Comments on: Esports are the new linguistic and cultural frontier

By: Lizamhel Mendoza

Lizamhel Mendoza — Sat, 03 Dec 2022 17:37:14 +0000

The rise of E-sports also serves as a bridge between different cultures because the players can form connections and develop friendships with their fellow gamers coming from different ethnicities. As such, we can see that there is a need for these games to have more inclusive language options so non-English speakers can also participate. E-sports is a unique medium to foster multiculturalism and multilingualism because of the melding of the players’ different backgrounds.

By: Ingrid Piller

Ingrid Piller — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 03:58:02 +0000

In reply to Chloe.

Thanks, Chloe! I agree with you about the negative effects – personally, I even find the term “sports” as misnomer for such a sedentary and unhealthy activity …

By: Chloe

Chloe — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 07:18:49 +0000

This is a very interesting article and a topic that should be explored. The influence of eSports in recent years is really not to be underestimated, especially in China. Although I’m not really interested in games or playing them. However, in recent years, the influence of eSports is really not to be underestimated. In China in particular, many famous celebrities have come to endorse games, and there have even been several TV series with a gaming theme in recent years. This has also sparked resentment among many parents because their children are addicted to games and refuse to study properly. Some parents even smash their phones and computers to teach their children a lesson. Due to all this news, I thought that playing games was an activity that has no positive impact，but why it has gained so much international recognition. However, this article gives me the answer. This not only promotes international communication, but also the country’s economy. It can also be seen that the English language has an unassailable position at the international level. Despite the fact that the majority of the gaming population is concentrated in China, all games are designed in English. Although e-gaming brings great benefits, the social problems it causes should not be underestimated. So at the same time, I think we all need to think about how to reduce the negative effects as well.

By: Ingrid Piller

Ingrid Piller — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 07:07:39 +0000

In reply to Hasan. Thanks, Hasan, for providing that additional perspective! Lots of research directions

By: Hasan

Hasan — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 06:27:56 +0000

The rise of Esports in China also influenced other Asian countries also. Especially in Bangladesh Esports are getting more popular day by day. Bangladesh also suffers from the same problem as Chinese gamers and follows the same solution also. Many Bangladeshi-speaking gaming channels on YouTube have become very successful. Not only Bangladesh, but China’s neighboring country India is also getting in Esports. Indian game developers even made many successful games also. Indian games are more popular on the android platform. The global gaming culture is changing slowly as more and more Asian game developers are making successful games, thus changing the gaming culture slowly. But the linguistics part is getting the same level of attention in my opinion. Almost all of the games are based in English. Bigger games like Genshi Impact, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds are available in multiple languages but mostly all games use English by default. Translating games is much more difficult than players realize so often developers skip this part or only focus on the 2 or 3 languages at best. So, I think we need more time to see the real linguistics impact on Esports

By: Maya Zhang

Maya Zhang — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 04:05:49 +0000

This article reminds me that when I was a gamer and a fan of Pokémon (a series game of Nintendo). I brought my first genuine game card of Pokémon ultra sun/moon (one of its versions). I consider this version is the most remarkable due to that it is the first time Pokémon officially includes languages of traditional and simplified Chinese as they never had those two languages in any version before， which meant Chinese Pokémon gamers could finally officially connect to the Pokémon’s world world-wide without playing the pirate version with Chinese language patches because of the language difficulty. The first shipment rate of this version exceeded 10 million copies which was the largest amount in the 3ds sale history.

Extending the language barrier increases revenue, especially in the Chinese language as China has the largest number of gamers and I am sure the vicious cycle of illegal copies in China’s gaming market will be broken as more and more world games are officially translated into Chinese.

By: Hana

Hana — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 11:56:23 +0000

It was a very interesting article for me as a fan of e-sports in Korea. E-sports is an online sports game area that Korea is enthusiastic about. In fact, Korea, which is proud to be an e-sports powerhouse, is also said to be in a recent crisis. Not long ago, the Korean team won the world championship, but it was evaluated that the team did well, not the Korean e-sports. Not long ago, Korea should take the lead in the system based on outstanding talent. I saw an article that emphasized that it was time for innovation. In fact, the history of e-sports in the world is the same as the history of e-sports in Korea. It is said that the Republic of Korea has taken initiatives for 20 years. However, it is said that it is now largely caught up with the constant challenge of the latecomer. Therefore, experts say that we should continue to discuss how Korean e-sports will take a step forward by utilizing the lessons and assets accumulated for 20 years. While Korean pop culture is sweeping the world, with BTS topping the Billboard chart these days, e-sports is also receiving great attention from young people, and public interest is increasing. However, experts say that now, we need to break down awareness and increase all-round interest.

By: Chocomilk

Chocomilk — Sun, 30 Oct 2022 08:16:24 +0000

Korea’s e-sport industry has been widespread and popular beginning early 21st century. In fact, many players are still well-known today as they are considered celebrities and even appear on many TV shows. E-sports players who have done well are also known to be very rich. It is very interesting to learn that Chinese e-sport industry is growing larger during the pandemic; Hangzhou Asian Games, still postponed to 2023, will introduce e-sports as one of the official games. Just as the Olympics and World Cup, E-sports require many players from all over the world to meet in the same platform (in this case, online) and compete against each other. No wonder that e-sports is now the new stage for cultural and linguistic exchange – game regulations, method of the game and communication between games are necessary. Immediate translation/interpretation services are crucial for sports industry as well, as one second can make a difference in the outcome.

By: Shiyi.ke

Shiyi.ke — Sun, 30 Oct 2022 05:32:03 +0000

After reading this article, I searched some related info about the language games online. This language game is the term coined by the British philosopher Wittgenstein. Refers to “the whole that interweaves language and activity” (“Philosophical Research”). He believes that language is a method that people use to transmit information between each other, an activity, and an important part of all activities. The language game itself includes the use and activity of language, just as the concept of chess activity itself includes the movement of chess pieces. The language games that appear in a specific language are the manifestations of people’s forms of life. Expectations, intentions, understanding, etc. are also forms of life through language activities.

In the mobile game version of LoL, we call it the Honor of kings, and there is a line that wins my heart, from Wang Zhaojun’s – a mage hero “Death is the destination of reincarnation, but fearless because of what you love”. This classic quote makes the hero and her skin more symbolic.

By: Yinchee

Yinchee — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 11:14:18 +0000

I began to play video games like LOL mentioned in this article since secondary school and I also noticed the use of English language in it. Every game user knows “first blood”, “double kill”, and “legendary”, and the like. It is really impressive to think about esports in this way and esports definitely worth the research because of the growing number of users.

By: Li Jia

Li Jia — Sat, 04 Dec 2021 12:30:19 +0000

Many thanks for your comment, Emma. Yes, it is necessary to question the static and essentialized representation of Chinese culture that is often discursively circulated in various mass media.

By: Li Jia

Li Jia — Sat, 04 Dec 2021 12:29:56 +0000

Thanks for your comment, Xianli. You have raised an important issue related with the the reproduction of English supremacy. Such linguistic reproduction does not necessarily come from Anglophone countries and could be mostly driven by the unquestioned and English-oriented neoliberal discourse.

By: Li Jia

Li Jia — Sat, 04 Dec 2021 12:29:12 +0000

Many thanks for raising this interesting issue, Zhijuan. Some Chinese players do report that they’ve learned some English by playing English-mediated games. It’s still questionable, however, whether such informal language learning would help them overcome the language barrier when playing with their teammates of diverse backgrounds.

By: Li Jia

Li Jia — Sat, 04 Dec 2021 12:28:34 +0000

Thanks for your comment, Chengqian. Yes, I also believe Chinese language is playing and has played a leading role contesting English hegemony in many ways.

By: Li Jia

Li Jia — Sat, 04 Dec 2021 12:28:13 +0000

Thanks for your comment, Keran. As stated in the blog, the linguistic hierarchy is shifting because of the profitable nature of gaming industry. The Chinese language is obviously a key capital to reconstruct the multilingual profile.

By: Li Jia

Li Jia — Sat, 04 Dec 2021 12:27:41 +0000

Many thanks for your comment, Fanyu. I like the idea of rethinking the English-mediated translation practices. Instead of making great efforts to look for Anglophone-oriented cultural terminology, it is equally important to bring the indigenous knowledge to the public and make the local concept as legitimate.