GCG Feature: 'Rhythm Games: Simplicity and Mass Appeal'

In this latest feature for Gamasutra sister education site Game Career Guide, Marie Ferrer, a graduate from the University of British Columbia, provides a rundown of rhythm games from across the globe and discusses their popular appeal to the mass audience. In this excerpt, Ferrer speaks to the benefits of simplistic gameplay in rhythm games, commenting on how these sorts of games are often welcoming to players of all skill levels, and offer mechanics that may appear easy at first, but can be deceptively challenging: “Songs that are better known than others also add to the appeal of the game. When a player is already familiar with a song, they may have already memorized its beat. In turn, following along with the rhythm becomes easier. This highlights another element of rhythm games, to some, they are seen as easy. Although rhythm games may be seen as easy, each song varies in difficulty level. The beats may get faster and more complex. And as the difficulty increases, it can be like an entirely new game but the same simplistic game play. Rhythm games are designed to be unintimidating. The game play and controls are standard in each music game. For those who are playing for the first time, rhythm games can be simple enough to grasp within a few tries of the game, and players can improve quickly. Timing is everything. Once the basic skill of timing is learned, players are able to move on and the game becomes progressively more difficult. The intensity of the game increases as the player advances. In most rhythm games there is no story, no items to obtain and few of the elements found in a non-rhythm game. The player's goal then becomes to obtain the highest score possible. Repetition not only improves your timing and rhythm but also improves your score. The constant challenge of achieving a higher score creates an addictive factor for the rhythm game. And one can get really good fast, leaving the player feeling a great sense of accomplishment. Now what gamer doesn't want to feel that?” You can now read the complete feature, which provides an overview of rhythm games, as well as describes some of the more stand out examples of the genre (no registration required, please feel free to link to this feature from external websites).