Music games, part 3.

Better late than never, here comes the final part of music games! Last week we left off at rhythm games which required arm movement, and today I'd like to talk about one of the most famous members of this sub-category.

Guitar Hero:

It originally spawned from a Japanese idea of having plastic guitars and drums as controllers, and is the most famous party and music game in Europe. Older versions of the game only included guitar and bass play but the newer instalments also have a drum kit and a microphone too. You can play alone but naturally it's more fun if you have 3 or 4 people to really simulate the feeling of having a band.

You're not just simply enjoying yourself during game-play but also polishing your reflexes, and developing great leg and arm coordination while on the drums. Specific sounds are associated with their appropriate coloured buttons on the guitar and items on the drum, such as the high hat, the bass drum and the other parts of a drum kit. It takes some time to master this game but once you've got the hang of it, you've acquired some useful skills for life.

 The upper pitch line is for the singer, while the other bars are for the bass, drums, and guitar, respectively.

III. Whole body movement:

The last sub-category in rhythm games is the one where you have to move your whole body to the beat, according to the indications on screen. I'll introduce three games, made for three different platforms with slight modifications.

Dance Dance Revolution (DDR):

Originated from Japan in 1998 as an arcade game, this franchise has spread to America, Europe and even Australia over the years. Undoubtedly the most popular dancing game in the whole world, which is available in arcades, on the PC and on almost every gaming console. In fact, it has gained such popularity that some schools in America have started using DDR for their physical education classes. It was even awarded with the title "The most widely used video game in schools" by the book of Guinness World Records.

Several clones exist for this game, such as Stepmania, a free open source PC version, or the Korean counterpart, called Pump It Up. Despite the abundance of games available, the core game-play is the same in every version. Arrows pointing to 4 directions are coming up on the screen and as soon as they reach a certain point, you have to step on to the corresponding arrow on the dancemat. These chains of steps then evoke a full dance pattern with occasional jumps and spins. It probably goes without saying, but just like Guitar Hero, DDR is quite hard to master as well.

If you want to try this game, you can do so at Westend City Centre.

Just Dance:

 

A similar dancing game for the Wii, but instead of stomping on a dancemat, you have to swing the Wii's motion detecting controller, the Wiimote. In this game you have specific moves to copy shown on the screen. Accuracy is key importance here because you don't just have to reproduce the steps on time but also accurately. In other words, you can have a good sense of rhythm but if you swing your right arm instead of the left one, you still get 0 points!

Dance solo or in pairs; up to 4 players can join the fun!

Dance Central:

One of the Kinect's launch titles, this game was made for the Xbox360 and uses its brand new full body motion detection camera, the aforementioned Kinect. You don't need any controllers for this game, since the Kinect detects your whole body movement, as long as you stay in front of the TV, within its range.

The game-play is similar to Just Dance, where specific dance moves come up to the screen and you have to follow them. An added bonus of this game is that the moves now have their own names written above them, such as "tap front", "step side" and so on. You also get to initiate your own dance moves during the song, in the special freestyle mode.

Playing without a controller feels like you're just doing a dance instead of a game.

Summary: 

In conclusion, I think we can state that music games have greatly shaped our lives. Nowadays these games are more than just free time activities for the kids; they appear in schools, worldwide competitions, and are targeting adults and children alike. Music games are not just great fun but they also bring people together with their multiplayer abilities, and they better our reflexes, singing, and sense of rhythm. For a language learner, they provide easier learning with the aspect of playing, motivation, and interactivity. All in all, I think it's worthwhile to use music games in the world of education and sports for their useful characteristics.