You can see several sample games in the youtube videos on that page.
Because it's a social game (i.e., you can't play alone), registering is more of a quality control than anything, like news.ycombinator, for example. Registration is extremely minimal (email address only required).
Registration is not extremely minimal, I just went through it. It took about 5 steps, two of which were email confirmation.
Once I did complete registration, I was not logged in - why not? Instead you showed me a "2. Player Information" screen where I had to read about clicking a "home page" link (not underlined, similar color to the rest of the text, tiny font), and then log in again.
Take a look at the Tumblr signup page.
I'm motivated because I've read the book, but most people wouldn't bother jumping through all the hoops.
I have to agree - having to sign up before trying it out stinks. Rig up a robot if you must, or allow only eight moves, or have a separate lobby for unregistered users.
I agree with slim, you definitely need to give people a better idea of what to expect out of the game. Watching videos is too time consuming for many people if they have no idea if they'll be interested (it takes minutes). In comparison, scanning a web page takes seconds.
when i go to http://glassbead.net, i must see the game board. also, you should not require the player to register before playing.