A Little Thing That Makes Games a Joy to Play? Demo Bonuses

Do you think video games should stay fun? Of course you do!

Sometimes, though, people are so negative about games that it’ll rain on your good mood. Usually, these people sport sourpuss faces that look like they’d swallowed a jar of lemon juice. You know the usual suspects and their comments:

•   “’X’ is an evil serpent of a games publisher.”

•   “I don’t like that game’s ending. Change it to suit my preferences.”

•   “My console is better than your console.”

Shove all that stuff aside for now. These squabbles can smother your sun shine of a good time with the dark cloud of gloominess.

Instead, let’s talk about why it’s so much fun to play games today. I love the little things, like demo bonuses, that make games even more of a joy to play.

The bonuses are rewards you unlock for beating a free demo, and you get to play with them when you buy the full game. It’s a cool idea.

Maybe your bonus is a mighty blade to vanquish a fire spewing dragon. Or a 1000 pound gun that fills enemies full of holes like Swiss cheese. Press the trigger, the gun goes boom and watch waves of enemies beg for mercy. Whatever the bonus is, it’s usually a lot of fun to use in the full game.

The Kingdoms of Amalur demo nets you some cool bonuses for use in that game. You can get armor and a weapon just for playing the 30 or so minute demo.

You even get a bonus from the same demo to use in Mass Effect 3. How does that work? Go play the Amalur demo. Then buy Mass Effect 3. Your copy of Mass Effect 3 will now have Amalur inspired armour and a chakram launcher. You know, to launch chakrams at evil space aliens who want to destroy the universe.

You better believe that these offers enticed to me play the demo.

I wish more developers tried this idea with their games. We need some more positive vibes, love, fun and more ways to share the joy of playing games. Let’s toss aside the boxing gloves and have some fun. After all, we play games to have fun. At least that’s true for me.

So, I like the idea of rewarding people for playing your demo. And the bonuses are free! What more could you want?