Region Locked!

playstation4 ⓒsony

As gamers, we have the privilege to choose what games we play, what devices we use, and who we play with. But the problem with region locking that is currently applied to games is how it limits gamers' choices with what games they can play and how they play them, which hampers their experiences. What is region lock?A regional lockout is a type of digital rights management that prevents the use of a certain product or service, such as multimedia or a hardware device, outside a certain region or territory. Consoles and games distributed throughout Asia oftentimes limit the release of new titles; for example, the popular action-rpg, Skyrim (Bethesda Game Studios), along with many Playstation games, is not supported in all countries, making it impossible for the players to access the game on a particular device. Why does region lock exist?Issues involving region locking move from place to place, and time to time. Still, region locks mostly exist because of what the company secretly wants. And what is that dirty secret? Money! Though many people believe copyrights and laws play a role in this process, it actually exists because of the desire not to sell specific games in certain countries. If a company thinks their game will not make a profit somewhere, then they will apply a region lock. Sure, there will always be a way for people to get any game, but these methods remain illegal. What are the problems with region locking?First, there will always be angry, unsatisfied customers. Though region locking may frustrate lone individuals, an even bigger issue is that it actually increases the percentage of people who download the games illegally. Since it is impossible to legally obtain the games you want (due to region locking), people pirate the games (which is illegal) to make a profit by selling them to prohibited markets. So is region locking helping anyone?In the end, no. Region locks don't actually benefit companies; locking games in this way merely illustrates their greed. So in conclusion, region locks shouldn't exist, and freedom should spread to every gamer in the world to play whatever kind of game they want, assuming they first purchase the game. 기사제보 및 보도자료 news@stardailynews.co.kr

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