We all know that times are tough when it comes to money these days. But charging for a video game demo? Are things really that bad?
Electronic Arts is getting ready to start charging for what they call “premium” demo versions that could go for $10-$15. These demos would contain around 3-4 hours of the full version of the game.
I can say with confidence that I would never shell out any dollar amount for a fraction of a video game. And I know I’m not the only one who feels that way.
The whole point of a game demo is to play a little bit of the game before you decide to shell out the cash for the full version. Paying for a demo defeats the actual purpose of a demo!
Charging for a demo, regardless of the amount of content it holds, is taking advantage of the gaming community. Say a game like MW2 had a premium demo. Gamers everywhere would not hesitate laying down the cash to play before the release. Or it could go the other way. A terrible game has a premium demo. A handful of players would buy it and regret spending even a penny on it.
Find another way to make money EA. I’m sure there are better ways.
Bowski477.com 
dvotee
March 23, 2010 at 11:08 am
Charging for a demo? You gotta be joking.
I think you’ve got it right when you say that maybe with the demo’s people don’t like it so don’t pay for the game and maybe they see this as a way around that problem (a little bit of something is better than nothing at all)
I most definately will never pay for a demo as it defeats the whole object of what a demo is.