Quebecois forbid sale of English-only video games

[IronBrig4]

Quebecois are so annoying

What is up with these people? This won't do anything but hurt small game sellers. They should just go back to France. I'd love to see them get out-snooted by their metropolitan cousins. Les francaises pensent que les quebecois sont tres betes et snobs.

[Scar Face]

Somewhere along the line the entire movement got corrupted, and began to think that protecting a language was synonymous with protecting an identity and culture. Morons either way, really, but at least then they'd be morons with a legitimate mission.

[ShADoW]

Wow...this is too much now lol.

[danzig]

So people in Quebec will now be buying their software from other parts of Canada or from the US....sounds like a real brilliant move for local shops.

[C-Rob]

um... okay, your market has a large number of french speakers, so you even QUESTION if you should just make it french and english out of common sense? I think it is a company's duty to make their products accessible to customers, not the government's.

[ShADoW]

Not even France has that kind of law, although its a silly comparison.

[danzig]

um... okay, your market has a large number of french speakers, so you even QUESTION if you should just make it french and english out of common sense? I think it is a company's duty to make their products accessible to customers, not the government's.

Funny thing is most major publishers already do this, what its going to hurt is small developers who cant afford to translate their games into 10000 languages.

[C-Rob]

Funny thing is most major publishers already do this, what its going to hurt is small developers who cant afford to translate their games into 10000 languages.

Well, how many are in specific areas that those small developers are marketing to? If you market to the US and canada, then simple english, spanish, and french will suffice. If they need more than 3 languages, then they shouldn't be calling themselves a small developer!

[Erik]

um... okay, your market has a large number of french speakers, so you even QUESTION if you should just make it french and english out of common sense? I think it is a company's duty to make their products accessible to customers, not the government's.

French only ranks 12th in most spoken first languages.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ative_speakers

Although most Asians probably can't afford computer games, it still means there is a bigger market for 5 or 6 other languages.
I don't think many games come out in 7 languages.

[IrishHitman]

French only ranks 12th in most spoken first languages.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ative_speakers

Although most Asians probably can't afford computer games, it still means there is a bigger market for 5 or 6 other languages.
I don't think many games come out in 7 languages.

There are still 78 million French speaking people.
That is a considerable market to overlook.

[Erik]

There are still 78 million French speaking people.
That is a considerable market to overlook.

Depends on how much it costs to make a translation, how much you make per copy, how many people buy your game, and how many people won't buy your game if it's not available in their first language.

For most games it's not even cost effective to make German or Portuguese versions, let alone French.

[Martin N]

Most games have different language subtitles anyways, whats the problem just leave it as it is. English is the most commonly accepted language in both cultural, and business terms, there just screwing the little guys like usual.

[KingLarsofMars]

Here we go with the over PC movement again...

Can we go back to the 80's where people didn't care what language it was in as long as they understood it!

[Treize]

Quebe is French, english speakers do not have the right to destroy there culture...

[danzig]

Quebe is French, english speakers do not have the right to destroy there culture...

Yes offering products/services to people is now destroying ones culture...

[IrishHitman]

Yes offering products/services to people is now destroying ones culture...

It does.

People who wish to have said goods and services will opt to use English more and more, and eventually, over many years, French will be abandoned.
Both the Quebecois and the companies who don't sell their games in French will be to blame if the Quebec government didn't act.

The Quebecois for accepting such a situation as the Irish did, and the companies for acting as a tool of the destruction of Quebec French without regard for its culture.

Besides, this shouldn't be a problem for game makers.
France is a pretty large gaming market, to not translate it into French in some form would be a farce....

@Yorkshireman
You'll also find the Irish nowadays is far from what it was prior to its decline.
They practically had to remake the language, as it was primarily an oral-only language until the cultural nationalist period..

[Xen]

Quebe is French, english speakers do not have the right to destroy there culture...

So this means that they should continue to be es about English being far more popular.

[Viking Prince]

Go back and read the source in the source.

Sale of English-only video games prohibited if French version exists

I still think this is really short sighted. I can understand not allowing an English only version if a French version exists and is not carried by the retailer.

I think that without amendment, this will not stand up to a court challange. NAFTA only requires language options to exist at the retail level. To ban a choice is a violation of NAFTA.

[Edward lV]

If Qubec wants its tantrum, let them have it. See how long it takes for them to stop the law when they get 1/4 of the games they had before.

[Mithie]

In retaliation, the rest of the English speaking world forbids the sale of Celine Dion albums, reducing the Quebecois economy to shambles.