Adding a microphone and a mock drum set to Guitar Hero’s two guitar peripherals, Rock Band allows players to form a virtual band in the most advanced music game series to date. However, what truly sets Rock Band apart from its predecessors is its engaging story that makes even dreadful musicians feel like rock superstars.
The first step to creating a rock band within the game is to personalize the four band members—the guitarist, the bass player, the singer, and the drummer. Each player can customize their character’s name, appearance, hometown, and attitude, each of which plays a distinct role in the main story of the game. This feature of Rock Band is one of its innovations: previous music games like Guitar Hero force players to choose from a short list of pre-made characters, while Rock Band allows users to design characters modeled after themselves, helping to connect them to the story. The players must then name their band and designate their band’s hometown. Possibilities for hometowns range from Los Angeles or New York, to even foreign cities such as London and Paris. The band’s hometown represents the area where their first concerts will be played.
The main plot of the game simulates the desires of players to start a band and become legendary. Rock Band engages players in the story by starting them off as an inexperienced band that must play at small venues to gain renown. Users can connect with this simulation because they are, in real life, an inexperienced band that has no reputation (unless a real four person rock band played the game). To gain a reputation, the band must choose a set of songs to play for their first hometown concert. The only songs available to play are the easiest songs because the band is inexperienced, both in the game and in real life (again, most likely). However, after completing their first concert by hitting, singing, and strumming enough correct notes, the band in the game begins to deviate from reality. As the band plays more concerts, they are continually offered to play in new venues across the world. Some venues will reward the band with special items needed to play in their final concert—the “Endless Set List.” The band will collect, in this order: a van, a tour bus, “roadies,” a plane, a “sound guy,” bodyguards, a public relations firm, and a “Hall of Fame Induction.” As the band is rewarded with each item, the game plays a cut scene displaying how the item is going to be used and how the band is progressing. The band can then see which item they most need to collect next, which encourages them to play the game more. Noticing that the van allowed them to travel to a different city to play concerts, a band might become curious as to what acquiring the plane will allow them to do, which turns out to unlock concert venues internationally.
The primary effects of Rock Band’s story are that it encourages users to play the game more so that they develop their skills and makes them feel like they are becoming legendary rock stars. When these two effects are intertwined, they create a game that is engaging for its players. The story gives players a reason to remain attached to the game, and invites its players to further explore its capabilities by motivating them with more of the story if they play more. Not only do players feel like a real band, but they simultaneously watch a story unfold about a band that has risen from an unknown garage band to a Hall of Fame rock band. The only way that players can see the end of this story is by playing the game more.
Rock Band uses narrative as its main method of motivation for keeping players engaged with the game. Its lofty critical acclaim (Gamerankings) shows that people enjoy engaging in stories within games. The appeal in Rock Band of becoming a star through the simulation of mastering musical instruments plays directly to the fantasies of many people. Through Rock Band, players can experience this on a fantasy level without having to master the skills. This raises many questions to our society about how technology might be discouraging people to learn how to play musical instruments, as well as learn other skills that have detailed simulations.
Works Cited
MTV Games. Rock Band for Xbox 360. New York, NY. 2007.
“Rock Band.” Gamerankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/938870.asp. January 2008. May 11, 2008.
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