Rhythm games, a healthy and enjoyable alternative to more violent video games, began as an attempt to turn a musical instrument into a game. In 1996, the idea took off when the first influential rhythm game found its way onto the Playstation. The most popular rhythm games historically have been based on piano, drums, and guitar. As time has passed, bringing new technology, rhythm games have delved into new territories. For example, with virtual reality, games such as Beat Saber have been made possible.
Most video games exist as a form of self-substitution, which is also known as wish fulfillment. In fact, the media-based entertainment industry is built on this concept, which understands that people want what they don’t have. For example, movies and books provide a story in which a character satisfies a common dream or desire, enabling consumers to substitute themselves for that character and feel as if they were achieving great things. The same can be said for video games: violent ones strive to take the adrenaline of a fight or the joy of triumph and allow the player to experience it. This has led to controversy, especially among concerned parents, who fear that their children will take the violence from the game and translate it to real-life situations. Unfortunately, this fear is not unfounded, as seen in school shootings. On the other hand, rhythm games obviate this fear as well as wish fulfillment entirely. They are based on the player’s skill alone, which means there is no need for a fictional character as a substitute. In this way, rhythm games can be compared to physical entertainments such as sports or dancing.
Many types of rhythm games exist. However, not all games that possess a soundtrack or are based around music qualify as “true” rhythm games. To be categorized as a such, some sort of tapping or clicking to a song’s beat is necessary. Konami jumped onto the music game scene a year after the first influential rhythm game with its game Beatmania and music division Bemani. Since then, it has created over twenty games, many of which inspired the Western games present in American arcades today. Specifically, one of Konami’s games, known as Dance Dance Revolution, sparked a clone known as Stepmania, a 4-lane vertical-scrolling rhythm game (often shortened to VSRG) played with the feet on a pad. VSRGs are the most common rhythm games; guitar and piano-based games use a vertical playfield. Although there are horizontal-scrolling rhythm games, the vast majority are variations of a single Japanese drum-based game, Taiko no Tatsujin, so there is no corresponding acronym. Some of the more creative rhythm games escape the “scrolling” format altogether and form their own genres.
Rhythm games have been popular in arcades since their arrival on the gaming scene, so it makes sense that there have been computer adaptations. One 7-lane game, o2jam, has been around since the early 2000s. An adaptation of Bemani’s IIDX is called Lunatic Rave 2, which has 7+1 lanes. The most notable 4-key keyboard game is Stepmania, which took its name directly from the arcade equivalent. However, as all these games are old, new games have arisen to pander to the desire for something new. Specifically, there are two popular computer VSRGs that have been developed relatively recently. The first, Etterna Online, is a mod for Stepmania 5 that makes Stepmania faster, more customizable, and gives support for multiplayer online. The second is a four-in-one game called osu! This game comprises four separate rhythm games: osu!standard or osu!, the original circle-clicking game, osu!taiko, a Taiko no Tatsujin replica, osu!catch, a catch-the-fruit game, and osu!mania, a VSRG with support for up to 18 keys.
Much of VSRGs’ complexity comes from the fact that their communities have coined many terms for various aspects of gameplay and charting. VSRGs are dependent on player-created charts for content, which is different from most traditional video games, where content is provided by the developers. Charts are essentially representations of music through placed notes, confined to however many lanes to which the game is restricted. When the game is played, the chart scrolls either up or down, depending once again on the game (or setting), and when the notes hit the judgment line, the player presses the corresponding key (on the keyboard, controller, or pad). The player is given an accuracy rating for each note, determined by the accuracy with which it is pressed. The notes’ individual ratings are then averaged, generating the player’s final accuracy at the end of the chart. If more than one note is to be pressed at once, it is called a chord. In a 4-lane game, there are three chord sizes: a two-note chord, a three-note chord, and a four-note chord. A two-note chord is known as a jump, as to play it on a pad, the player is forced to jump. To hit a three-note chord, a hand is necessary, so the chord is known as a hand. Four-note chords are simply called quads.
VSRGs are fascinating because of the countless patterns they offer. There are four main categories necessary for basic proficiency as well as a few completely secondary skillsets. The main classifications are speed, stamina, jacks, and tech. These four encompass the vast majority of all charts currently in existence. Speed consists of fast bursts and streams, which are a constant “stream” of notes. Stamina comprises slower and more consistent dense streams, which are physically draining and require both hands to be at work constantly. This skillset can be further split into jumpstreams and handstreams. Jumpstreams are more straightforward than handstreams, as they don’t have the forced one-hand trills present in the latter, so they are the most approachable patterns in VSRGs. Jacks are what the rhythm game community calls repeated notes on the same column, which require a different motion than the other patterns. Jacks can be divided into slower and denser chordjacks, which are one of the most stamina-draining patterns; faster and lighter gluts, which are useful for training physical speed; and longjacks, which are jacks in a single lane repeated for a long duration. Longjacks are one of the trickiest patterns to execute, as they are both easy to get lost in and hard to sustain. The last major category of patterns is tech, or technical. These patterns include everything that doesn’t fall into the previous three as well as awkward mixtures of them. Because of this, there is no way to further separate tech, although there are a few names for specific patterns found in tech, one of which is known as the minijack, a simple two-note jack. Despite their apparent simplicity, minijacks are often incorporated into other patterns at fast speeds, making both patterns trickier. Another tech pattern is the anchor, which is simply a longjack hidden in, for example, a stream. These four skillsets must be learned and trained separately, as skill in one usually does not translate to another. Secondary categories include LN, short for long notes, and SV, short for speed variation. Also known as holds, long notes must be held for a certain time. Because skill in the main four skillsets translates, although not completely, to LN, it is considered a secondary skillset. SV, on the other hand, is different altogether. SV does not affect the notes physically. Rather, it affects the speed at which the notes approach the judgment line. This adds a new dimension to gameplay, as the eyes must be trained in addition to the wrists. SV can be generally categorized into sightreadable and unsightreadable SV. Sightreadable SV is exactly what it sounds like: SV that, with basic proficiency, is completely playable on the first try. Unsightreadable SV is the opposite; it must be memorized to be played properly.
Charting, the act of creating a chart, is necessary for rhythm games to exist, but it has become part of the attraction rhythm games hold. Charts generally fit the music, and the goal in creating a chart is to represent the music as accurately as possible. However, “accurately” is in no way objective, so two distinct charting philosophies that have emerged. The first is known as rule-based charting. This charts this approach produces follow strict rules based on the music. Rule-based charters aim to represent music through austerity and the idea that every note, has a reason to be exactly where it is. The other branch is intuitive charting, which is based on patterns rather than notes and intuition rather than logic. Because these two paths represent completely opposite approaches, most charters balance the two in order to familiarize themselves with charting as a whole.
There are many benefits to playing rhythm games. For one, the player is exposed to new music, which has been shown to affect mood, focus, and blood pressure. Second, there is a certain excitement that accompanies improvements in skill. Finally, charting can be just as fun as playing, if not more so. On the other hand, there are a few downsides. Although it is nearly impossible to die from playing too long, as rhythm games require near-peak physical condition, the strain put on wrists and tendons from extensive play can lead to repetitive strain injury or carpal tunnel. The time required to build and maintain skill can also be a problem.
Rhythm games are a some of the best video games because of their diversity and enjoyability; specifically, vertical-scrolling rhythm games, as they are easy to access and start, while boasting a depth that takes years to explore. There is no end to the possibilities and variations of charting, which means that playing is infinite as well, at least to the furthest extent of humanity’s physical ability. This is what makes rhythm games attractive.
Resources:
https://www.stepmania.com/
http:// https://etternaonline.com/
http:// https://osu.ppy.sh/
Rainy Whispers 