Ng Wai-ming, Consuming and Localizing Japanese Combat Games in Hong Kong

This article looks at the localization of Japanese fighting games (particularly Street Fighter and King of Fighters) by players in Hong Kong. There are essentially two different kinds of localization covered: (1) Local norms of play and arcade culture, (2) adaptation of the stories and characters of the Japanese games into Hong Kong media, such as films and comic books.

The article begins with an in-depth history of the two games in Hong Kong, with some info about how the games penetrated HK culture, including the popularity of the games and derivative material, tracing the waning influence of SF compared to KOF.

The second section looks at HK arcade culture. This includes gamer jargon, which is borrowed mostly from 'lower-class' or 'vulgar' words, due to the games' popularity with lower-class urban youth and gaming centers in poor districts, where fighting games gave a high rate of return. Ng argues that gaming jargons preserve  a sense of Hong Kong locality as players play imported games. House rules further localize the gameplay. For example, it is considered polite for a skilled player to purposefully lose the second round of a match so that both players can play a third round; other house rules ban the use of bugs. Ng says that Japan lacks these rules because Japanese players are more 'harmonious' and usually play these games by themselves or with friends. Also, because arcades are more socially acceptable in Japan, they lack the 'lower class' and 'underground' rules and languages.

The third section looks at adaptations of the games into HK kung-fu comics. Artists borrowed characters from SF and KOF, or used kung-fu literature tropes in licensed fighting game comics.

One of the article's main points is that the popularity of Japanese games in Hong Kong is not a form of cultural imperialism, since the adaptation of these games is conducted primarily by Hong Kong business owners, artists and players. I would like to know more about the impact that Japanese companies do have on the localization process (see: Jonathan Corliss)