The video game also speaks Catalan

The video game not only shows a culture, but also allows you to immerse yourself in it: the player interacts with it, makes decisions, and uses the rules of the world that is proposed to them.

According to Oriol Boira, head of digital arts and video games at 3Cat, the elements of a culture have more strength when they are part of what the player has to do, and not just what they see or hear. "A Catalan reference can be decorative, but if it serves to solve a puzzle or advance in the adventure, it becomes part of the player's memory".

Carlos Coronado, an independent developer, argues that local references do not necessarily have to become the explicit theme of a video game: "Mainly, not to absolutely Americanize everything. It seems that even intuition tells you that this is what works, when in reality it is not so. I think the concept of localizing, of moving from the local to the global, is very good."

This is also the logic of Manairons, a platform and puzzle video game co-produced by 3Cat and JanduSoft. The Pyrenees, Catalan mythology, and other local references are part of the world and the story, but they are not presented as a catalog of symbols. Boira summarizes it this way: "If you want to include a genuine element and it is considered that it does not fit at a functional level, simply making it present may be nice, but making it useful can have a truly remarkable impact on the motivation and memory of the players".

Coronado exemplifies this integration with Together: moon escape, in which a fictional company operating on the Moon, Moontella, incorporates a reference to the town in the Garrotxa region where it lives: "Here, in Sant Feliu de Pallerols, the demonym or historical nickname is moonstruck, because there is a legend that, very summarized, explains that someone tried to fish for the Moon's reflection in the river, and that is where the name came from. And that is incorporated into the game: in fact, the 'pescallunes' (moon-fisher) appears in the Moontella logo within the game". And he clarifies: "Now, this is not virtual tourism. At no point do I try to lecture the player. It is simply an element that is used. For someone foreigner, it simply seems like an original thing to him and that's it".

For Marc Angrill, director of Lúdica, it is still too early to talk about a unique identity for the Catalan video game: "We cannot yet say that there is such a thing as a Catalan style. It is too early, although some small studios already have enough work to show a style of their own. Catalan creators should take more advantage of our culture as a source of inspiration; not out of patriotism, but because in this way they contribute a slightly different imagery. For example, we have a rich mythology and a long history to exploit".

Landscapes, language, myths, gastronomy, clothing or ways of doing things can become cultural markers, but the Catalan sector still has room to explore them. Coronado advocates for a perspective far removed from institutional culture: "There are also things that are part of our culture and are not 'high culture', and they must also be incorporated. Not everything has to be Gaudí, Dalí or the pompous high culture of the Liceu!"

The challenge is to build our own imaginary without making "Catalan" video games simply for the sake of it, but rather to ensure that studios can create based on the references of their environment and that this local perspective is exportable.

Language is the other great battle. TheVDJOC directory, the web space that shows the offer of commercial video games available in Catalan to promote their consumption, already exceeds 300 commercial titles available in Catalan, and 74% of video games developed in Catalonia currently incorporate the Catalan language, compared to 55% five years ago. But normalization does not only depend on translating the games that arrive from abroad: it also implies that Catalan be the language in which new experiences are designed, written, and developed.

The external projection of video games hinders this normalization. Angrill explains it: "From the beginning, the video game industry has operated in a globalized market, so the primary language for almost all video games is English to facilitate their commercialization, and they are subsequently localized into other languages in order of linguistic market size". And he adds: "It is increasingly common for developers to be from different countries, so this inertia will be difficult to reverse".

However, Angrill points out that an internal market can sustain certain projects: "In the same way that television series are produced for the Catalan public and are viable, some video games can also be. Catalan is a medium-sized language with more speakers than many European languages, so the market dimensions are sufficient, in theory, if we are talking about a relatively simple product".

Media outlets like Lúdica, not to mention the veteran Generació digital, have documented how this ecosystem of creators has gone from being almost anecdotal to bringing together dozens of channels and projects, with initiatives such asGamingCat andNintenhype and with the incorporation of Catalan on Twitch in 2019. Language is not just a menu option; it is a vehicle for conversation, criticism, dissemination, and community.

The presence of Catalan decreases when we move away from local production: none of the ten best-selling video games in Spain have a Catalan version according to the latest available data. The main pending task is for Catalan not to depend solely on the origin of the video game, but for companies to perceive it as a language with enough demand and market value to incorporate it habitually.

Making this availability sustainable implies more than just translating texts: it is necessary to localize menus and interfaces, subtitle and, when necessary, dub, and maintain linguistic support with updates. Where the will of the studios and the support of the administration do not reach, a community arrives that has often assumed a role that the industry does not yet cover. Translators and volunteer groups, such as theProjecte C Trencada, promote independent video game localizations, especially for titles that do not officially offer Catalan, and contribute to expanding the catalog and demonstrating that there is a community willing to play them.

For the health of the language, spaces for social use are just as important as the language in which a game is available. Angrill highlights the role of video game communities: "Online matches and fan communities are spaces for socialization in which it is important to be able to make friends and share experiences in Catalan. And for this to happen, it is vital that there are media in Catalan and content on social networks that generate their own conversation and events that respect linguistic rights so that it is not perceived that Catalan has no place in the field of video games".

The challenge goes beyond achieving more video games translated into Catalan. It is about Catalan being a natural language within a medium that is already part of the daily culture of new generations: a language for playing, but also for imagining worlds, writing characters, designing mechanics, creating community, and telling stories. The video game can be a window to show Catalan culture to the world; before that, however, it must be a space for this culture to continue creating.