Nintendo Needs to Do a Better Job Justifying Region-Locking Its Games

Richard George, over at IGN, describing a conversation with Nintendo President Satoru Iwata:

"From some people’s perspective, it might seem like a kind of restriction. However, we hope people can appreciate the fact that we’re selling our products worldwide," Iwata told me, acknowledging that Nintendo has "historically" worked with region-locked systems. "There are many different regions around the world, and each region has its own cultural acceptance and legal restrictions, as well as different age ratings. There are always things that we’re required to do in each different region, which may go counter to the idea that players around the world want the freedom to play whatever they want. "

Nintendo, quite frankly, is dancing around the issue here. Rather than admitting that it region-locks its games as an effort in market segmentation, they are trying to hide behind vaguely described 'cultural' and 'legal' reasons. Folks, that is rubbish. Sony and Microsoft seem to have found a way around requiring region-locking, as have the makers of PC games. As noted in the IGN article, the original Nintendo DS and DS Lite did not have region-locking.

Region-locking is a valid tool for generating higher profits by segmenting the market for a product. In the case of videogames, this has allowed Nintendo to keep the USA, Japan, and Europe markets (among others) separate from each other. Games from one region do not work on consoles from another region, which allows Nintendo to price games differently depending on the market. If one market is more price conscious than another, then Nintendo can safely price a game lower in that market without worrying too much about that lower price hurting its profit margins in other markets.

Market segmentation, and by extension, region-locking, is a valid business move that is not in any way sleazy or unethical. Videogame console buyers are not necessarily entitled to playing videogames available in other regions. This can, of course, be frustrating if you happen to want games that are not available in your region.  However, the best path to change this situation isn't to sit back and complain but instead to spend your money on platforms that don't have region-locking restrictions. This is the best way to make a business understand that you, the consumer, truly care about freedom of choice.

Folks, I can't emphasize this enough--vote with your wallets. 

'Home' is a Good Horror Game for iOS

'Home' is one of those games that sneaks up on you, no pun intended. At first glance, it doesn't seem like much but as you progress through the game you find that there is so much more to be found. Without going too far into spoiler territory, the story revolves around a character who wakes up with a damaged leg and then has to unravel a mystery surrounding his amnesia.

Source: iTunes App Store

This is a game that follows the traditional 'point-and-click' adventure style. The graphics have a retro feel to them, and the use of the flashlight provides an appropriately creepy feeling. Likewise, the audio effects are excellent in the way they emphasize the tension being felt by the character (and by extension, the player). 

Tension and anticipation are the main draw of this game. Transitions between different rooms use a door animation that is reminiscent of the transitions between rooms in Resident Evil. You never know what to expect next around every corner or every item you pick up (or don't pick up), and the choices you make throughout the game impact the ending of the game.

Folks, give this one a try. I recommend playing late at night in a dark, quiet room. The experience is so much better that way.

'Zombiegal Kawaii' is an Odd Yet Fun Game for iOS

Zombiegal Kawaii is a side-scrolling game for iOS (iPhone/iPad) that pits players against hordes of zombies that have taken over your hometown. There are other games that follow this same basic plot, but where Zombiegal Kawaii separates itself from the pack is through its unique character design and character audio.

The main character is a gun-toting schoolgirl that is drawn chibi style. As the player plays the game, the girl will make some sort of context sensitive utterance (in a stereotypically syrupy sweet voice). If you pick up ammo, she will say 'yokatta wa (good)' . Picking up a health kit will elicit a 'daijoubu (I'm ok/not hurt)' . If you go on a bit of a rampage and get multiple kills in a row, she will exclaim 'shinde! shinde! (die! die!)'.  These character quips, coupled with the fact that you are fighting chibi-zombie girls, make for fun and fast-paced gameplay.

Shooting Zombies

Zombiegal Kawaii is $0.99 in the App Store, but plays like a freemium game. I've previously written about how certain games have really missed the mark and others have done really well with integrating freemium aspects into the gameplay, and this game leans towards the latter. There is a 'energy meter' that limits how many levels you can play in any one sitting. This energy meter, of course, is intended to encourage you to pay for an in-app purchase that gives you more energy (and thus more play time). This game is best played in relatively short bursts, so this energy meter never really bothered me much (though I can see how it might bother folks who want to play more).

As you progress through the game, your character gains experience and picks up money from fallen zombies. These can be spent in the 'store' screen where you can buy new guns or other kinds of weapons such as a baseball bat or katana. You can also purchase 'attribute enhancements' that impact character stats such as speed, accuracy, or counter-moves.

Additionally, you can purchase outfits for your character. This brings up what is perhaps the biggest downside to the game--the somewhat sleazy way that the character is presented in some of the loading screens and the in-app store. Tapping an item that you don't have enough in-app currency to afford brings up a prompt to go to the shop to buy coins, which is punctuated with a picture of the main character in her underwear and in a suggestive pose (drawn in a much more realistic style than normally seen through gameplay). The juxtaposition of the cute, chibi-style and the sexualized versions of the character is odd, to say the least.

Folks, Zombiegal Kawaii is a game that is worth a look. The touch controls work well, and the visual design and audio work is appealing. The art style may not appeal to everyone, but fans of anime and manga will find the style familiar and inviting.

The Windows 8.1 UI Designers Might Have a Special Message for You

The guys at Penny Arcade pretty much nailed it, folks. 

Not Going to Violate Apple's NDA

Some folks have asked me to write about my impressions on iOS 7. Unfortunately, as an iOS developer I am bound by the NDA (non-disclosure agreement) regarding software and features that are not yet released. In essence, if Apple did not show the information at their WWDC Keynote, it can't be discussed with the general public. While Apple did show a lot of good stuff in the keynote, the things that I found most interesting were not shown/described in the keynote and therefore under NDA.

I currently have the iOS 7 beta installed on an old phone and I have been trying out its various features and getting a better idea of how its new design language works.  Folks, rest assured that I will write about iOS 7 when it becomes publicly available sometime this autumn with the release of this year's new iPhone.

What If Creating a Startup Was Like a Videogame?

The folks at GeekWire have produced a nifty animation that shows us what it would be like if creating a startup was a videogame. The graphics and sound are deliciously retro, and the story has tons of industry in-jokes. I almost spit on my screen when I saw the 'pivot' sequence.

Bonus: The story takes place in Seattle. Pay attention to the Space Needle for something amusing.

John McAfee's Crazy Video Showing Us How to Uninstall McAfee Antivirus

John McAfee, creator of McAfee Antivirus, has posted a crazy video about how to uninstall the McAfee Antivirus software. In the video, McAfee reads emails from angry users complaining about the software (which it turns out he has had nothing to do with for the past fifteen years). Then...things get weird . 'Charlie Sheen' weird.

Folks, this one has scantily dressed women, drug references, and profanity in it so be careful where you watch this video.

Inside the Airbus A350 Cockpit

Zach Honig, over at Engadget:

As you might expect, the cockpit is as modern as they come, with large LCDs taking the place of traditional avionics. In fact, the layout looks more like something you'd find on a stock broker's desk -- it's quite a contrast to the aging panels many commercial pilots still use today.

The video in the source link gives us a glimpse at what the cockpit of the A350 is like. The cockpit, to no one's surprise, is a splendid example of a so-called 'glass cockpit'.  The large display panels allow for system flexibility and enhanced awareness for pilots. I have experience writing software for Boeing's Electronic Logbook, so I was quite interested in seeing the A350's Class 3 Electronic flight bag. The sheer size of the LCD panel is impressive.

Check out the video, folks.

Don't Be a Jerk at the Office, Folks

If you've worked at an office for any lengthy period of time, particularly a software development shop,  the odds are very good that you've run into them . You know who I'm talking about. There are many different names for them such as curmudgeon, know-it-alls, divas, etc. No matter the particular term used, they have similar qualities including--but not limited to--generally surly demeanor, an inability to empathize, and freaking out when things don't go their way. I'm talking, of course, about jerks .

Strangely, the software development profession tends to attract a disproportionate number of jerks. There are many reasons for this (which could span a whole post). In any case, this type of individual can cause teams, departments, and sometimes entire companies to be dysfunctional. How do they do this?

The first way is by having negative attitudes. Jerks can cause the mood of the room to shift merely by their presence. Their surly demeanor can easily wipe the smile off of someone's face. In some instances, other employees can go into 'defense' mode immediately because they have become accustomed to having to fend off the jerk's communication style. 

Another way that these individuals can cause problems is through their inability to empathize with others. This can manifest itself as a tendency to 'throw people under the bus'. Rather than trying to understand where others in the organization are coming from and the pressures that they are dealing with, jerks are often focused on only the task at hand in their particular area of responsibility. When things go awry (as happens in many development projects), these individuals are quick to cast blame on others and rarely (if ever) accept responsibility for their mistakes (especially publicly). This leads to a culture of distrust in a company.

The final major way that jerks can cause trouble for a development shop is by freaking out when things don't go their way. This manifests itself in various ways. The most obvious way is by unnecessarily turning the smallest disagreements into 'earth-shattering' events.  A more subtle way that this manifests itself is when the individual decides to 'go rogue' and make decisions without consulting the appropriate parties. These reactions not only cause unnecessary confusion and concern in others, but also have the effect that the loudest mouth in the room (or the most stubborn one) will have undue sway on technical decisions or project matters. Coworkers will simply not have the energy to deal with the jerk and will let things slip past them that otherwise would have been dealt with in a healthy environment.

Folks, nobody wants to deal with jerks. They are a big factor in workplace harmony and job satisfaction. Don't be a jerk, and don't let jerks take over your office. 

Conferences are Important, Folks

Previously, I wrote about the importance of developer perks, and conferences are an important perk. To be sure, there always are costs associated with attending a conference. Often times this involves a financial cost (e.g. ticket price, airfare, lodging), but there are other costs as well such as opportunity costs due to time away from work that must be managed. Whether you attend a large conference such as 
Apple's WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) or a more intimate conference such as Cocoaconf, the benefits of attending a conference can far outweigh the costs involved.

The most obvious benefit is the ability to enhance critical skills. Many conferences understandably focus on this aspect as a major selling point, and sometimes increase the skill enhancement by offering pre-conference workshops. However, the advent of live session streaming (or at least the quick posting of session videos to the conference website) has caused this part of the value proposition to diminish. That's not to say that skill enhancement is an unimportant part of the conference experience, just that it isn't the most  important.

Why, then, is it important to attend conferences? Two reasons, really: networking and exposure to new ideas. 

Networking is an often undervalued aspect of conference attendance. It is, however, something that cannot be done while watching session videos at home. Meeting people at the conference can lead to new business connections, new business or job opportunities, and new friends. In addition, the social interaction before sessions, between sessions, at lunch time, and after the sessions end for the day is when much of the learning takes place. While you are in a session, your mind is still absorbing the content as it is presented. The non-session time provides an opportunity for you to collect your thoughts and to share those thoughts with other attendees. This will often be a good way to 'break the ice' and to clarify things that may not have been immediately clear during the session.

Exposure to new ideas is quite possibly the best reason to attend a conference. Sure, new ideas are hypothetically only a quick web search away. However, meeting and having conversations with new people is by far the quickest way to be exposed to ideas that would not have otherwise crossed your mind. You could learn about a new technology or technique that will solve a long-standing problem you've been having, or you could be inspired to move in a whole new business direction.

In a way, conferences can be considered as great examples of concentrated serendipity . Where else can you enhance your skills, make new contacts, and discover new ideas in only a few days? Just make sure you can get a ticket, folks.