Catalan-speaking video game content creators have been on the rise in recent years.
Norman López (LopezNorman44) and Susana Pérez (Simmer Valenciana) are two notable examples.
They have both built spaces dedicated exclusively to Catalan projects, thanks to a “very loyal” audience.
One of their entry points was the streaming platform Twitch in 2020, when they began creating video game content in Catalan.
They all agree that the sector is enjoying a strong moment, but believe that bolder investment in Catalan would be “very good for the language.”
“If Grand Theft Auto (GTA) had a dubbing in Catalan, it would be amazing,” says Gerard Cruset, another content creator.
According to him, big studios in the industry have started to “believe that Catalan is a valid language” for their projects and that there is a large community of players who would benefit from it.
However, López points out that many video games are still not translated into Catalan. “Many people play in a casual way, and when they buy a game they do not check if it is translated or not,” he says.
“We are trying to get big developers to make games translated into Catalan, but I am not too sure what they think about it,” he admits.
López believes this would be a decisive step in normalizing Catalan, although he acknowledges it is “complicated” as the sector is “very competitive.”
Similarly, Simmer believes she has a “responsibility” as a public figure and highlights the importance of “continuing to chip away.”
“It is also activism when we support one person who creates in Catalan or buy a game dubbed in Catalan,” Simmer adds.
For Simmer, creating content in Catalan is only one part of her work, alongside “giving visibility to women.”
“Content creation in Catalan does not get away with having very masculine spaces,” she explains.
Simmer laments that very few women are dedicated to the sector, especially in live streaming, as they can be “very criticised.”
“Things like this made me want to work more to increase the presence of women in the sector,” she adds.
