What is a demo?

We get to decide.

A short history of demo

Like it or not, the computing industry was built on the back of demo.

Then a scene developed around demo, and that scene pushed demo forwards to new heights.

Then another scene developed around demo too, and that scene pushed demo forwards to new heights too.

And that brings us to the present day. People are still pushing demo forwards to new heights.

A few reactions to demo

Some people reject demo while others claim it as their own. Some groups cradle it in secrecy while others bring it to new audiences.

A retrospective on demo

We can look back through demo’s rich tapestry of —

We can look back through demo’s history and see how varied its forms and uses can be — and we might find it hard to define exactly what it is. It doesn’t seem to have a consistent character or quality.

But things start to make more sense when we accept a simple fact —

Demo is a medium

The truth is — demo is a medium — demo can be an art form. Demo can be good. Demo can be bad. Demo can be used to say various things. Demo can be done in different ways.

Just like you can have good and bad films, you can have good and bad demos. Just like you can have different styles and genres of music, you can have different styles and genres of demo.

So the question remains…

What is demo?

We get to decide! And we can build a new scene around it, as many have done before.

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