Why Buy the Game When Stores Allow You to Play for Free?

About a week or more ago, Jackie Castellano & I were in Best Buy, because I had to buy DVD's. While I was shopping, Jackie saw that they were promoting the new Batman: Arkham Asylum game on a flatscreen TV, so shoppers could come up and play the game right by the entrance. The game looked really awesome, and the fact that I love Batman and that whole franchise only got me more interested in the game. The premise of the game, according to the website is: "The inmates of Arkham have been set free - and it's up to Batman to bring order to the chaos and take back the Asylum." While playing, we noticed that the graphics were really impressive, the missions and tasks that needed to be done were interesting and fun, and so on. All around it just seemed like a really cool game, and we were only playing for like a half hour. Well, Jackie was playing; I was watching.

Anyway! While we were playing we started to get harrassed by children -__- First this one kid comes up, and starts pulling the controller cord from Jackie asking, "Can I play now??" And Jackie's trying to be polite and be like, "It's my turn..." Go away kid!! Then as Jackie was fighting the monster, another kid strolled along and was like "Is that the Hulk??" First of all, the monster was pink, not green; not to mention the fact that Marvel & DC Comics are COMPLETELY different companies, go away child, you know nothing. Then he kept telling Jackie that she needed to beat up the Joker, when in the mission she was actually required to save the guards.. Stupid kids. It was so annoying. Jackie and I left Best Buy grumbling about how much we hated children. But that's not really the point of my blog, it's just a funny story.

What I kindof want to know, do those terminals where they put new or popular games on display--do those actually help sales? Or do most people just come in to play them all day then go home? I for one usually don't like to play games in public places like that, with strangers watching me and children harassing me (playing at a friend's house is different). But do people try out a new game they have never heard of and then proceed to buy it from there, or do they play it after hearing about it, and would have bought it regardless of playing it at the store? It's just a thought I had.. But I do enjoy watching people play games in the store and make a fool out of themselves; that gives me amusement. I just wonder if they're necessary, is all