Why....

[andrewt]

60% of us Americans are overweight. We even have lots of obese homeless people. Even among the poorest of the poor here in the U.S., I'd argue that obesity is a bigger problem for them than malnutrition.

Even in the U.S., Japanese products come much later than they do in Japan. Nintendo is getting its ass kicked by Microsoft everywhere except Japan so I wouldn't be surprised that they're focusing on Japan since they're not doing well anymore anywhere else.

U.S. and Canada (except Quebec, which I think requires French version games to be sold at the same time as English versions) have the same version so that's 1 version for 326 million people. Japanese actually save way more money than most that's why their economy is not doing well right now. However, they spend a lot on videogames and they also only require 1 version for 127 million people.

Europe is a different matter, though. France requires a French version that will be sold to 60 million people. Germany requires a sanitized, Saturday morning cartoon-like German version for 82 million people. The U.K. has 60 million people but needs their own English version. Many different European countries also need their own version. When a company thinks market, they consider each required version as a different market.

[Thoros of Myr]

The DS is being released in the US before Japan...strange I know.

[Red Harvest]

Pulled up some stats for 2003, EU per capita income was less than 2/3 that of the US--I don't think that includes recently added countries, but I don't recall when the last addition was. On average, that difference should translate into considerably less disposable income (magnifying the disparity.) Food is not that much of a problem in the US even among the poor. From what I've heard of EU food prices I suspect the US food supply is considerably more affordable on average. Other issues tend to be worse for the poor in the US (like healthcare) but starving is rare except in cases of severe neglect. I was poor as dirt as a kid in the US, but we always ate well--rarely extra helpings of the meat course, limited candy/treats, and soft drink intake was low; but I never went to bed hungry for lack of food.

[Devastatin Dave]

Pulled up some stats for 2003, EU per capita income was less than 2/3 that of the US--I don't think that includes recently added countries, but I don't recall when the last addition was. On average, that difference should translate into considerably less disposable income (magnifying the disparity.) Food is not that much of a problem in the US even among the poor. From what I've heard of EU food prices I suspect the US food supply is considerably more affordable on average. Other issues tend to be worse for the poor in the US (like healthcare) but starving is rare except in cases of severe neglect. I was poor as dirt as a kid in the US, but we always ate well--rarely extra helpings of the meat course, limited candy/treats, and soft drink intake was low; but I never went to bed hungry for lack of food.

This basically means, more capitalism, more gaming. Too bad you guys have gone all socialist over there!!!

[Tamur]

So this is what a political debate begins to sound like on the Org... Huzzah to my policy of avoiding the open forums I'm sure, as they say, I haint seen nothing yet.

[Red Harvest]

This basically means, more capitalism, more gaming. Too bad you guys have gone all socialist over there!!!

I don't see it that way, and it would be best to avoid broadly painting many separate nations with one brush. North American or European, we are living in countries with some form of elected/representative type govt. Each have advantages and disadvantages. Better to celebrate the differences rather than thinking they should be just like us.

I would gladly trade the US healthcare system for so called "socialized medicine." I've seen it from the side of the uninsured poor, and from the side of well insured. Either way it gave me and my family poor service and was not a good value for the money spent. I've had egregious medical mistakes kill relatives, and I've had to get personally involved in care of other family members to correct other life threatening mistakes. When I hear what a great healthcare system we have, I have to wonder what the standard is--I expect a heck of a lot better. I am appalled at the 50% overcharge that is standard practice in the industry. With a 14% annual inflation rate over the past 20 years or so, it won't be long until no employers offer coverage, and premiums for self insurance will be so high as to be unaffordable even for the healthy. Personally, I'm a bit tired of paying exorbitant costs for a system that gives me poor service on the rare instances I use it.

Let's not forget: unfettered capitalism results in the robber baron system we had around 1900, where a few Microsoft type entities ran each major industry as personal monopolies. People seem to forget that free market capitalism requires some regulation to keep it competitive, for it can devolve into monopoly. Capitalism in and of itself is rather ruthless and can be quite destructive, hence the formation of unions, labor laws, anti-trust law, environmental law, conservation law, accounting standards, food labeling & inspection, patents, etc. To give some perspective: those robber barons would utterly balk at the system we have today and would not think it free market at all.

[Jango Fett]

give it to china

[Shaitan]

...The U.K. has 60 million people but needs their own English version.

I was always wondering about that. Why is there an different english version on the market? Here in Germany you can always get an US-, English and a German version of computer games.

Shaitan

[The_Emperor]

Our own English version?? Yeah right, every bit of software & game I install has "US English" as the language choice!

[Shaitan]

Our own English version?? Yeah right, every bit of software & game I install has "US English" as the language choice!

The language is of course the same. But the packaging is different. US get the big boxes while we other get these small DVD-boxes.

But why get the UK an different english version? Wouldn't it be simpler to ship the same?

Shaitan

[The_Emperor]

The language is of course the same. But the packaging is different. US get the big boxes while we other get these small DVD-boxes.

But why get the UK an different english version? Wouldn't it be simpler to ship the same?

It is not a different language but the different packaging then. IIRC A while ago there was an EU Directive passed that packaging for items must not be excessively large and should remain in proportion with the contents...

Computer software developers were hevaily criticised as many of those massive boxes (which games used to come in over here) contained little more than a small CD case and a tiny booklet of a similar size. While the box itself could easily hold at least two VHS videos!

[Shaitan]

It is not a different language but the different packaging then. IIRC A while ago there was an EU Directive passed that packaging for items must not be excessively large and should remain in proportion with the contents...

Computer software developers were hevaily criticised as many of those massive boxes (which games used to come in over here) contained little more than a small CD case and a tiny booklet of a similar size. While the box itself could easily hold at least two VHS videos!

Thats why we get those nice and small DVD-boxes.

Shaitan