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Demos Are Dead, Long Live Let’s Plays!

Demos Are Dead, Long Live Let’s Plays!

Demos have been dying a slow death for a few years now, and today it’s quite rare to find them. The purpose of demos is to advertise the game and work up hype, but they aren’t always accurate to the entire game and often take more work for the developers than they were worth. Now, developers and publishers rely on marketing via merchandise, gameplay trailers, pre-orders, and exclusive early access. While that’s all fine and good, I do think there’s value to be had in actually psychically playing a game before you buy it.

For example, learning how to play an FPS for the first time. Once upon a time, I was a Zelda -only gamer and the first person perspective, along with separate camera control, looked dizzying and confusing. I had absolutely no idea how people managed to not walk themselves in circles and shoot chandeliers rather than monsters. As such, I didn’t want to waste money on buying an actual game with a style of play I wasn’t even sure I would like or be any good at. But I’d watched my wife play Mass Effect , then watched walkthroughs of both BioShock and Amnesia , and I wanted to try it for myself, if only to play those games.

What better way to practice, than with a demo? The BioShock demo is the first fifteen minutes or so of the game and takes you through about four different areas, the last being the most combat heavy. It was the perfect way to get used to the controls before encountering the entire game. Playing through the same area over and over allowed me to hone my gaming skills and anticipate my own tendency to spin the camera instead of aim at a Splicer. After a while of hating it, I got better and settled into my own style of gameplay. Turns out I’m a great sniper! Once that was sorted out, I felt a lot better about spending money on the game itself, knowing I’d be able to get through it eventually.

Demos Are Dead, Long Live Let’s Plays!

That said, I haven’t played a demo since. I’m pretty confident in my ability to play a game that isn’t Zelda now; thus I find it much easier to just go on YouTube for a Let’s Play or gameplay demo by IGN. So as much as demos got me into gaming in the first place, I would much rather watch someone else, probably 1000 miles away, play a game I’m interested in buying. Does that mean I think it’s okay for demos to continue dying? No, I think there will always be new gamers out there ready to be sucked into the whirlwind of obsession that is the gaming world. Demos serve their purpose as introductions into gaming, but I don’t think any of us require them to be attached to every individual game anymore.

Image Credit: Graphix

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