I have previously mentioned Star Wars Battlefront’s lack of division among race or gender, which makes is a unifying game. I am one of the gamers that not only appreciates the graphics in a game, but also is a fan of the community that the game can offer. Recently I was able to read an article that discussed the success that the game had all over the world, but one fact stuck out to me the most. The game is now being translated into Arabic, after having already been translated into multiple other languages (Corless). While this may not be important to some people, it is a sign of a deeper unifying sense that videogames can bring.
In my lifetime it seems that the United States has always had issues with the middle east, a region where Arabic is mainly spoken. Ranging from 9/11 to the current Syrian crisis, there is a certain connotation that is associated with the language and its people. I believe that it is a step in the right direction where a game that was developed in the United States is being translated for Arabic speakers. These people will soon be able to enjoy the game that we are enjoying, and while it will certainly not solve our country’s issues with the Middle East, it brings us a little bit closer together. Arabic is spoken by 290 million people worldwide, so the decision to create this translation is not a small one (Corless).
Those who are not fanatics of videogames will claim that electronic digital narratives cannot impact society and do not have much value. I however, would like to bring up my formerly mentioned admiration for the community a game creates. While countries may be at war with each other, we still share similarities. These similarities may not be vast or wide in variety, but they exist. They can even be videogames that we laugh, cry, or get frustrated at, but they remind us that we are not always different from one another.
Source: https://e2f.com/5665/