Exploring gamers’ perceptions of Yorùbá language use for gaming in southwest Nigeria

The limited representation of indigenous language use in video games, particularly in Nigerian, has raised concerns about cultural preservation and inclusivity in interactive media. Therefore, this study explored how Yorùbá-language for games affects player’s experience and engagement. A quantitative research approach was used and, through a survey, data was collected from active entertainment video game players in Southwest Nigeria, primarily youth aged 18-45 years. The results demonstrate that 73.6% of the game players favoured the incorporation of indigenous languages in video games in Southwest Nigeria, as it gives them a better understanding of the game and also connects them to their culture. Furthermore, most of the respondents (77.6%) stated that the use of indigenous language in a video game increased their interest in playing it. The study concluded that video games allow the younger generation to reconnect with their culture and indigenous language, thereby facilitating the dissemination of knowledge between many generations of players. The study recommended that indigenous people and language speakers must be actively involved in all stages of the game design and development process to afford language speakers the opportunity to contribute, to game localisation, thereby helping game inventors avoid poor adaptation in language and cultural.