Rock Band Reflection - Part II

If I learned anything from my co-workers' enjoyment of Rock Band, it was that non-gamers can be made into casual gamers if introduced to the right game.



This is why I think Rock Band is a "Gateway Game." It can be used to lure your friends and family--you know, the Wii demographic--into the very fun and awesome world that is "gaming." Gateway Games all share three qualities.

>>1. Simple Controls<<
One thing any great Gateway Game must have is a simple control scheme. While the menus might be a slight challenge at first, once in the "quickplay" section of the game, my co-workers had no trouble picking and starting new songs. Beyond what's on the screen, the Rock Band peripherals are extremely easy to understand. The most trouble I saw someone have was not understanding that, when using the guitar, you don't have to push the button and strum at the exact same time. Honestly, though, I think that was more from lack of experience with a real guitar. After about three songs, this particular player got it down. In fact, she wouldn't give up the guitar for most of the night. I think she even moved up from "easy" to "medium."


If you're this awesome at playing a real guitar, you will have no trouble playing the Rock Band guitar. In other words, even if you completely and utterly suck, you can rock out in Rock Band.

I think a good rule of thumb is that if you can explain the controls to someone in less than ten seconds, with no more than two follow-up questions needed, then you have a Gateway Game.

>>2. Like Something in the Real World<<
I see the ads all the time. Wii Sports. Wii Fit. But why don't I ever see Wii Dragon Slaying? Non-gamers need to be able to look at a game and instantly understand what it's about.


This is Wii bowling. What? Wii Bowling. What? Wii Bowling. Ohhh, we bowling!

Just like the non-gaming segment of the population isn't going to be willing to learn a complicated control scheme, they aren't going to want to try to understand the rules of a fantasy world. Imagine if you had to explain Twilight Princess to someone who had never even heard of Zelda. "And then you turn into a wolf. If you want to dig, just waggle your remote." Compare that to, "This is Rock Band." There's nothing to explain. They see the instruments and it instantly makes sense.

Any game that draws inspiration entirely from the real world has potential to be a Gateway Game.

>>3. Fun to Play Socially<<
Peer pressure can be a positive thing.


I have no idea who these guys are, but I bet by the end of the night, the guy on the right was screaming, "Hooray Rock Band!"

When a game has a fun and easy multi-player mode, everyone wants to get in on it. They just can't resist. Mob mentality put to good use. If you let your non-gamer friends take a stab at Rock Band, more often than not, they will want to play it the next time they come over. The experience of the game is intertwined with the memory of the fun social experience.

Games that bring 'em back and keep 'em wanting more are definitely Gateway Games.

I'm certainly not implying that if you let your best friend play Rock Band, he'll instantly become a hardcore gamer. These things take time. But Gateway Games do break down people's walls and eliminate the stigma that video games create for some people, and there's nothing wrong with that.


But will it work on cats?