Xbox demos should offer Gamerscore points

Giving Xbox 360 gamers a modest number of Gamerscore points for completing game demos from Xbox Live might be an excellent way of encouraging subscribers to check out new titles and playing them to the end.

I'm what's called an 'achievement whore'. I'll fool around with any game you give me, and go to great lengths to snag an extra 50 points here, an extra 25 there. Offer me 50 points for showing your demo a good time, and I guarantee you, dear developer: I'll work your demo to its bitter end. And I'm not alone.

The achievement system is superb: it's a brilliant way of encouraging gamers to refine their skills, then replay, replay, replay. Points for completing demos would incentivise gamers to spend time playing demos, and that's never going to hinder sales.

I asked a couple of Xbox elitists their opinion. Lee Hadfield, a good friend of mine, thought, "It would be the perfect incentive to get gamers to try more games, as well as a further reason to hook your Xbox up online."

But conversely, CNET regular -- and one of my most skilled Gears of War 2 co-op buddies -- Pokeh argued, "It would probably undermine players who have worked to earn achievements in full games, if somebody manages to get thousands of points over time by simply playing demos."

Personally, I feel there's little difference in offering a few points for completing a demo, to offering a full 1,000 for every game on the store shelves -- demos and full games both take time, and we're all limited to 24 hours in a day. And there are only a finite number of demos available anyway.

What do you think? I encourage you to let me know in the comments below.