Are open betas necessary?

Final Fantasy XIV is in open beta as we speak, and anyone with even a passing interest in MMORPGs is probably already aware of that fact. What you may not be aware of is that very little is actually going to get "tested" (much less re-implemented) during this month-long honeymoon.

Many people have even begun referring to open beta periods as marketing betas, since they basically exist to generate awareness of the title and build as much hype as possible. While my own reaction to MMO betas mirrors the hard-working tester in the photo above, many of you are no doubt enjoying Square-Enix's latest.

What's your take on open betas in general and FFXIV's in particular? Do you even bother submitting feedback and/or testing, or do you look at them as pre-release free trials?

TH