Speak Their Language: Supporting a Global Gaming Community

Single- or multiplayer, MMO or MOBA, there’s no doubt about it: Video games attract a global audience. As a developer, building something that appeals to such a wide range of people can be as exciting as it is complex. In what languages do you localize the game? What resources do you have to do that? Once you’ve figured that out, you’ll also need to be ready to provide player support in those languages.

It’s one thing to speak gamer — to know that when a player says pop, they’re probably not referring to soda. And when they talk about a mob, they mean a single non-player character (NPC), not a large group of people. It’s another thing entirely to know how those terms translate into German, French, Korean, or any number of other languages spoken by gamers around the world.

In order to deliver the best community and support experiences possible, you’ll want to hire people who speak the same languages as your players and who, ideally, are gamers themselves. They’ll know best how to connect with your customers. The same goes for moderation: Native speakers who are game enthusiasts will know what constitutes normal PVP banter and which comments cross the line.

Along with answering the “who” of staffing comes the “when,” “how,” and “where.” Hiring full-time agents to cover each language 24/7 might not make sense if the majority of your players speak English. It also means additional costs to keep your office open around the clock for potentially just a handful of agents. That’s where ModSourcing can come in handy. We work with our clients to figure out exactly which hours they need support, taking into consideration the time zones of their players, when they’re most active, and trends in ticket volume.

Thanks to our large, diverse pool of Mods working remotely across the globe, we’re easily able to staff projects with native speakers who already play the types of games that need their support.

As we head to Gamescom in Cologne, Germany next week, we’re as excited as ever to see what our favorite games have in store, meet up with clients from around the world, and build new connections. Our Senior VP, Global Operations, Rich Weil and VP, Sales, Clive Jefferies will be there, speaking two languages: English and gamer.