Topic: How to solve the tedious problem of localisation (?)

How would that work on a digital store front? Would there be warnings before purchasing a game that doesn't support your default language? Would there be a section in the eShop that would have these games separated from the normal eShop? What is going to stop a kid from spending his birthday money on a new game that doesn't support his language and the parent having to deal with customer service trying to get a refund? How will rating systems work with digital games not having region lock.

My guess would be allowing access to different region's eShop through a particular area in the eShop. Going into different region's eShops would be behind parental codes (but we know those are rarely set up) and you cannot use eShop credit on purchases outside your region. That would mean with a US eShop card you can only buy US region games. With a Japanese eShop card you can only get Japanese games. Using a credit card you can purchase from any region. This would minimize accidental purchases and make sure parents (if a minor without a card) would be present (or as present as they want to be) during the transaction. You would still have issues but a lot less that other ways.

And price gouging

please...please, tell me you already know we in Europe do not share the same language, so even nowdays in the EU eshop nothing stops a greek kid from spending his birthday money on a new game that doesn't support greek language.
Actually, I think none of the games on the eShop supports greek language as of now - so think about it - greek kids (who are Europeans just like you are american) are buying games that don't support their language already.
Although greek kids can't spend too much on games these days.

So the issue of language, as said before, is irrelevant, since most of the games don't get translated and get released in full english text even in Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Greece, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Finland, Poland, former USSR, former Jugoslavia and that other country who thinks they are very good at playing football.

And why the rating system would be any different? Teens are teens, kids are kids, mature people are mature. A greek kid is probably as sensitive to certain themes as an american or an australian kid. We live in an age where everything goes worldwide with the snap of the fingers, so lets not pretend people really care for rating systems, eh!?
Example: Super Mario Galaxy - rater 3+ for kids three years of age or more but with walls of text that a 3 years old kid can't read.

The only reason Nintendo goes for region locking is to keep prices artificially high. With that, you are stuck with the highest prices you can get. I can't log into the Zimbabwean eShop and pay for games in...shells, I guess?!
Nintendo got fined in the early 2000 for millions of euros for keeping prices artificially high at retail and they are doing it again but this time digitally.

Ahem, on topic now, the international age rating system is a step in the right direction. Region-free would be a next big step, but Nintendo is so conservative that I don't see it happening soon.

Different cultures have different taboos. America censors nudity more often than necessary while Japan shies a bit away from violence.

@spizzamarozzi: Releasing in certain regions requires supporting certain languages and going through certain rating systems.

To me, it all depends on the publishers. SEGA for instance decided not to port valkyria chronicles 3 to the west because of 2 failing miserably.

Or maybe it depends on the market. TRPG's are popular in Japan so you don't often get to see a lot of em in the west.

this is absolutely false. Fine, it requires you to go through certain ratings because rating systems are institutions based on money making, but in no way you are required to support certain languages. Most of the indie game on the EU eShop are released in english only, despite only 1/12 of the European population is native english speaker. You can see that on the game's information page.
I am italian and only very rarely games on the eShop support italian language.

this is absolutely pointless in an age where any american can go on the internet to see japanese nudity and any japanese can go on the internet to see american violence.

and stop acting like you are from the Church of Uranus or what. Like you have never played a 18+ game before you were actually 18. Rating systems are smoke screens to keep parents happy so they don't have to parent.

So much this

@spizzamarozzi: All the titles I have worked on had to have certain languages to release in Europe.

Uh, okay? I never implied I cared about the ratings system. And no, I never played an 18+ game...actually ever.

Also, what? Ratings systems are in place to help parents. Why in the world is a parent bad for not buying an M game? That makes no sense

As an Australian I wouldn't at all be upset if we also had access to content released in the US and not here. Or even some content that's available in Europe but not here. And that's before I even consider stuff that's from Japan, the only major region where the games aren't in English. I mean technically Australia doesn't have an official language but the vast majority of us only speak English so....

For example, comparing Steam to the eShop. When Shovel Knight launched in the US across the Wii U, 3DS and Steam? It was also available on Steam here. It was 5 months before I could download it on my 3DS which is where I wanted to play it. Then more recently there was Runbow which launched in the US in August, Europe in September and here last week. This is a regular thing that Australians go through for the vast, vast majority of content. As I said on the previous page, for TV it's much worse. TV content is the only stuff that's so poorly done that I don't feel guilty about Piracy. But it definitely exists for games.

.... and yes, sometimes it goes the other way. Yoshi's Woolly World, Xenoblade, there have been a few recently. My guess would be that 80% of games on the US Wii U and 3DS appear here close enough, 5% we get early, 10% we get late and 5% we never see.

you probably worked on high end titles then, and it's not a matter of "having to have certain languages" because it is required by the authorities - no translation is mandatory. F.I.G.S. translations will likely help the game sell more in France, Italy, Germany and Spain but that's about it. Even a few recent retail Nintendo games have being released without supporting two or three of the five main European languages.
There's four new indie games releasing on the EU eShop tomorrow - out of these four, only one supports different languages, while the other three are basically the exact copy you have on the US eShop, with engish text only.

So why do I have to wait much more and buy it at a less convenient exchange rate if it's the same product?!
Oh yeah, because it has to have a stamp that basically delivers the same damn message your stamp delivers.
What is the difference between a stamp that says T for Teen (meaning past the age of twelve) and a stamp that says 12+? None. If you take a close look at the ratings by both authorities ESRB and PEGI, you'll see that the discrepancies are almost non-existent, so there's really no point in trying hard to preserve the region lock for ratings alone - as it prevented our precious children from being exposed to what the other filthy regions think it's appropriate.

Why are you putting words into my mouth?! I have never said anything like that.

@spizzamarozzi: I don't think anyone is wanting Region Lock to continue. We are talking about the hurdles of trying to have a region free digital store.

I think for any games with a rating that's not 18+ they should be able to work it out. Because as has been said the difference between what different countries think is suitable for children and what games you need parental supervision for are kinda small. It's only at the higher end where there's disagreement between the systems.

The Australian system in particular is kinda broken compared to others. We regularly seem to have games banned or censored that the rest of the world don't have an issue with. And yes, to the point where some game makers have encouraged us to pirate the game to get the uncensored version. And even so, sometimes our rating system will give an "recommended for 15+" rating when the rest of the world gives it a "restricted to 18+" equivalent.

Lots of disagreement on the top end. But I don't see how there shouldn't be a way to have one global system that classifies games as G/E/3, PG/E10+/7 and possibly upto M/T/12. Because there seems to be a lot of agreement which which games fit those ratings. With only a few exceptions. Like the fact that I know any game in Australia that has gambling of any kind will automatically be PG.

Is converting Youtube videos into MP3s to listen to away from Youtube considered piracy? The only difference is that I'm not giving the uploader an additional view of their video.

Yes, even watching/listening to a YouTube video that doesn't have the license to show the content is technically pirating.

@DefHalan: We all watch youtube videos that can be considered as piracy then. Or is that too a case of "you don't have the right to pirate shows by watching them on youtube"? Because I place that responsibility on the uploader not the viewer. Its the uploader who should get in trouble.

Another big hurdle is the countries' laws across the world. In order to have a universal store front, every country would essentially have to have the same regulations.

@Bass_X0: i agree

Well this is a start -> https://www.globalratings.com/

I read a tweet about it a couple of days ago, it's only a few months away from prime time now