Whatever happened to the humble "Demo"?

Gimpymoo · 1 Dec 2020 at 23:09

Remember when every "AAA" game and most others had a demo of some description?

Are we supposed to know how a game plays nowadays with Videos and streams etc before launch to decide if a game is worth buying?

When did the industry become so up itself that they decided a "demo" is no longer needed? Around the same time the "suits" got involved oddly enough.

Sales figures are up and keep going up so I am probably just being an old fart and in the minority.

cheesyboy · 1 Dec 2020 at 23:28

I used to get so much play out of demos that I bought fewer games. So maybe there's an answer of sorts in that

But, also, video footage of games, and a wealth of online information, means they're a bit unnecessary as a resource for getting to know a game.

robfosters · 1 Dec 2020 at 23:32

Used to love the demo discs that came with magazines. Tonnes of stuff on em.

Malevolence · 1 Dec 2020 at 23:42

Gimpymoo said:
When did the industry become so up itself that they decided a "demo" is no longer needed?

Around the same time they realised there is a generation of idiots who will happily pay full price to beta test their unfinished games for them.

Rimsy · 1 Dec 2020 at 23:50

Malevolence said:
Around the same time they realised there is a generation of idiots who will happily pay full price to beta test their unfinished games for them.

Was about to post exactly this. These days gamers are generally moronic idiots with zero self control nor basic understanding of the value of money. Why waste time creating demos when your target audience will pay to test your product for you?

LeMson · 1 Dec 2020 at 23:58

They are called early access and you have to pay for them

GBRusty · 2 Dec 2020 at 07:38

I've found that quite a few games have demos now on steam. So I think it's the opposite... more demos than I've seen in the last 10 years or so (if you ignore triple A games as, like previously mentioned, it's really not in the budget)

Frubeling · 2 Dec 2020 at 08:18

Steam allowing 2 hours of play before losing the right to refund probably played a big part in this as well. Why bother with a demo when people can just use their 2 hours instead?

Spacedeck · 2 Dec 2020 at 08:25

Frubeling said:
Steam allowing 2 hours of play before losing the right to refund probably played a big part in this as well. Why bother with a demo when people can just use their 2 hours instead?

Haven't people been warned by Steam for abusing this and requesting many refunds?

JohnG7 · 2 Dec 2020 at 08:25

They do not give Demos as most games now are crap so you would know this before buying them

I came out newsagent with PC Adviser or/and PC Format and stuck on cover was a Max Payne Demo CD, I got home installed it and ordered the game and when it arrived on CD I was up all night and took a sicky from work, same for RTCW apart from the sicky.

Frubeling · 2 Dec 2020 at 10:04

Spacedeck said:
Haven't people been warned by Steam for abusing this and requesting many refunds?

I've had one warning for it since the system was implemented and it wasn't even in response to a slew of refunds, but a single game.
It was less a warning and more of a "oh by the by please don't use this to play games for free okay bye" sorta thing

Also I kinda agree with the above. If they gave demos for everything, a lot of games would never sell

PC777 · 2 Dec 2020 at 10:05

A game as recent as Resident Evil 3 has a demo so they do still exist in lesser numbers.

Edit: Also the 10 hour Dragon Quest Builders Demo got me to buy the full game as recently as last year, so are around still, just not as prominent than they once were.