Demos That Become Less Fun When Played

"When a game developer releases a demo, it's typically intended to entice players into first trying and then purchasing the full version. In keeping with that goal, demo versions of a game are (usually) designed to be fun. This is the stuff of Game Design 101 for most of us, but a crack team of cutting-edge gaming researchers at Sony have applied for a patent based on a novel concept—game demos that become progressively less fun the more you play. Sony refers to this as "feature erosion""


http://hothardware.com/News/Sonys-Great-Idea-Demos-That-Become-Less-Fun-When-Played/

Will this be more enticing than annoying? Tbh I haven't even bothered with demos in a long time, but this is an interesting change.

 

thats really sad - seems people are trying to Patent everything
i dont use demos so it wont effect me, reviews game videos and screens are enough for me

 

You know, this is a terrible idea.

I like demo's which let you play about. Mount and blade which many may know allows the full game up to level 7 I think it was. Whilst this limits you it does not stop you experiencing the game itself.

I can see from an accountants view how this would seem a good idea but not the actual consumer.

 

As a colleague said, I want to patent the word 'hello.' Everyone that says it will be required to pay a licensing fee...

 

yeah but sony have actual intellectual property to patent. Patents for words like hello, and numbers don't get approved

 

this is not patentable. i would not be surprised if they implemented this sort of thing in their demos, i guess... but to *patent* this is just nonsense.

 

So, what, you actually get the full game, but they quickly diminish what you can do in the game until you pony up the coin to unlock everything?

Go ahead Sony, go for it. The crackers are waiting.

 

With a demo like this, by the time you'd normally buy it, you'd be sick of it already.

I thought the whole point to a demo was to end it right when the game starts getting good so people will want to buy the full game to see more?

 

Yeah, seems like a lot more work than just offering a short demo.

 

When that happens, don't play sony games and you won't be bored.

 

That's the point... most demos DON'T let you "play about". They are highly restricted to one certain area or a small collage of areas with limitations and do not give you a full sense of the game at all.

Sony wants to give you everything in the demo so you do get the whole picture, and after sometime they start chipping away at your experience to entice you to buy the full game.

I like the idea myself.

How does that make any sense at all? Usig that logic you must get sick of your full games pretty quick.

Yes that is the point but that old dangling carrot model isn't working anymore. Why do you think we are starting to see new ways to present demos.

Darksiders - ~90 minutes of gameplay (an entire level in the game)
Just Cause 2 - 35 sq. miles and 30 minutes to wreak havoc in it any way you want.

Edit:

Oh and I should add that although I support this kind of demo model I am not sure it something I would consider "patentable". Then every tom, & harry is going to "patent" how they offer trial software (shareware etc...) and lawyers will have a hay-day with it.