Music Games

A music video game, also commonly known as a rhythm action game, is a type of video game where the player is required to follow a musical beat and stay with the rhythm of the game's soundtrack. In most games, specific buttons must be pressed (or controls on a specialised game controller activated), in time with the game's music, either following sequences or developing specific rhythms. In some cases, players are required to dance in sync to music using a dance mat controller.

The genre arose in the late 1990s with the success of the arcade game Dance Dance Revolution. PaRappa the Rapper (released in the US in 1997 and the UK in 1998) popularised the genre on the home console, and has been followed in recent years by titles such as Frequency (2001), Rez (2002), Amplitude (2003) and Guitar Hero (2006).