Key Of Grey

June 22nd, 2010 – Okay, it seems a little weird to be editorializing on a game but Harmonix’s Rockband series is something different. Introducing what Konami did 10 years ago with the Guitar/Drum/Keyboard Mania series, to an American audience at the right time allowed Harmonix to tap into a video game market that isn’t just for kids anymore.

A decade ago, only children and hardcore gamers played video games. But contemporary consoles like the Wii and games tailored to subjects suitable for families and parties, have broken through that stigma and allowed the Rockband franchise to enter a receptive marketplace.

Both Rockband 1 and 2 are similar games. Other than the set lists and little tweaks driven by user feedback, the gameplay experience is largely unchanged. Rockband 3, however, marks an interesting leap into perhaps dangerous territory. The news that many seem to be focused on is the inclusion of a keyboard (that could potentially be used as a real MIDI controller, albeit with a very limited key range) and an available adapter that allows you to use real MIDI controllers you already have within the game. For me, however, the most interesting part of Rockband 3 is the new guitar controller (click here for Engadget’s breakdown of the controller options).

For those that are unfamiliar with it, here are the important bits: (1) the guitar now has frets, (2) each fret has 6 buttons in parallel mirroring the six strings of a guitar, (3) where the strum bar was before, there are six strings that are strummed or picked. The first interesting thing about this controller is that it’s similar to expensive and custom MIDI guitar controllers that have been created by the boutique and DIY builders. The price of the guitar peripheral itself is expected to be around $150, so expect a significant investment in Rockband accessories (kind of like real world instruments).

Here’s where it gets interesting though: in the “Pro” difficulty level of songs, the fretting will mirror the actual chord fingerings of the real song. That means you’ll be learning how to play the actual songs, with skills directly transferable to a real guitar. Or, if you want to spend some real money, Fender is releasing a Squier guitar that can be used in Rockband as a real, honest-to-goodness guitar with full on frets and strings. Potentially you could be playing a song in Rockband and have your guitar plugged in a real amp and be rocking on both your TV and your amp!

Now all this guitar business takes Rockband into weird territory. On the one hand, people have gravitated towards the series because without having musical skills beyond basic timing, you can still have a lot of fun playing “instruments” in a karaoke kind of way. While musicians play the game, it is still a lot of fun for non-musicians because they get the thrill of playing without the hassle of practicing technique for hours a day.

I understand why Harmonix went in this direction. After the first two Rockband games, they had to come up with something exciting. The drums have always been very realistic in Expert modes; you play pretty much exactly what the actual drum arrangement is. What’s next but to up the ante for the guitar?

But will gamers step up to the plate and take the leap into becoming an actual musician? Will Rockband 3 become an actual teaching tool? Combined with the new Rockband marketplace, I expect that artists will be rushing to get their songs released there and it would be a great marketing bullet-point for Harmonix to push the education angle. Why send your kid to guitar lessons when he can teach himself at home, all the while being tricked into thinking it’s only a game?

I think it will be interesting to see if, given the opportunity to learn to play guitar through the game, gamers will stick with learning the actual instrument. After all, how many people have started learning an instrument only to get discouraged and quit soon after? Will learning through the game motivate people, and perhaps make playing the guitar easier psychologically? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. As for me, I’ll definitely be picking up the game. I’ve always wanted to play Bohemian Rhapsody on the guitar.

What’s your take?