FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN, SECOND EDITION
Music, Dance, and Rhythm Games
Dance Dance Revolution, PaRappa the Rapper, and similar games belong to a comparatively new subgenre of action games, those that challenge the player's sense of rhythm. They typically show an avatar on screen who dances in response to the player's button presses. In single-player mode, the player's avatar must dance better than a computer-controlled character; in multiplayer mode, two avatars compete head to head. The screen shows which dance step the player should perform next, while the game awards points for pressing the correct button on the controller or pad on a dance mat, and for being on the beat.
Music games are more recent arrivals. The huge success of Guitar Hero and Rock Band demonstrates that a lot of players want to enjoy the fantasy of being a musician—even though they don't actually make music in these games. Much of the fun in these games comes from using their specialized, guitar-shaped controllers.
