Editor's note: I've never understood why video games are "region locked." If I want to play a Japanese version of a game -- especially a game that's unavailable in the U.S. -- I should be able to without dealing with the trouble of importing it. Daniel examines the issue and how region locks can result in fewer sales for publishers and developers. -Jason

(This image originally appeared on Kotaku.com.)

The new calendar on my wall says 2010. I'm living in a futuristic world the likes of which the 10-year-old version of me could barely imagine. True, we don't have flying skateboards or cars yet (we've still got five years left before Back to the Future II becomes a complete travesty), but the speed at which information and entertainment can be delivered is staggering. When I first saw a photocopier, I was impressed. When I first heard about fax machines, I was amazed. Now it’s possible to transmit entire novels in the time it once took me to dial a rotary phone. This is nothing short of revolutionary.

Technology has shattered the natural barriers that once separated human beings. So why do we continue to erect electronic barriers in the form of region encoding?

I understand why the concept exists. Movies released to home video in one country are often still in theaters in another. Video games are another story. Games lack a theatrical-release window to protect and don't have cinema owners to appease. A preordered video game is exactly the same as a copy sold 6 months later in a bargain bin. Why saddle these discs with invisible locks? What’s in it for the publishers or platform holders?

In most cases, the language barrier is a perfectly adequate defense against importers subverting commercial-pricing schemes. It prevents Japanese Disney fans from buying U.S. Blu-ray discs on the cheap just as it discourages Square fans overseas from buying Japanese Final Fantasy games. Even when language is not an issue, the time and expense of importing is typically enough of a hassle to turn away customers. Yet PS3 owners could import Bayonetta (with full English dialogue and menus) in October 2009 while Xbox owners had to wait until January. Why not allow customers to choose what’s worth buying and what’s not? Why force eager consumers to put away their wallets?

An even more inexcusable policy is applying antiquated region locks to digital distribution, creating artificial divides to replace the natural ones that make importing a chore. When I learned Crackdown was available for just $20 on Xbox Games On Demand, I jumped at the chance to see what all the fuss was about. Yet my mere presence in Japan prevented me from making the purchase. Eventually I bought a used copy at GameStop for $10, denying Microsoft and Realtime Worlds any money from the sale at all.

What concerns me the most about this matter is the direction we’re headed in. Sony and Microsoft are relatively open-minded about region controls, but Nintendo has the tightest restrictions in the industry. Nintendo bars my U.S. Wii from viewing any Japanese content, nor can I even select Japanese menus for my wife’s sake. The Nintendo DS is region-free, but the DSi is not, which is a dramatic step backward. Considering Nintendo’s staggering lead in the market, I fear their strict policies send the wrong message to other platform holders.

Perhaps the simplest and strongest case against lockouts is that it denies customers access to content that is not available in any other form. Some Wii games will never be translated or released in any other country, but Nintendo has decided I am not allowed to play them. I’d love to try 1 vs 100 on Xbox Live, but since I don’t live in the United States, I can't even download it. Sony even segregates a free service like PlayStation Home, ensuring that my U.S. account will never be able to socialize with any other non-American PS3 owners.

It’s not like there isn’t a precedent for allowing consumers to peruse the global market as they see fit. Books, cassettes, and compact discs are regionless. Blu-ray discs have extremely limited protection when contrasted with DVDs. Handheld consoles have (traditionally) been region-free.

Indeed, I remember when the only regional restriction on video games was the shape of the cartridge.

It’s time to return to that era of normalcy and set video games free. For an industry feeling the pinch of the recession and one that is uniquely integrated with the Internet, no excuse exists for turning away paying customers based on where they live or shop. Let us play what we want, where we want. Ninety-five percent of consumers will never notice the difference, but the remaining 5 percent will respond by buying more goods.

Daniel Feit was born in New York but now lives in Japan. Follow him on Twitter @feitclub or visit his blog, feitclub.com