Why Subtitles Are Crucial for Games?

Imagine you’re in an intense gaming session, fully immersed and the music swells, explosions echo in the background, and characters shout over the chaos. But wait—what did they just say? A critical dialogue is lost in the commotion, and now, you're left guessing the next move. For many players, this is all too familiar, isn't it? It highlights a subtle but powerful tool that can enhance the experience called 'subtitles' 

Subtitles have entered the gaming industry. While developers focus on fixing bugs and other issues, subtitles in games are primarily considered a tool to increase accessibility for players with hearing impairments. However, their significance goes beyond that, and in fact, subtitles have proven a valuable feature to a wide range of players.   

According to Ubisoft’s David Tisserand’s Twitter thread post in 2019, 95% of Assassin’s Creed Odessey players kept their subtitles on. In Far Cry: New Dawn, subtitles were enabled by default, and approximately 97% of players chose not to turn it off. 

The numbers show this accessibility feature is becoming a vital asset across the gaming platform, significantly improving the user experience.  In this blog, we will discuss the growing need to include subtitles in games and why developers should consider them making a standard game design feature to benefit both players and developers.   

A brief history of subtitles in gaming  

The importance of featuring captions and subtitles in video games emerged in the 1990s with the use of video tracks, which often contain critical information for the player to proceed to the next stage of a game.   

Although the first video game company to accommodate closed captions was Bethesda Softworks in the games Hockey League Simulator and The Terminator 2029 during the 1990s, Zork: Grand Inquisitor was notable for being the first video game to feature subtitles in all the spoken dialogues.  

Later, in many of Valve’s video games, such as Half-Life 2 and Left 4 Dead, closed captions were provided for dialogues and all sound effects created by players or other resources on activation.   

Half-Life 2

Challenges of excluding subtitles in video games  

In 2018, Activision faced a significant backlash due to the lack of subtitles in their game Spyro Reignited Trilogy. This created a huge spite among gamers, emphasizing the need for subtitles in video games.  

Here are some of the common issues gamers encounter when subtitles are not provided:  

1) Accessibility to Hearing-Impaired Individuals: Everyone deserves an opportunity to enjoy a video game’s unique and immersive experience. Statistics indicate that hearing-impaired gamers comprise roughly 15% of the 1.9 million global gaming population. Including subtitles allows this population to access and enjoy the content without difficulties.  

2) Support for Non-native Speakers: Many games are produced in languages other than the gamer’s own native language, which is often the case for non-English speakers. Subtitles can provide the translation of the dialogue to help non-native gamers understand the content and play smoothly. 

Genshin Impact

3) Enhancing the Soundtrack Experience: Although games feature high-resolution soundtracks to provide captivating experiences to the gamers, this compromises the quality of the dialogues audio spoken by the characters. Gamers may not want to lower the volume on the fantastic soundtrack for its effects in game. In such cases, subtitles can help them enjoy both the music and the story without sacrificing either.   

4) Background Noise Challenges: Gamers may find themselves in situations where they have to play games amidst distractions. For instance, they might be in a common room filled with background noise or late at night while others are asleep. In such scenarios, turning up the volume to hear the dialogues is not an option. In such cases, subtitles allow them to engage with the game at low volume or mute without losing any significant narrative components.  

5) Improved Comprehension and Focus: Video game plots can be challenging. Certain terms in game are made up this makes the content a bit incomprehensible. Reading the subtitles can aid the gamers to capture the narrations effectively. Gamers also find that using subtitles allows them to access the dialogues that might have been missed due to distractions, background noises, etc., giving them the freedom to play at their own pace.   

Role of Subtitles in Expanding Gaming Reach in India  

The Indian gaming industry is a rapidly growing, with 442 million gamers, making it the second-largest gaming market in the world. This has attracted many global gaming companies from different countries to target the Indian diaspora. Despite this potential, there are certain challenges in expanding within the Indian gaming market.   

Language barrier is one of the main challenges, that can hinder the gamer’s understanding about the game. India is home to 20+ languages and while English is widely understood, it is not the first language for majority of gamers. As a result, global games that rely on English and other foreign languages, may struggle to reach a broader audience. Subtitles represent an inexpensive and powerful tool for bridging the gaps between global games and the Indian gamers, making games inclusive and accessible. 

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Additionally, most Indian gamers use smartphones to play games, and subtitles can significantly enhance the gaming experience for these mobile users, thereby targeting millions who play on their phones.  

Moreover, esports tournaments, competitive games, and live streams are trending in India. Professional players and streamers can amplify their influence and reach by providing subtitles in various regional languages for fans who may not speak the same language.  

The addition of subtitles in video games is an important part, although many companies push it aside due to tight deadlines and giving more importance to bug fixing. The video game industry has more room to grow, and the developers should actively discuss improving the subtitles and accessibility features to make games more accessible.  

At Timbel, we have experience working with gaming companies to provide subtitles for video games, including local slang, to enhance gamer's experience. Textar offers customizable subtitles in terms of size, font, background and more, ensuring text adheres to platform guidelines and meets gamers’ satisfaction.   

Need help in subtitling your video games? Reach out to us at sales@timbel.net