Don't You Demo?

A new poll on GameFAQs (hardly scientific?) revealed something that completely shocked me as a trend in gaming: no one really likes downloadable demos.

Of the 40,000 votes on the subject, a huge 60% said they wanted nothing to do with demos.

I, on the other hand, download any demo that peaks my interest. I'm a picky gamer. I don't like to waste money, especially $60+ on a game that I might find annoying or unplayable. Plus, it also lets me try games that I normally would never glance at twice in the game store.

This must mean that gamers as a breed feed off a different high from games. Do they want an experience that is delivered to them like a movie? They are in it from the beginning and don't leave 'till it's over. Does that make the games they play more of an experience than, say with me, a collectible item that is supposed reflect my identity as a gamer?

The last 40% percent of gamers were more likely to download the demos of games, mostly because they want to try them out first. That makes sense. It's nice to know that not all gamers are craving mad gaming loonies.

The smallest percentage of people download every demo there is. Free games! Free levels! Try it all for nothing! They truly benefit from the fits that developers drop on our disks. Small, well chosen portions of their games to sample hoping to gain an extra $60 for a small bit of work.

I think demos are an indespensible part of gaming and I hope the results of this poll to ruin the fun for the rest of us cheap-ass gamers.