Question Of The Week [September 17th 2025]

Q: Has A Demo Made You Buy A Game?

A: Back in the Summer of 2007, I was living on my own, in my first apartment. The Xbox 360 was my console of choice and I was fully enthralled with Guitar Hero II. After seeing The Simpsons Movie, I remember starting up the Xbox and browsing the marketplace for some new demos, as back then, most games had demos. Something we rarely see anymore. It wasn’t a mandate, but Microsoft strongly encouraged developers to create demos to drive sales… and it worked.

I remember coming across the Bioshock Demo. I knew nothing about the game, but I did see a few adverts in gaming magazines and was intrigued by the look of the cover art. The hulking monster with a massive drill for a hand. So I ended up taking a chance and downloading it.

I wasn’t sure what I was in for, and I was a bit apprehensive since I hated scary games back then (and mostly still do to this day). But I started up the game anyway and was met with the opening of Bioshock. Not understanding what I was in for, I was thrust into the start where I experienced a plane crash and had to swim to a lone lighthouse in the middle of the ocean while the plane sank and flames surrounded me.

Once on dry land, I walk into the lighthouse, find a massive intimidating statue of a man towering over me and with a banner saying “No Gods Or Kings, Only Man”. Exploring further I came upon a submersible called a “bathysphere” and descended into Rapture for the first time. After the entire opening and full control, I took in all the sights and sounds of the creepy dark atmosphere. I ended up being so terrified I had to pause the game for a moment to regain my composure and pressed on. The first combat encounter was so fun that I took another moment to pause and reflect on the environment again.

The underwater city of Rapture captured my child-like imagination like no other game before, it drew me in with it’s Art Deco design and big band soundtrack with the likes of Bobby Darin, The Ink Spots and Django Reinhardt. It was like a game made specifically for me. I already was well acquainted with these artists and I’ve always had a fondness for a more contemporary and earlier musical style that oozes class and style. And my iPod was already filled with Big Band and classical music like these already. So it was a match made in heaven.

I don’t know how long I sat in that moment, but I knew this game was unlike anything I played before. I didn’t finish the demo, instead I turned the console off. Not because I didn’t like the game, but because I wanted more, more than what the demo had to offer. I grabbed my keys and hopped on my motorcycle and rode down to my local game store that my best friend owned at the time. I walked in, said hi and asked if he had any copies of Bioshock. There was one last copy of the Limited Special edition which was more money than I wanted to spend. I didn’t need the extra CD with a few songs, or the statue… but I wanted the game. So I ended up purchasing the special edition game and made sure it fit in my saddlebags and rode back home.

Bioshock ended up being such a special series in my life and currently one of my favorite gaming series of all time. I’ll always remember the demo and that intro will go down in history as one of the best intros for a video game.