Game Art Assets: The Text on Maps and Signs

Think of the text in a game and dialogue and menus come to mind first. Yet text lives in the game’s visual world too: the place names on a map, a sign on a wall, a warning notice. These visual texts are what are called game art assets, and they make up a layer of localisation that is often overlooked.

Contents

This article takes up what game art assets are, how layered graphics are translated, the constraints of space, culturally risky images and the workflow involved. The aim is to show that the text on the visible surface of a game demands just as much care as the dialogue.

What are game art assets?

Game art assets are graphics of any kind that contain text or language (Jiménez-Crespo, 2024). Foremost among them are embedded textures, that is, “graphics with text”: maps, signs, warnings and notices. These images build the world of the game and often carry important information.

Texts of this kind are handled on a different logic from interface strings, because the text is embedded inside an image rather than held in a string. A place name on a road sign or a region label on a map has to be localised as both a linguistic and a visual element.

Translating these assets matters for the coherence of the game. When the dialogue is in Turkish but the signs stay in English, the player’s immersion breaks. Visual text should be in the same language as the rest of the game, and handled with the same care.

Layered graphics and translation

How the text in an art asset is translated depends on how the graphic was prepared. In a layered graphic the text sits on a separate layer and the translator can change it directly in photo editing software (Jiménez-Crespo, 2024). This method is ideal where the text can readily be separated from the image.

Where there are no layers, the division of labour changes. The translator translates only the visible text, and that text is later added to the image by the developers or the graphic artists. This flow calls for close coordination between translator and artist.

In both methods the aim is for the translated text to sit in a way that preserves the aesthetics and the legibility of the image. Text that is misaligned or overflowing spoils the image. Art asset translation therefore calls for both a linguistic and a visual sensibility.

Space constraints and embedded text

The text in art assets is subject to space constraints, just as subtitles are. Visual text usually has an area set aside for it in advance and a limited number of characters or pixels (Jiménez-Crespo, 2024). The translation has to fit within that limit; otherwise the text will not sit properly in the image.

The table below summarises the main types of art asset in games and the approach taken to each.

Art asset	Example	Approach
Map label	Region or city name	Translated to fit the space constraint
Signs and notices	Road sign, warning sign	Redrawn in the image
Embedded texture	Wall writing, poster	Edited directly if layered
Text on an icon	Writing on a button	Usually moved into a separate string

These constraints are information the translator needs from the outset. When the space limit is given in advance, the translation is produced to fit at the first attempt. Where that information is missing, later rounds of compression and redrawing follow.

Is every image translated?

Not all art assets are translated. In video games, cultural adaptation is often confined to text and audio material, and the greater part of the visual elements is left unchanged (Jiménez-Crespo, 2024). Because changing an image is costly, it is done only where it is necessary.

Which images are translated is decided according to the genre of the game and its market. A sign carrying critical information that the player needs to understand is translated; a purely decorative piece of background writing is usually left as it is. This decision is directly tied to the level of localisation.

That selectivity is a way of managing both budget and time. Translating every image creates needless cost, while translating none of them leaves the player’s experience incomplete. The right balance is struck by looking at what the player needs.

Culturally risky images

Some images have to be changed in particular markets for cultural or legal reasons. An element in a game that carries a particular cultural symbol may be removed in a market where that symbol is sensitive (Jiménez-Crespo, 2024). This is the visual-layer counterpart of the culturalisation process.

In the same way, violent imagery is adapted in some markets in order to comply with local legislation, by changing the colour of blood, for example. Changes of this kind can be the condition on which the game may be sold in that market. Here visual adaptation is not a preference but a requirement.

Anticipating these risks is the responsibility of the localisation team. Failing to notice an objectionable image can lead to the game being rejected in a market or provoking a backlash. Visual review is an inseparable part of art asset localisation.

The art asset workflow

Localising art assets calls for more coordination than other assets do. The translator, the graphic artist and the developer work together. The text is translated, placed into the image, and the result is reviewed visually. This cycle may be repeated for each asset.

Consistency is at the centre of this flow. A place name on a map label should appear in the same form in the dialogue and in the interface as well. An inconsistency between visual text and textual content confuses the player. Art assets are therefore tied to the game’s termbase.

The final stage is visual testing. The translated image is displayed in the real game environment and its legibility, alignment and aesthetics are checked. This test gives the assurance that the art assets sit within the game as a whole without any trouble. You can find further material on the subject in our knowledge centre.

How art assets relate to the other assets

Art assets are only one of the four main asset types localised in a game; the others are in-game text, audio and cinematic assets, and the accompanying documentation. Within that whole, art assets occupy a bridging position: they are directly tied both to the in-game text and to the visual world. A place name on a map may at the same time point to a location that comes up in the dialogue, which is why the visual and textual layers cannot be thought of independently of one another.

That link raises the demand for consistency. A place name that occurs in the audio assets should be identical to the one on the sign in the art asset and to the menu item in the interface. Otherwise the player sees the same place referred to by different names and is left confused. Art assets are one of the visible nodes in this web of consistency.

Art assets should therefore be planned not on their own but together with all the asset types in the game. A shared termbase keeps all these layers in line. Leaving visual text outside the process creates a break in that web and damages the coherence of the game.

Art assets and the level of localisation

How much of the art assets will be translated depends on the level of localisation chosen. In some projects only the box and the documents are translated and the in-game images are left as they are; in others the whole visual world is carried into the target language. This decision is taken according to the size of the market and the budget of the project.

Because visual localisation is costly, most projects set an order of priority. The critical images the player needs in order to progress are translated first, while decorative elements are left until later or not touched at all. This graded approach directs resources to where they make the most difference.

Decisions about art assets should therefore be taken at the very start of the localisation plan. If it is settled only later which images are to be translated, rounds of redrawing and integration push the cost up. When the level is clear from the outset, the visual layer too proceeds predictably.

The Türkiye context

In Turkish game localisation, art assets are often a neglected layer. Many games render their interface and their dialogue in Turkish but leave the text on maps and signs in English. That inconsistency breaks the player’s immersion and makes the localisation look incomplete.

The special characters of Turkish create a difficulty of their own in visual text. Letters such as ç, ğ, ı and ş have to be drawn in the right font and the right form when they are embedded in an image. A single wrong character makes the whole image look broken, which is why visual text should be checked in the real output.

Culturally, the Türkiye market is sensitive to certain symbols and certain content. A visual review that takes local sensitivities into account safeguards both legal compliance and player satisfaction. Localisation that takes art assets seriously makes the Turkish version of a game genuinely coherent and makes it easier for the player to feel part of that world.

What does this mean for you?

When you bring your game into Turkish, your scope has to cover not only the text strings but the visual text as well. Otherwise you end up with a game whose dialogue is in Turkish and whose signs are in English, and that makes the localisation look half done. Planning art assets from the outset is essential to a coherent result. Because visual text is usually the last layer anyone thinks of, it can be skipped altogether when it is not listed explicitly as the scope is being set, and yet these visual texts are among the very first things that catch the player’s eye.

1. Include visual text assets in the scope of your localisation.
2. Supply layered graphics to make editing the text easier.
3. Tell the translator the space constraint for each image in advance.
4. Review culturally risky images early.

To set that scope correctly you can look at our game localisation services, and for an assessment that includes visual assets you can request a quote. Coherent localisation shows the same care on every surface of the game.

Frequently asked questions

What are game art assets?

They are graphics of any kind that contain text or language: maps, signs, warnings and embedded textures. These visual texts can be localised just as the dialogue is.

How is the text in art assets translated?

In layered graphics the text is changed directly in photo editing software. In some cases the translator translates only the visible text and the artist adds it to the graphic afterwards.

Is every art asset translated?

No. Cultural adaptation is often confined to text and audio, and most images are left unchanged. Only critical or objectionable images are adapted.

Are there space constraints in art assets?

Yes. Just as with subtitles, visual texts may have an area set aside in advance and a character or pixel limit. The translation has to fit within that limit.

References

• Jiménez-Crespo, M. A. (2024). Localization in Translation. Routledge (Ch. 10).
• Chandler, H. & Deming, S. (2012). The Game Localization Handbook. Jones & Bartlett.
• Pettini, S. (2022). The Translation of Realia and Irrealia in Game Localization. Routledge.