Demo Time

This recent article on Shacknews discusses the study that recommended publishers release trailers for their games rather than demos. That may wind up being a good choice for console games where cash cows are their biggest and mediocre titles still manage to sell millions of copies, but it's a horrible strategy for the PC. For one, people need to make sure the game runs fine on their computer, a problem console gamers don't have. But beyond that, "emergent gameplay" is a really important thing for PC gamers, and that can only be created if people play - it will work in a demo, but can't be stuffed into a trailer.

Go ahead and release trailers, but if your game is good, we'll really notice it in the demo. If you're making an MMO, even one that's going into stores for $50, get us a trial. You need to pull those people in, and that's a good way to do it.