Regions and consoles – and capitalists, hackers, and piracy

1. Regionalism… In some regions, it just pays to switch!

Regionalism is the bane of many gamers – and some of us think that in the long run, region-locking and other regionalist activities may spell doom for the companies that practice regionalism. Consider these small examples:

• What happens when you move to a new place where the console doesn’t have a service area? This is why we keep saying in our articles that customer service is important for a game company.
• What happens if you move to a place where the launches always happen last? You might get tempted to switch to another console that treats your region better.
• What happens when you move to a new place with different technology (e.g., TV format) that your old system isn’t compatible with?

2. Regionalism… Who do we blame?

It is probably true that many times regionalism is not the direct fault of a manufacturer (recent examples include Nintendo with its Wii region locking and Sony with its delayed Europe launch and Microsoft with its region-specific downloads). A company can say, “It’s not our fault that the technology we use can only be exported to region X,” or, “It’s not our fault that it takes a while to get rights in region Y.” So we won’t make a general anti-Nintendo, anti-Microsoft, or anti-Sony statement.

But… it’s just so sad that some regions don’t get a game, service, download, or other goody.

3. Regionalism… Capitalists, hackers, and pirates unite?

In conclusion, let me say this much:

• Regionalism is certainly the fault of certain second and third parties that still boorishly insist on regional copyrights, patents, and lock-outs (and politics and power games) even though the world is supposed to be one big fluid region. If consumers will wake up, smell the market’s stench, and use their money to support the good guys and boycott the bad guys, then the parties that continue to insist on regionalism should become obsolete.
• Regionalist parties will become obsolete faster because they will lose money faster thanks to advances in transportation and the Internet. These advances will make it easier to sell gray-market imports, bring in alternative products, spread hacks and exploits, and distribute pirated goods.
• Regionalism leads to hacking and piracy. If something isn’t available in a region’s market, then a black market naturally evolves to provide the need. That’s just simple capitalism. Regionalist companies that complain about piracy should also blame themselves.

Still, we’ve got a whole new year of good gaming experiences ahead of us – despite regionalism, delays, and things not being available. We’re gamers – we rant, but then we go back to gaming and things are fine. Right?

Remember, it’s second star to the right and straight on until morning. Happy new year, kids. Don’t grow up too fast.

1. Regionalism… In some regions, it just pays to switch!

Regionalism is the bane of many gamers – and some of us think that in the long run, region-locking and other regionalist activities may spell doom for the companies that practice regionalism. Consider these small examples:

• What happens when you move to a new place where the console doesn’t have a service area? This is why we keep saying in our articles that customer service is important for a game company.
• What happens if you move to a place where the launches always happen last? You might get tempted to switch to another console that treats your region better.
• What happens when you move to a new place with different technology (e.g., TV format) that your old system isn’t compatible with?

2. Regionalism… Who do we blame?

It is probably true that many times regionalism is not the direct fault of a manufacturer (recent examples include Nintendo with its Wii region locking and Sony with its delayed Europe launch and Microsoft with its region-specific downloads). A company can say, “It’s not our fault that the technology we use can only be exported to region X,” or, “It’s not our fault that it takes a while to get rights in region Y.” So we won’t make a general anti-Nintendo, anti-Microsoft, or anti-Sony statement.

But… it’s just so sad that some regions don’t get a game, service, download, or other goody.

3. Regionalism… Capitalists, hackers, and pirates unite?

In conclusion, let me say this much:

• Regionalism is certainly the fault of certain second and third parties that still boorishly insist on regional copyrights, patents, and lock-outs (and politics and power games) even though the world is supposed to be one big fluid region. If consumers will wake up, smell the market’s stench, and use their money to support the good guys and boycott the bad guys, then the parties that continue to insist on regionalism should become obsolete.
• Regionalist parties will become obsolete faster because they will lose money faster thanks to advances in transportation and the Internet. These advances will make it easier to sell gray-market imports, bring in alternative products, spread hacks and exploits, and distribute pirated goods.
• Regionalism leads to hacking and piracy. If something isn’t available in a region’s market, then a black market naturally evolves to provide the need. That’s just simple capitalism. Regionalist companies that complain about piracy should also blame themselves.

Still, we’ve got a whole new year of good gaming experiences ahead of us – despite regionalism, delays, and things not being available. We’re gamers – we rant, but then we go back to gaming and things are fine. Right?

Remember, it’s second star to the right and straight on until morning. Happy new year, kids. Don’t grow up too fast.