Ernest Bourne of Fongo Bongo Games in Salt Lake City, Utah responds to Dan Yarrington's recent column on too many games and game demos (see "Get In The Game--Too Many Games...Too Little Space").

I'll admit, I'm one of those guys who waits.  Last Christmas, a designer / self-publisher of a game approached me at an expo.  He talked about how great his game was and that he's sold 1,000 copies of it during Christmas at a mall kiosk.  He talked a good game.  I asked him to explain it to me.  He pulled it out and the board looked great.  As he explained the mechanics and rules, I quickly lost interest.  He was still pitching the game and besides, it wasn't my style, it was way too reliant on luck of the dice.  So after the demonstration, he suggested I carry the game.  My response, "I only sell games after my customers have had a chance to demo them."  He was a little stunned that I would ask for a demo copy before I would carry a game.

Then this last February, I attended a local convention as an attendee.  A new game was having it's debut, Pastiche.  There were multiple copies around the convention and I was interested in trying it out.  I found a table where they had just set up and joined in.  The guy teaching and explaining this game really had a passion for it.  As we started playing, I asked, "Hey isn't the designer of the game here?"  The guys around the table snickered and one said, "are you serious?"  "Well, yeah."  The instructor of the game laughed and said it was him.  What impressed me was how much passion he had for the game.  It radiated to the players and we had a good time playing it.  I went home and told my wife about and she came with me the next day of the convention to try it out as well.  I would have over looked this game had I not had the chance to play it.

My point is this, I can sell more games that I enjoy playing rather than a game that has "buzz."  Take a game like Agricola.  Rated as one of the top games in the world. It sits on my shelf.  Why?  It’s because I'm not in love with it nor are any of my staff.  We've never had the opportunity to play with anyone who loves it.  Now a game like Thunderstone has taken off and I sell it quick because I love it and so does my staff.  This came about because one of my customers bought it and was so excited by it, he had have everyone play it.

So having enthusiasm for a game is a selling technique that can't be ignored.  My wife sells the Rio Grande game Wyatt Earp whenever she gets a chance to talk with people.  Rio Grande sent us a demo copy and it sat and sat until we went on vacation and it was small enough to put in our luggage.  Awful looking box but she can sell it because she loves playing that game.

While there are a few select individuals that receive evaluation games for the purpose of reviews, nothing compares to actually sitting down and playing it.  Z-man Games is probably one of the best manufacturers when it comes to getting demos.  Zev understands the need to get games into players hands which results in more sales.  I sell a copy of Tales of the Arabian Nights whenever we demo it.  AEG is following.  They sent stores demo copies of Nightfall before it was released.  That totally helped with our own store "buzz."  Where as Steve Jackson Games is a pain.  Sure I love their "Men in Black" program and having these guys come and do demos and tournaments, but send me some demo copies that I can keep in my store and play when the opportunity arises.

I agree that more manufacturers need to get demo games into stores.  Don't expect me to just love a game because a reviewer online said they loved it.  We need them in our hands and before the release dates.  How else are we going to get enthusiastic about something we've never even touched.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.