The Music and Rhythm genre in gaming has had a good run. Guitar Hero reached surprising heights in popularity, Rock Band brought together full rooms of friends and family, and the genre itself can be attributed much of the growth in video game sales over the past several years.

But now, in 2010, many cite the genre as dead or dying. Sales of the previously mentioned games are fractions of what they used to be. Some say the companies who made the games wore out the genre with too frequent iterations. Others think we're just tired of the games, or tired of buying their plastic instruments. Some think we're just shifting our focus to dancing games like Just Dance and Dance Central.

Do you play rhythm games? Do you think the genre is dead?

I'll admit that I do not have a desire to buy another Guitar Hero game ever again, but I have REALLY been enjoying Rock Band 3. I think it is easily the best plastic-instrument-game they've made. I haven't yet tried out the keyboard because I'm waiting for them to release the Midi-adapter. But I might even give Pro-Guitar a shot down the road.

I like Rock Band 3 because it has a huge library of good songs, it plays almost every song from previously-owned Rock Band games, and the menus are art direction are so much more clean and pleasant than Guitar Hero's.

Relatives and friends still come over to my house to play Rock Band. I'm not sure if I'd end up buying a Rock Band 4, but for me, the genre is still very much alive.

Unfortunately the genre has never been viable for me because I am completely miserable at rhythm games. I couldn't play Parappa, I couldn't play Guitar Hero, I couldn't play that crazy-looking one with the guy cheerleaders, and I couldn't play that PSP one with the rhythm army guys, O-something. I could barely play the songs in Zelda.

Which is a shame because they look really fun, but it's not fun when you're plain bad at them.

Hawk
or tired of buying their plastic instruments

That pretty much nails it for me. Having to shelve dozens and dozens of peripherals is quite a nuisance. If you want both Rock Band and Guitar hero, that's basically four guitars and two drum sets (mind you, those drum sets are huge). And now with Rock Band 3, we throw in a keyboard! Oh, and if for some reason you purchase a set for one console, it won't work on the other one!!

Not that I'm the one that has to deal with it - but my friend devotes most of his closet to this stuff. It's funny - we thought we could be clever by finding some third party company that might be universally compatible with them, but they either don't exist or they just aren't popular/low quality.

But from an objectional standpoint, I don't think the genre is dead. I especially like what they're doing with Rock Band in setting "realism" modes where you can actually use a 6-string. This seems like a nice direction to head in. Maybe turn the games into always having the advanced or training mode for those serious about getting into a particular instrument, as well as the normal mode if people just want to have fun at a party with the button versions. These games could become legitimate instrument tutorials.

Now with all of the other off-shoots like DJ Hero and such, I don't think these will really survive. They're probably only appealing to a niche audience, and even those type of people might not be interested in a virtual simulation of their passion as it is. A game like rock band survives because I'm sure everyone has some sort of rock in their personal playlists. They see a guitar and can easily identify with it. As far as hand-held versions go? Yeah...they just look like cash-ins to me. I don't think they were meant to be anything big.

So overall, I don't think the genre is dead. It's just for personal reasons (unlike skool's reasonings, I like to think I'm at least okay at these games ;)) I just never got into them.

If you want both Rock Band and Guitar hero, that's basically four guitars and two drum sets (mind you, those drum sets are huge).

Uh they are fully compatible.

granted the new stringed guitar and that changes things but I own both and prefer rock band, less gimmicky I suppose.

Is the genre dead? no just not as massive as it was.

Genejoke
Uh they are fully compatible.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure you mean they're compatible from Rock Band to Rock Band sequel. But you can actually switch from Guitar Hero back to Rock Band guitars? I didn't think you could. At least it never recognizes them on the PS3 versions that my friend has.

Actually, a little after Guitar Hero 3, Microsoft put their foot down and said, "You'll make your instruments cross-compatible or we won't approve your game". Since then, you've been able to use a Guitar Hero guitar in Rock Band, or vice-versa be it on Xbox360, PS3, or Wii (although instruments are still console-specific).

Thank goodness they did. The incompatibility was ridiculous. But now I use a Beatles Rock Band guitar, a Guitar Hero 5 guitar, and a Rock Band 1 drum set in my Rock Band 3. As soon as they release the adapter, I'll also use a Yamaha keyboard.

I don't think the genre is dead, it's just moving in a different direction. I'm quite happy with Rock Band 3, so far. Some people have been a little upset due to some really trivial things like dropping a mode that very few people played or not including the option to have seven people playing the same instrument, but I think the simulation and educational value of the game has gone up astronomically with the addition of pro modes. That was the biggest draw for me with Rock Band over Guitar Hero. They were always moving in that direction, but Guitar Hero was just a rehash of the old formula over and over again.

I'm glad that they're finally bridging the gap between just providing a rhythm game experience and actually teaching people how to play. I think it may shrink their audience a bit as it's less appealing ot the casuals, but will attrack more dedicated fans and would be musicians willing to pick up the DLC to keep the franchise going.

But you can actually switch from Guitar Hero back to Rock Band guitars?

The only Guitar Hero game I ever had on the 360 was Guitar Hero 2. I bought two wireless controllers back then and have used them with every iteration of Rock Band. The Drums I have are the wireless ones which came out with Rock Band 2 and I have used them at friends' places on later Guitar Hero games. It helps to have the cymbals, but they do work.

The only controllers that caused any problems were the controllers that came out prior to Rock Band (the first game) on the PS3. The 360 controllers and Wii controllers have always been cross compatible and later editions of the controllers on the PS3 have been, as well.

Of the most recent instruments, most of the guitar controllers are still cross compatible. The only one which won't be will be the Squier for Rock Band 3, which also doesn't work outside of the pro modes in Rock Band. The whole point of the Squier, though is that it is an actual guitar and at $250 a pop, I doubt anyone will "accidentally" pick one up. The Mustang Pro controller will still work with both games and outside of the pro modes (as well as working as a midi guitar).

My biggest scoff at this genre has always been "If you want to blow this much time and money on this sort of game, then just go buy and learn a *real* guitar. At least then you'll be cool instead of pathetic."

Glad to know that the trend is moving towards real musical instrument peripherals. When this genre becomes a real "musical instrument tutorial", I might even look into it.

blindsk

Genejoke
Uh they are fully compatible.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure you mean they're compatible from Rock Band to Rock Band sequel. But you can actually switch from Guitar Hero back to Rock Band guitars? I didn't think you could. At least it never recognizes them on the PS3 versions that my friend has.

on 360 they work fine on both, even the rockband drums work on guitar hero.

mlai
My biggest scoff at this genre has always been "If you want to blow this much time and money on this sort of game, then just go buy and learn a *real* guitar. At least then you'll be cool instead of pathetic."

Glad to know that the trend is moving towards real musical instrument peripherals. When this genre becomes a real "musical instrument tutorial", I might even look into it.

Yeah I thought that at first, then found it a fun way of enjoying music with friends without all having to spend hours rehearshing when we have no intention in forming a proper band. For the record I used to play bass(badly) in a band.

BUT if you want to learn an instrument, yeah do it properly.

Yeah, "Just learn a real instrument" is something people say a lot about the music genre, but the truth is, learning a real guitar requires WAY more time and practice than reaching Expert in Rock Band, is less fun, and will not give you that feeling of millions of fans cheering you on. Plus, your friends and family don't want to join your real band. People like to call Rock Band a waste of time because of its resemblance to real bands, but it's just another way to play a video game and enjoy music.

That being said, it IS nice to see Rock Band helping people make a half-step into real music if they so choose. I'm thinking of getting the Squier Rock Band controller to continue learning the guitar. I started learning the guitar but stopped when I realized all the people around me playing the guitar were douchebags.

Just a question, since you have experience with both guitars and games: Exactly how hard is it to learn to play a guitar?

I mean... we can all type super-fast (I taught myself how to type *fast and properly* in 1 summer during middle school, from not knowing how to type at all), we all have good manual dexterity when it comes to controller and PC games (even casually, we are at a level our parents can never imagine)... is learning a guitar really that hard provided the learner likes the practice? I mean seriously, once you commit to muscle memory where to put your fingers for each note, like typing fast, what's so hard about it?

I think any Tom, Dick, and Harry can learn a guitar to a presentable level... especially dextrous artistic ppl like us, provided there's inclination to practice.

Or is there some mysterious barrier to learning it?

It's funny you mention that mlai, because I thought the same thing for a while. I've been playing piano for about twelve years now, and with all that experience I figured, "hey, guitar will be easy!"

My roommate is a bass player and offered to let me have a try and...it was just awkward. I had to bend my wrist in a way that was just really uncomfortable, and even with bass strings I had a hard time landing on the right one. And of course, sliding up and down the neck - it was hard to keep my hand straight. I don't know, maybe it's just a personal issue I need to get over, but I was surprised to find myself having so much difficulty with it. Maybe it will be much more natural for you.

My experience is pretty similar to blindsk's. My acoustic guitar's strings sit kind of far from the neck, making them a bit harder to push against the frets (people who are good at guitar have confirmed this for me). Also, after breaking my arm when I was 11, I haven't been able to twist my left wrist as far as I'd like to.

Mind you, I was still able to learn some songs and plenty of chords. But I found it challenging. As a comparison point, getting to where I could play Expert in Rock Band was much easier and more fun. Not "pathetic". Pathetic is my college roommates who always kept a guitar visible in their room for girls to see, and they only knew the first 15 seconds of several popular songs, just to keep up appearances.

I think that because playing a music game looks so much like playing an instrument, it's sometimes expected that it should teach you to play an instrument. But we never expect Uncharted to teach us how plunder treasures from the ruins of dead civilizations, or for Grand Theft Auto to teach us how to drive a car. Just two days ago my roommate implied that Rock Band's guitars weren't worth playing because it wasn't like a real guitar, but he's been spending months trying to finish a dungeon in Final Fantasy 4. So where's the real-life application in that?

learning guitar (or any instrument) is a steep learning curve at first, much like driving. once you have learned how you then need to do it without thinking and that just takes practice.

Mastering it is a different matter, personally I never got to the stage where it felt instinctual. I know a fair amount of musicians and seeing them play is humbling, I know I could never be that good.

Well yeah, ofc the difference between a casual guitar hobbyist and a stage performer is like comparing a drive to the supermarket with Daytona racing. Even the no-name who comes in at last place in Daytona would still be known as a phenomenal driver if he happens to be in your circle of friends.

Learning a real instrument is a steep learning curve, but if your passion for it is strong enough, it'll be a breeze.

As far as these music/rhythm games go, I dig Guitar Hero 3 and on. Rock Band was okay, I didn't like it as much as GH, it wasn't as... so to say... responsive? Perhaps that's the wrong word to define everything BUT the hammer ons. I haven't played the newest GH, but 5 was pretty good, I like how Rock Band controllers work with it, though I prefer my GH3 controller.

I haven't played DJ Hero, don't think I'd like it, being a DJ's never really been appealing. I can say at least I was well versed in playing an actual guitar before Guitar Hero took off, and for the longest time I wouldn't play GH either because I'd rather play the real deal, but my cousin and my brother talked me down and I played it, and now I'm pretty good. Can't beat Through the Fire and Flames on expert, but everything else is all good buddy.

It's not always a breeze, even if you're interested in learning an instrument. I can keep a beat, but I'm totally tone deaf. I was never able to do so much as tune my guitar when I took lessons as a kid. It was much easier for me to pick up the piano or the drums. I also can't sing, and no matter how much I try to do the singing portions in games like Rock Band, I can't even pass a single song on Easy. Yeah, i could go through the motions with most instruments and force myself to learn them, but it wouldn't be easy and most just seem unintuitive to me. Rhythm game, however, don't rely on the same principles and I can get into them much more easily.

Plus as far as multiplayer games go, it's one of the last party genres still around. They're easy to get into for most people and everybody likes music of some kind, so games like Rock Band with literally thousands of songs can offer up something for everybody. Even if you're waiting for a turn, the game is still entertaining. Plus it gives those people too shy to karaoke something less embarassing to do. You also have the fantasy element. I believe somebody mentioned arena venues with screaming crowds and audiences singing along with the lyrics. The odds of people being able to get the same experience in real life are very low. It's kind of like how people play Gran Turismo because they want the experience of driving a $500,000 car without having to invest $500,000.

I would also like to point out that buying Rock Band 3 and the new Squier guitar is still cheaper than buying a regular guitar, amp, and getting lessons or buying books to learn how to play. The methods may be a little different, but you ARE learning to play the guitar. The same can be said of the drum kit and keyboard. Drums have always been a simulation, they just didn't have a way of differentiating the cymbals and pads before, and singing is singing. The keyboard is a standard midi keyboard with 25 keys.

I've never really owned any of the Guitar Hero or Rock Band games, because I know no one who'd want to play them (I dunno if anyone even owns them in my town, either). If 'Dance Dance Revolution' counts, that's as far as I've been able to go. :/