Correct form of address for a VR FPS in French Thread poster: Wendy Cummings
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Wendy Cummings 
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:52
Spanish to English
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In terms of the VO for a first person shooter in VR, how would you expect the player to be addressed by the narrator - tu or vous?
This applies to the various pop-ups throughout the game with hints and info, e.g. "point upwards to reload", "Hold tight and brace yourself", "are you standing up or sitting down"?
Or would it depend on the usual rules of the relationship between narrator and player (e.g. an army general addressing the lower ranks)?
[Edited at 2024-01... See more In terms of the VO for a first person shooter in VR, how would you expect the player to be addressed by the narrator - tu or vous?
This applies to the various pop-ups throughout the game with hints and info, e.g. "point upwards to reload", "Hold tight and brace yourself", "are you standing up or sitting down"?
Or would it depend on the usual rules of the relationship between narrator and player (e.g. an army general addressing the lower ranks)?
[Edited at 2024-01-02 10:29 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 09:52
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
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| Who are the players? | Jan 2 |
How old are the players? Not sure I understood the characters or the game environment you described.
If the consumers are mostly youth and children, I’d go with “tu”.
| | | | Wendy Cummings
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:52
Spanish to English
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TOPIC STARTER
The game is rated 13+ and its likely to appeal to the teen/20/30s market.
Players are fighting a zombie invasion, and they receive information/hints/tips through their headset about where to go and what to do.
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 09:52
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| Then definitely “tu” | Jan 2 |
I’d go with “tu” then, but I’d like a native French speaker to confirm. In my language, I’d go with “tu” (we also have tu/vous distinction).
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Quentin NEVEN
Belgium
Local time: 09:52
Member (Jan 2024)
English to French
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| French speaker here | Jan 11 |
Hello Wendy,
This is a very interesting question actually.
If we take into consideration the target audience, then "tu" is more natural.
However, we are in a video game, and we have to take into consideration the fact that the narrator addresses the player through the character he is supposed to be. Obviously, this is a bit more confusing in a VR game, since the frontier between the player and the character is not as clear. If the whole idea of the game ... See more Hello Wendy,
This is a very interesting question actually.
If we take into consideration the target audience, then "tu" is more natural.
However, we are in a video game, and we have to take into consideration the fact that the narrator addresses the player through the character he is supposed to be. Obviously, this is a bit more confusing in a VR game, since the frontier between the player and the character is not as clear. If the whole idea of the game is to project anyone in the zombie apocalypse, regardless of their age or status, then "tu" makes a bit more sense.
However, the way you described it makes me think that the player is supposed to embody some sort of soldier or combattant receiving orders and advice from their headset. In this particular case, the difference between the player and the character is clearer.
Now, we have to discuss whether "tu" or "you" is more typical in a military context. It is likely that the narrator has some sort of authority on the character, he is speaking to a subordinate.
I have no military experience and I could not find any serious documentation on the topic, so I had a look at various testimonies on the subject.
The answers varied dramatically from one context to another (private army or not, air forces, land forces, the marine, etc). It is not uncommon that a higher ranking soldier uses "tu" when dealing with a subordinate, especially when the former is younger but the opposite is not the norm.
That being said, I would choose "vous" because it gives more credit to the character (sense of respect and seriousness) and it is better in terms of immersion because the player embodying a soldier expects to be addressed this way.
Hope this helped ▲ Collapse
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