Common Misconceptions

Brazilians are NOT Latinos/Hispanics. In most contexts, Latino is derived from the U.S. classification for Latin American immigrants, mostly from North and Central America, e.g. Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. The U.S. Census specifically mentions they are from Spanish-speaking countries. Hence, the term Hispanic is also acceptable. Therefore, prefer using the term Latin American.

There is no "international" variant of Portuguese. Although there are efforts to unify the spelling of all variants of the Portuguese language, to this date, there is no international variant, no way to "mix" variants or use a "neutral variant".  Each variant has unique phrasal structures and vocabulary that may sound unnatural, or utterly unintelligible to the other, rendering them incompatible.

American English/Brazilian Portuguese ARE NOT equivalent to British English/European Portuguese. A common misconception is believing that Brazilian Portuguese/American English, while European Portuguese is equivalent to British. For example, using EUPT in Brazil sounds posh or even antiquate/formal. From a Brazilian perspective, European Portuguese simply sounds like someone coming from Portugal without any additional interpretation.

Brazil is NOT just football, samba, and the Amazon. These are stereotypes reproduced by foreign media. Brazil has a rich, diverse, and multi-ethnic cultural heritage. There is plenty to explore if one desires to really create localized content.

Indonesia is NOT an Islamic country. While it's true that the majority of Indonesians are Muslim and that religion plays an important role in shaping the country's culture and practices, Indonesia is a secular state by law, meaning it is not constitutionally a Muslim country. Indonesia acknowledges six different main religions (see Religion for more information). Only one out of the 34 provinces apply the Sharia (Islamic) law: the Special Region of Aceh.

Indonesians are NOT "tribal" people. There is a stereotype, especially among those who have never been to Indonesia before, that all Indonesians live naked in trees in exotic-sounding tropical places far away. The truth is that while the country does hold indigenous tribes in remote areas (and some do live in trees), the majority of Indonesians live in urban neighborhoods. More than 50% of Indonesians live in cities and towns, and even those who live in more rural areas have houses and electricity.

Indonesia is NOT a poor country. While poverty is definitely a big social issue in Indonesia, the generalization that Indonesians are poor is not true. According to the World Bank, Indonesia is the largest economy in Southeast Asia and the 10th largest economy in terms of purchasing power. The country also has a growing consumer class and skilled workers in local and international industries.

DO NOT confuse Indonesia with India. Although the names may seem similar, they are completely different countries. Another common misconception is that Indonesian and Indian food are the same, which is incorrect. Every culture in Indonesia has its own take on cuisine.  Javanese cuisine, for example, tends to be sweeter, while people from Padang like it spicy and savory. Other than that, many classic Indonesian foods are actually adapted from Chinese recipes, like wonton, noodles, spring rolls, stir-fried vegetables, and more.

DO NOT confuse Indonesia with Bali. Bali is one of the world’s top tropical destinations, but many people get confused about the island's geography, mistakenly thinking that Indonesia is IN Bali. In fact, Bali is one of Indonesia's 34 provinces. Bali’s sister island Lombok, also a popular tourist destination, belongs to another Indonesian province, West Nusa Tenggara.

Indonesia is NOT a small country. Since most think of Bali when they think of Indonesia, many assume that Indonesia is a small tropical country somewhere in the ocean. However, Indonesia is the largest archipelago on the planet, comprised of more than 17,000 islands (of which Bali is just one) and home to about 250 million people. Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world.

Indonesians speak more than one language. Indonesia has one official national language (Bahasa Indonesia), but it’s a very diverse country and home to hundreds of different ethnic groups that traditionally speak different languages. Nowadays, most living in developed areas can speak Bahasa Indonesia, but some still prefer to speak their native language at home or within their social circles. Children learn at least one native language at school, along with Bahasa Indonesia and English.

It is NOT always sunny in Indonesia. Indonesia is a tropical gem along the equator, which means the country has never seen snow (except for on the tallest mountains). The temperature is generally warmer than in other non-tropical countries, but Indonesia does have its share of rainy seasons, which usually take place from September to January. 

Chinese people in Indonesia might not understand Chinese. From 1965-1999, Indonesia had a ban on Chinese practices, so people aged 20-60 may not understand Chinese. Although Chinese education became available once former president Abdurahman Wahid lifted the ban in 1999, many Indonesians under 20 — especially in Jakarta — may not understand Chinese since schools that offer it are considered elite and have higher fees. For young people outside of Jakarta — particularly in areas with Chinese communities like Medan and West Kalimantan — local schools offer Chinese classes a few times a week. Many people in these areas can speak Chinese, because of the preservation of dialects and exposure to Chinese television. However while many Indonesian Chinese can speak Chinese, most are unable to read it.

Japanese people do NOT all love cartoons. While Japan is a major market for anime, manga, and cartoons, not all Japanese people love the medium.

Japanese people have mixed views on pornographic/vulgar content. While the pornography industry in Japan is quite developed and it's common to see vulgar content in shows or comedies, this doesn't represent the majority of Japanese people, and not all are receptive to these elements. Do not assume sexual or vulgar content will be received well or represent the norm.

Japanese women are NOT all housewives, and men are NOT all breadwinners. While some Japanese women may keep a house after marriage, many continue to work, especially in urban areas. Marketing material that caters to this assumed conservative household setup (with women at home and men in the workforce) might, in fact, cause controversy in Japan with accusations of gender discrimination.

Japanese-sounding names will not sell well if they are meaningless. Some overseas games use unusual word/character combinations to represent Japanese names, which players in Japan notice and complain about. Be sure to spend some time researching names that reflect the character or setting.

Randomly including Japanese elements will NOT impress Japanese players if they are not researched well. In fact, misusing Japanese cultural elements can be very risky. This can range from improperly designing kimonos (be sure to pay attention to collars in particular!) to randomly including shrines, family crests, or the rising red sun flag (which can all carry militaristic connotations). See Gestures and Symbols for more information.

Kanji is NOT the same as Traditional Chinese characters. These are different writing systems entirely.

Ads that work in China will not necessarily work in Japan if they make false claims about game content, use AI (which pixiv, a major art collective in Japan, prohibits), they are overly sexual, or they use a spokesperson/cosplayer to promote the game.

Card-based gameplay may not appeal to Japanese players (such as draws or card pools without a guarantee)

The USA is diverse, with people who come from a variety of cultural heritages. According to the 2020 Census, the United States is more diverse than it was a decade ago. With this in mind, it is incorrect, and in fact offensive, to assume that all people from the USA look or act a certain way.

There is no "Standard" version of English. Our games tend to use U.S. English, but British English and U.S. English are completely different languages.

Do NOT associate Vietnam solely with the Vietnam War. Although remnants of war can still be seen across the country, describing Vietnam in this way could be seen as prejudicial and offensive.

The streets of Vietnam are NOT always sunny, humid, crime-ridden, dirty, and chaotic. These stereotypes often portrayed in movies and television do not accurately represent the reality of Vietnam or Southeast Asia as a whole.