In order to be able to publish their games in different territories, developers must ensure their games conform to the specific ratings system applied in the countries where the localized game is to be released. Based on their cultural values, different countries have different levels of tolerance and acceptance of violent or sexual content, and each country tends to have its own ideas about what is acceptable for a particular age group. All these factors need to be taken into account when planning the international release of a game. Germany and Australia are two countries with particularly strict rules and censorship of video games, while Japan has a more permissive attitude towards references to sex and the consumption of alcohol and tobacco. References to all of the above may sometimes be found in Japanese games rated as suitable for all ages, but they often need to be removed or toned down in the localized versions for other countries if the same age rating is to be obtained.
However, a somewhat liberal attitude regarding ratings is observed in some target markets. Di Marco (2007) takes the case of the game Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (2004), showing the way in which cultural transformations are applied when Japanese games are localized into English. In this game, Vivian, one of the Shadow Sirens (Mario's enemies), is transgender. This information is revealed in an argument between Vivian and her older sister, Marilyn, who clearly says that Vivian is a man, and therefore cannot be one of the sisters. This game received an A rating in Japan, which means it was suitable for all ages. However, European localizers noted that a game with a reference to transgenderism was unlikely to receive a 3+ rating by PEGI. Nintendo decided to modify the dialogue by replacing the reference to transgenderism with one to a sex-change operation, which still allowed the original flavour to be maintained. In the Italian version Vivian states that she has turned into a woman, and this small change was deemed enough to obtain a 3+ rating for this particular game from PEGI (ibid.).
By comparison, despite publishers' efforts to obtain the same ratings across different countries, occasionally this is not possible due to the varying territory-specific requirements. For example, Final Fantasy XII (2006) was rated A (suitable for all ages) in Japan; T (13+) in the US, as the ESRB considered that it contained alcohol references, fantasy violence, mild use of offensive language, partial nudity, and suggestive themes; 16+ by PEGI, which considered that the game contained realistic-looking violence, and M (mature) in Australia because it includes moderate violence. The fact that different territories have different attitudes towards certain issues as illustrated above makes it crucial that game localizers have an acute cultural awareness and that they are able to detect the elements in the original games that may be controversial in the target territory from a ratings point of view. Once localizers have identified the potential issues, they should alert the publisher, who can assess the best way to proceed, editing the game as required or releasing it for a different, older audience in the target market.
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