the_pat•18d agoProlific Poster

Rant: that Gen Con 2022 demo changed how I buy games now

I used to be a total Kickstarter junkie, backing anything with pretty art. Then at Gen Con in 2022, I waited 45 minutes to demo a hyped game everyone was raving about. The demo guy spent 10 minutes reading rules and then we played a boring 15 minute round. I walked away and saw a beat up copy of an old classic at a vendor booth for $15. Now I never buy a game unless I've played it at a convention or a friend's place first. Has anyone else had a bad demo totally kill their hype for a game?

3 comments

3 Comments

benc5317d ago

Demo videos are a terrible way to judge a game IMO. They always cut out the slow parts and make setups look fast. I've been burned way worse by buying off a video than by a boring demo at a con. The demo at least let you see the real pace and feel, while a video can hide all the clunky bits. A boring demo that killed your hype is actually a GOOD thing in my book, it saved you fifty bucks and a spot on your shelf.

masonbell17d ago

Had a buddy who waited six months for a Kickstarter deluxe edition, got it, played it once, and sold it for half price the next week at a flea market. He said the demo videos online made it look way more exciting than actually setting up all those tiny pieces and reading every card felt like homework. Now he brings a travel game to every hangout just to get someone to try it before he buys anything new.

hayden46617d ago

He sold it at a flea market for half price? That's brutal, I can't even imagine the sting.