Rock Band (video game)
Developed by Harmonix Games and distributed by Electronic Arts, 2007

Game Summary:
Rock Band builds on the technology developed for Guitar Hero. In this game, however, up to four players can play together on the guitar, bass, drums, or microphone. They can also choose their avatars and band name. The play is similar to Guitar Hero in that players must hit notes at the correct time as they scroll to the bottom of the screen. Players can also save their band members by doing well (up to two times), so there is a better chance of getting through the song. The object is to complete a song, or a tour, hitting as many notes as possible to get the best sound.

Some of the songs included in Rock Band are "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden, "Enter Sandman" by Metallica, "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones, and "Say it ain't so" by Weezer. There is now a Rock Band 2 and The Beatles: Rock Band.

Critical Evaluation:
Rock Band is just as fun to play as Guitar Hero. The inclusion of a microphone for vocals means that those of us who are eye-hand coordination-challenged can play along as well. If I were buying games for library game night, I would purchase this before Guitar Hero because more people can play at once, and there are more ways to participate.

Player’s Annotation:
Think you can tour with the band? Come test your skills with Rock Band.

Information about the Developer:
Harmonix was founded in 1995 by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy who met while attending MIT. Before Rock Band, they worked on the game Guitar Hero.

Genre: video games

Curriculum Ties: none

Gametalking Ideas:
I would give instructions on how to play, choosing a character, band name, and song.

Interest Age:
This game would interest a wide range of players, from 10 to adult.

Challenge Issues:
This game could be challenged for some of the lyrics to the songs, although the ones I played were not offensive. People might have a problem with rock music in general. I would explain the library's selection policy and have the challenger fill out a complaint form.

Why I chose this game:
In doing my research for the genre presentation, I read that a lot of libraries had been purchasing Rock Band for their teen game nights, leading to a big turnout.