The Decline of the Music Genre

When Guitar Hero came out in 2005, I remember reading a review in OPM, and not caring much, because it just wasn't my thing. Most critics at the time claimed that it was basically the Jesusgame, and you should bow to it, worship, and bask in its greatness. Of course, I'm certainly not disagreeing with them-- they were right. DDR had been the staple of rhythm games for years, but had, at that point, wound down to merely the big booth in arcades. Harmonix, though, had created something that had changed the genre into something not only mainstream, but something that you could relate to, and not embarrass yourself playing (for the most part).


I'm sure that somewhere on some corner of the internet, people were shouting that this would just be a fad. I'm also sure that those same group of people were shouting that while playing the game, and they quieted down once the sequel came out. People kept playing, and the game kept going, and regardless of developer changes and whatnot, it remained incredibly popular. Guitar Hero III actually managed to grab me out of from under my rock. Honestly, it was less of a rock and more of a place to hide from the noise. I played the game for a while, but when it came down to it, it lacked things that generally make me come back to games, and the controller has since gathered dust.


In the meantime, Rock Band came out, and the genre received it's final innovation, which, quite naturally sold enough copies to warrant a sequel. Then Activision decided it wanted to be popular again and said "OH NOW EVERYONEZ PLAYZ IN BAND IN OUR GAME TOOZ". I think it was something like that. That became Guitar Hero World Tour, and it came out the same fall as Rock Band 2. This seems normal, really, but then you remember that Activision released all of these (count 'em: 16) expansions and spin offs. See, now it isn't normal.

EA can release the same games every fall, along with numerous other publishers, for a few different reasons. Primarily, they actually put something NEW in the game. Yes, Need for Speed is the same formula overall, but it's slapped onto something different. The problem with a game like Guitar Hero or Rock Band is that the formula isn't just a template, it IS the game. You can change the backgrounds all you want, but in the end the only thing worth altering is the soundtrack, which is a problem in itself. 

There isn't much more to be said besides this: the music/rhythm genre is now in a corner. 

There are a multitude of metaphors, many of them terrible, that could describe what has happened, but overall, the originality has been rung out off the whole idea to a dangerous point. Business wise, it was a great new way to get people into gaming, and it became popular that even stubborn people like me HAD to buy a copy, and some people liked it and clung on. But, it's that group of people that are left now. You aren't getting me back, and you won't be getting back casual fans who have gotten bored. So now, all you're left with is a hardcore fan base, who eventually, like everyone else, will lay down their axes and move on to the next big thing.

Guitar Hero 5 might be a good game, and the next Rock Bands will be too, I'm sure, but that doesn't mean people will keep coming back. Thanks to Activision's spin-offs and cash cow mentality, the entire idea of music games has become something that looks like a fad, even though it is a lot better than that.