in navigating the landscape of presenting content in various markets. Over time her role expanded to establish a team for strategy with the goal of aiding Microsoft in avoiding political and cultural pitfalls across all their content offerings, including games.

"I essentially defined the responsibilities of a culturalization strategist " Edwards explains. "It's not a role you come across frequently." She highlights one of the challenges she encounters in her work—addressing topics that are often overlooked within workplace discussions. "That's what my work revolves around " she stresses. "I have to address these issues there's no room for ambiguity."

In her capacity Edwards collaborates with content creators to help them grasp how audiences from regions interpret their creations. Drawing parallels to Jiminy Cricket she sees herself as an advisor guiding developers, towards aware choices.

" to be clear " Edwards adds, "I'm not here to critique your endeavors. Your talent is extraordinary—it truly is.". What I'm trying to say is that the choices being made regarding the design are stepping into a territory that could be seen as appropriation, which might not be fully understood by everyone.

In her work Edwards often makes changes, to content like replacing insensitive elements or modifying a characters name to avoid unintended references. One significant instance is her contribution to the Halo series, where she suggested changing a characters name from "Dervish" to "Arbiter" to prevent backlash from the community.

"Dervish is closely linked to that group [Sufi Islam] just like pope is strongly associated with Roman Catholicism " Edwards explains. "By using dervish for this character the dervish serves as the prophet of truth who leads the Covenant, an organization seeking to activate these seven halo rings. Structures essentially serving as weapons of destruction that would eradicate all sentient life in the galaxy.. Who opposes them? It's a soldier with an accent, known as Master Chief along, with his companions who also have American accents. I personally thought that using the term "dervish" seemed to hint at a meaning that we didn't really intend to convey."

While a significant part of Edwards work focuses on avoiding misunderstandings she also stresses the importance of cultural adaptation, where game developers actively strive to improve the gaming experience, for specific markets or demographics. For instance she mentions how in Temple Run 2 developers incorporated content related to Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead celebration leading to a notable increase in sales and positive feedback from Mexican players.

"It's not about avoiding aspects and ensuring we don't offend anyone " Edwards underscores. "There are instances where small adjustments can significantly enhance the experience."

In light of the evolution of the gaming industry Edwards believes that cultural adaptation strategists will play a vital role especially considering the constantly changing geopolitical landscape and the influence of social media on public discussions.

"We need to analyze every event in relation, to our content decisions " she explains. "The impact of the Ukraine invasion that occurred two years ago had a effect, on the industry in terms of handling Russian focused and Ukraine related content. Additionally the ongoing events in Israel and Gaza over the six months have not contributed to stability either.

For individuals aspiring to venture into game development and incorporate elements into their projects Edwards provides guidance. Emphasizing that awareness plays a role she highlights that acknowledging the existence of these differences is key to overcoming challenges.

She urges developers to engage with individuals from the cultures they aim to portray in their games of whether they have professional expertise in sociology or anthropology. According to Edwards seeking insights from someone belonging to the culture sets a standard for representation.

Apart from her love, for movies Edwards has translated her enthusiasm for exploration into SetJetters—an app that allows users to explore real world locations featured in their films and TV shows. The application turns the experience of "set jetting" into a game, where users can earn achievements and access content while exploring the ties, between beloved media and the locations where they were brought to life.

"In my opinion it's about fostering that connection you have with the media you adore and the filming locations " Edwards explains.

Kate Edwards, known for her work as a culturalization strategist and creator of SetJetters app continues to connect worlds with world cultural landscapes. Her dedication to promoting sensitivity and authenticity in video games has not improved the appeal of numerous titles globally but has also paved the way for a more inclusive and respectful gaming industry.

In an interconnected world the significance of incorporating culture into video games cannot be emphasized enough. With advocates, like Kate Edwards leading this movement gamers can anticipate immersive experiences that transcend boundaries and unite people through interactive storytelling.