Nightlife / Music

'Rock Band,' as close to the real thing as you can get

By Stephanie De Pasquale | Tuesday, June 10, 2008 | () comments

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The third time was the charm for the Jim Robs, the team that won last month’s “Rock Band” tournament at Gameology in Rock Island.

The team comprised of Kate Duffus, 21, on vocals, Brock Golden, 23, on drums, Ian Flynn, 17, on guitar, and Justin Marx, 19, on bass, doesn’t play together that often, but each member plays the video game on their own several times a week. Golden has even practiced with his mom.

“I find that a lot of older people like it a lot,” he said. “Like people who normally wouldn’t like video games. I showed my mom and she was like, ‘Molly Hatchet, sweet.’ ”

Golden said the only other video game his mother ever played was Nintendo Wii’s “Brunswick Pro Bowling.”

“Anybody can play,” said Duffus, who said she can sing for the game, but not in real life. “You get a little bit nervous before the song starts, but we practice a lot and play it all the time.”

Golden said the team’s key to success was each member using “Rock Band’s” star power feature at the same time. When a player uses star power, it doubles the points they earn. When all four players use it at the same time, he said it multiplies each player’s score by eight.

Gameology, in Rock Island, has 30 computers at which gamers can play their favorite video games. The venue hosts video game tournaments, including a “Rock Band” tournament once a month.

“Rock Band” can be played by one to four players on four levels ranging from “easy” to “expert.” Each player can choose their own level of difficulty, so a beginner can play on an easy level while an advanced player uses the expert setting.

The players use a microphone to sing, a plastic guitar and bass with buttons instead of strings and a drum kit with pads instead of actual drums.

“It’s definitely better with four players because it gives you a sense of what it would actually feel like to be in a rock band, even though it’s far from it,” said Ben Sharpe, a Gameology employee. “It’s as close a simulation as you can get.”

Sharpe thinks the vocals and drums are the most difficult part of the game to play because it’s like being in a real band.

“The vocals you actually sing, so it’s a real instrument,” he explained. “It’s you using your voice and the drums. You have to stay in rhythm. Otherwise you’re just pushing buttons (on the guitar and bass).”

For Rock Band tournaments, Sharpe said Gameology picks 12 songs for the competition, and each “band” picks six to play from that list. Bands get points for how accurately they play the songs, and whichever band has the most points wins.

This month’s tournament at Gameology has been dubbed Metal Mayhem as a play on words (the month of May) and because the set list from which contestants can choose is all heavy metal songs.

Weather permitting, Metal Mayhem will be held outside at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 31, with the tournament to be shown on a projector screen.

The tournament is a preview for later this summer when Gameology owner Harry Cleaveland plans to hold a Rock Band tournament at the yet-to-open Reel to Reel Drive-in in Davenport.

Stephanie De Pasquale can be contacted at (563) 333-2639 or sdepasquale@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.

If you go

What: Metal Mayhem, a “Rock Band” tournament

When: 8 p.m. (5 p.m. in case rain is forecast), Saturday, May 31

Where: Gameology, 4305 18th Ave., Rock Island

How much: $20 per team in advance, $32 the day of the contest

Information: scienceofgaming.com on the Web

Set list: “March of the Pigs” by Nine Inch Nails, “Run to the Hills” by Iron Maiden, “I’m So Sick” by Flyleaf, “The Number of the Beast” by Iron Maiden, “Thrasher” by Evile, “D.O.A.” by The Haunted, “The Collector” and “The Perfect Drug” by Nine Inch Nails, “Ride the Lightning,” “And Justice for All,” “Blackened” and “Enter Sandman” by Metallica