Eulogy for a Guitar hero

The big news of recent weeks has been Activision closing down further activity to the Guitar Hero franchise. With the series thus effectively concluded I present some thoughts on the matter.

- Give Activision credit for actually ending the series. Nowadays, series are milked for very last drop *coughFinalFantasycough*, so it takes balls for someone to end a series, let alone one of the most famous in gaming history. So at least Activision realised that the series was on the decline and nothing more could be done it so they bowed out while they could. Which is more than that can be said for many other game series….

- It is a bit sad to see the Guitar Hero series go when one considers the impact it had on both gaming and rock music. It has achieved a level of popularity both within gaming circles and mainstream culture that few other games have achieved. The Guitar Hero series has made a considerable contribution to convert people into gaming and has been a popular choice for gaming parties.

- Similarly, it has made people interested in rock music, to the point of making discover bands they may not have heard of before, educated people on the history of rock music and guitars, made superstars out of once-little known bands and revitalised struggling careers. Funny thing is that a similar revolution came earlier with both Compact Discs and MTV but it is the latter that has endured (for better or worse)



- With Guitar Hero gone, Rock Band is the sole inhabitant in the crumbling mansion that is the rhythm genre. With no competition, they have no reason to evolve or take risks: Indeed, Rock Band 3 has taken the formula as far as it can go and the frosty reception to both DJ Hero and Band Hero have proven that bold steps into the unknown don’t always pay off. Thus, it would be interesting to see what Harmonix will do next with the Rock Band franchise – not to mention how it long it will last.

- The end of Guitar Hero may be an inarguable sign that the Rhythm Game genre is finished. It makes me wonder: Will these games still be played years later? As the Rhythm Games have benefited greatly from DLC (perhaps more than any other game), there is the thought that to have a decent music library for Guitar Hero/Rock Band, one must be willing to cough up a lot of money. But where is that money ultimately going to? Something that will continue to be enjoyed years later or a big white elephant?

But then again, gaming has always had a history of playing a lot for something that won’t last a decade or so later. True some of you young ‘uns would scoff at that idea but I ask you to consider this: Twenty years ago, we would’ve paid $70/$80 for a decent SNES game – now you can get one off eBay for $10 or less.