Jonathan Holmes talks to John Drake, PR Coordinator at Harmonix, about Rock Band's impact on gaming and the implications for Rock Band 2.

Jonathan Holmes talks to John Drake, PR Coordinator at Harmonix, about Rock Band's impact on gaming and the implications for Rock Band 2.

Why do you think consumers are ready to accept big plastic instruments when traditionally they’ve shied away from peripherals?

Well I think the real thing is that everyone wants to be a rock star, so now you get the chance to jump up on stage with a cheering crowd cheering, but playing these plastic guitars. Playing air guitar doesn’t cut it anymore: to really feel like you’re strumming along, nailing the frets and the drum solos is a really important part of the illusion I really think we’ve hit a worldwide nerve for what people want to do with music.

Do music titles like Rock Band signal a shift away from gaming’s niche image? Are they a form of ‘casual gaming’ which doesn’t involve bathroom scales?

I think the real thing is that our audience is any music fan. The most hardcore MMO fan might still be a great singer. It’s not just for the casual market or the hardcore market; it’s a title where you can get casual and hardcore gamers playing together. We’re really expanding what it means to be a videogame.

Rock Band 2 is a massive social sensation: people get their friends round and have Rock Band parties. What are you doing to encourage this atmosphere?

There are a few things we’ve done with Rock Band 2 which I think are really exciting. One is we’ve added a ‘No Failure’ mode, so if you have a party and get too drunk, or if you have a pizza party and get too full of pizza, or whatever you happen to be consuming in mass quantities, you’re still going to have a good time playing Rock Band.

Another cool thing we’ve added to Rock Band 2 is set lists, where you can play multiple songs in a row without stopping. So if you’re having a small party, a band can play three songs in a row without stopping and going back through the menu. It seems like a small change, but it really gets the flow of a rock show going rather than the stop-start flow of a multiplayer game.

The last thing I’ll say about that is that we’ve got a lot of content coming. We’re the only platform promising to have 500 songs by the end of the year, and we’re going to deliver on that. We’re going to have all sorts: Red Hot Chili Peppers, No Doubt for the pop fans, Megadeth for the metal fans…

Does this include Wii?

We haven’t announced online stuff for Rock Band 2 for the Wii, but we’ve got an announcement coming soon, and I think people are going to be psyched.

How do you balance Harmonix’s desire to promote new music with the familiarity with a song that’s required to play it well for the first time?

You know, we always say “don’t try to play the level, play the music”, but on some level it’s always going to be a videogame, and that’s a vital part of Rock Band 2. The challenge of learning a song you’ve never heard can actually connect you more deeply to the music, and inspire you to go buy the track for your iPod. Not only does that help drive record sales, it helps create fanboys for things other than gaming.

What’s your favourite track in Rock Band 2?

Well, I have a song in the game, so it’s that one.

So you’re hoping for a sales boost then?

I certainly hopes it interests people in my music. You know, we hope every band, whether it’s a big label or not, gets a bump from being in Rock Band. But yeah, it’d be nice to get noticed.