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James Monroe sophomore Aaron Mauck took 'Rock Band' love to the next level: real drums! |
BY BEN GREGSON
With thousands of fans playing it daily, "Guitar Hero" is one of the most iconic names in the gaming world right now.
Rhythm games (as the genre is known) like "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" allow fans to play along with their favorite popular songs. Even those who have never picked up an instrument before can begin making music.
But what impact have these games really had on the music industry?
FROM ZERO TO HERO
Obviously, the rhythm genre of games wouldn't exist without music. Developers can change the game-play and the target audience by including songs by different artists. However, the games themselves change the music industry in a much more significant way.
Often, the bands that sign on to games are lesser-known and get great publicity from having their songs featured in a widely played video game. They don't just get listeners--they get people to actually experience their songs over and over. Even if the players don't like it, they know the name and sound.
Of the 15 "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" players polled by it! for this article, all said they had listened to and purchased music from at least one or two bands because of the games.
"Yeah, I've bought like three bands' full libraries and some songs off iTunes after hearing them in-game," said Brandon West, a high school sophomore from Mechanicsville, Md. "It's a great way to warm up to play, too."
Multiply that by a few hundred thousand and you get pretty good profits.
A prime example of such success is Mötley Crüe's latest single, "Saints of Los Angeles." In its first week on iTunes, the song was downloaded about 10,000 times. Yet, in the week after the band made the single available for download on "Rock Band," it scored a whopping 47,000 downloads.
Also capitalizing on the new marketing outlet, the Smashing Pumpkins announced this week that, with their upcoming single, "G.L.O.W.," they will become the first band to debut a song exclusively on "Guitar Hero."
A DIFFERENT BEAT
Companies don't just make more money because of rhythm games--they also encourage new musicians. Look no further than local "Rock Band" fan Aaron Mauck, a sophomore at James Monroe High School. Mauck always had an affinity for listening to music, but never really had the motivation to follow through on that love and actually play it. That is, until he realized how fun it was to drum on "Rock Band."
His first time playing the game, Mauck was all over the drums, slamming the sticks and pounding the pedal (to the point that it broke). After putting all the energy that he could into playing drums in "Rock Band," he began to wonder what he could do with a real set. With an almost-new set and cymbals, Mauck, who had already begun playing guitar, is teaching himself the drums.
When asked what in particular about "Rock Band" got him to start playing music, Mauck said, "Probably the creative freedom you have. When a fill comes along, you really get to express yourself."
THE SPLATTER TEST
Rhythm games are not the only ones to involve music; other games have been known to license bands for a professional soundtrack. Local musician Brent Eyestone plays in one such band, Forensics, which was approached by game developer Activision and will be represented in "Paintball: Breakout '09," a virtual paintball simulator set to be released this fall.
Eyestone said it was hard to gauge if the game would actually boost music sales, but he hoped that some of the people who were coming to the game would learn about their music as well as paintball through it.
Eyestone could not speak of any future video game titles that the band would lend its talents to, but he showed a great deal of interest in being featured in others. "If it's something the 12-year-old version of ourselves would do, let's do it," he said in an e-mail.
STRIKING A CHORD
What does the future have in store for the worlds of music and video games? They seem intrinsically entwined--and as time goes on, these two forces will most likely come together to form a symbiotic relationship.
The rhythm game is quickly becoming one of the most profitable genres in the gaming industry--so there's no reason for it to stop growing any time soon. Through it, bands have a way of putting out music that can't be pirated and is desired by countless fans. In fact, if bands see no other way to stop piracy, albums may become exclusive to games and not come out on CD at all--or at least not until well after the game release.
Only time can tell what will truly happen. But hopefully, it will remain in the interest of both the music world and gaming industry to keep this partnership going.
Ben Gregson is a sophomore
