I can't agree with this article. Especially when it sounds like the age old argument about LBP ("LBP Had terrible sales when it released!"), because that is a very flawed argument due to when the game was released, and a bias against the game.

However, on the subject, I don't believe demos are game killers. If I want a game I'll get it. If I'm not sure, and I play a demo, I'll decide. With LBP, I loved it and got it. With Mirror's Edge, well I liked it and wanted it when they first talked about it. However, money was tight during release and when I played the demo I realized it wasn't a game I would LOVE to have. So it moved to the rent rack (or until finances say otherwise).

Demos don't kill games, they give buyers a better chance of deciding. Except when the demo is from a VERY old build that misrepresents the game. I think they should have release-builds of games, for demos.

This is a pretty poor correlation. To blame waning sales on demos alone without any consideration to other factors does not make for a good argument.

Demos are free. Anyone can download a demo and play it, and they are generally used to gauge a person's purchase. It's a tad unrealistic to think that games will match their demos in plays simply because you actually have to pay money to own the games. Also, I think some games would have had considerably worse sales had they not got the demo exposure. For example, most video game purchasers do not follow press releases, online previews or magazine reviews. A lot of people buy games through coverglancing or by word of mouth. Mirror's Edge, a new IP with an ambiguous boxshot does not exactly entice. However, with the demo, word spreads around and even if people didn't purchase the game, having played the demo they would recommend it to their friends, or at least comment on the positive aspects of it ('yeah, it's pretty cool, you run along rooftops and acrobatically jump around') or something to that effect.

Also, beta ≠ demo. Usually betas are spread online or through magazine promotions, of which whose readers and users are not the majority gaming demographic.

There is no LBP demo on the playstation network

Honestly how many games do we need?

I have enough to keep me busy for months. Yes I played the Mirror Edge Demo and loved it. No, I won't buy it because I have enough games for now.

It's tied more to time management and economics. You can't expect us to own every game that comes out. Nor can you expect us to spend all of our time in games.

Demos don't kill the games, they advertise them. If there wasn't a demo, I still wouldn't buy it, mostly due to lack of time. Since I played the demo I have encouraged others to try the game. That's the advertising they are getting.

The only time I can see a demo killing game sales is if the demo sucked. Like Motorstorm: Pacific Rift. The demo didn't get anyone excited so you could see everybody on the interwebz talking about how they weren't going to buy it. It was from an old build an people who have the game now say they love it, but the demo definately killed early sales.

And when he says that the demo was well received, yet sold poorly, you only know it was well received by gamers who post on forums and probably bought the game because they're somewhat more 'core' than everybody else, who might have liked the demo but not thought it was great. Especially in the case of Mirror's Edge, it was offering a new experience and some of my friends liked the demo but said they wouldn't buy the game because there wasn't a large enough supply of guns to shoot at stuff. Which is moronic but true.

The only time I can see a demo killing game sales is if the demo sucked. Like Motorstorm: Pacific Rift. The demo didn't get anyone excited so you could see everybody on the interwebz talking about how they weren't going to buy it. It was from an old build an people who have the game now say they love it, but the demo definately killed early sales.

And when he says that the demo was well received, yet sold poorly, you only know it was well received by gamers who post on forums and probably bought the game because they're somewhat more 'core' than everybody else, who might have liked the demo but not thought it was great. Especially in the case of Mirror's Edge, it was offering a new experience and some of my friends liked the demo but said they wouldn't buy the game because there wasn't a large enough supply of guns to shoot at stuff. Which is moronic but true.

DMF is right: a demo is bad for sales if the game is bad, good for sales if the game is good. I don't see how this is hard to understand. It all comes back to game company executives not understanding that good games sell well -- not only good marketing.

well this article is true, because for some games that I like and play a demo for I end up not getting it because of the demo

meatloaf and throw-rugs also cause bad game sales.

I hear if you release a game on Tuesday, it will lead to 5% better sales. And if the box is blue, you got a sure fire hit on your hands.

If you put the game out on a Thursday, or the box weighs more than 84 grams, a sequel is guaranteed.