Expanding Your Game’s Global Reachthrough Culturalization

Description Summary

Video games are experienced by players from every culture, language, and background, making cultural awareness a critical aspect of user experience design. This masterclass reframes culturalization as a strategic UX and design discipline, demonstrating how creative decisions - from interface design and iconography to environments, characters, narrative, symbols, and player interactions - can carry unintended cultural, historical, or political meaning across different regions.

Rather than treating culturalization as a final review before launch, participants will learn how to integrate culturally informed thinking throughout the design process, beginning with concept development and world-building. The session explores practical methods for identifying cultural risks, making intentional creative decisions, and balancing authenticity with accessibility for a global audience while preserving creative vision.

Drawing on real-world examples from internationally released games, attendees will gain frameworks for evaluating player perception, understanding how context shapes interpretation, and designing experiences that resonate across cultures. The workshop also examines how studios can anticipate and prepare for potential cultural controversy - recognizing that not every difficult conversation can or should be avoided, but that thoughtful planning, informed decision-making, and clear creative intent help teams respond with confidence. Participants will leave with practical tools to create globally compelling experiences, minimize avoidable risk, and strengthen their team's cultural resilience.

Kate EdwardsCEO / CXO & Cofounder (Geogrify / SetJetters)

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