Are Music Games Dying Out?
Here’s a story: A few years ago, a game came out where you pretended to play songs on a plastic guitar as colored circles representing notes whipped by on your TV screen like Star Wars credits. You felt powerful, let your hair grow long, bought a top hat and started referring to yourself with a one-word stage name. Your musical prowess was unmatched by any, and more music games busted onto the scene with all new tracks to master. You elevated your status as a legend and left your mark on the timeline of cool. A whole new wardrobe emerged in your closet, full of denim jackets with embroidered dragons, purple jeans and yellow rain galoshes that match for the perfect rock ensemble. You spent your life savings on becoming the ultimate glam superstar, never to eat again and likely to become homeless, you feel sublime: you were a hero, dammit!
Then came the rest of the band, powering your once- a capella living room lounge act to a full-voltage arena show.
Then came the meat wagon.
Then, a few years later, after several sequels, hundreds and hundreds of tracks and a few band-specific titles, you remembered the operative word from the first paragraph: pretend. Your plastic instruments are all broken from being produced in cheap Chinese factories. Your carpal tunnel surgery will cost tens of thousands of dollars. And should you be handed an actual guitar, you’d have as much talent as a french hen crapping in a pie plate. You weren’t a rock god after all. You were just playing a game.
The fad that is music gaming is starting to wear thin. Plastic drum kits are tucked under beds all over the world – right next to bags of pogs, shoeboxes full of slap bracelets and rolled-up boy band posters. Next to lighted-heel tennis shoes, beside your Tickle Me Elmo and Big Mouth Billy Bass. Near your Tomagachi, Koosh balls, Beanie Babies, and your damn Gigapet.
In fact, EA predicts the Rock Band series will lose a staggering $400 million during 2009. The hope is that Rock Band: Beatles will help re-invigorate the music gaming market and breathe new life into the genre.
Because, naturally, the way to inspire any dying modern fad is to have people spend $450 on things they already have so they can experience something from 40 years ago.
I still have a lot of fun with music games. Although, I don’t play them as often as I did when Guitar Hero first came out.
I think the problem is just that there’s too much now. I don’t think it’s a dying modern fad, I think it’s a over-crowded market.
Activision just released Guitar Hero: Metallica. They’ve got Smash Hits and Van Halen in the pipeline (plus whatever they have for the DS line).
EA has The Beatles Rock Band coming out. And who knows what these 2 publishers have planned that hasn’t been announced yet.