What is Rhythm game?
{{update|date=January 2024}} [[File:Festival du jeu video 20080926 033.jpg|thumb|Players using a dance pad to play ''Dance Dance Revolution'', one of the most successful rhythm games.]] '''Rhythm game''', or '''rhythm action''', is a type of [[Music video game|music-themed]] [[Action game|action video game]]. These games mostly focus either on [[dancing]] or [[Simulation video game|simulating]] the playing of [[musical instrument]]s. Players must press [[Button (control)|buttons]] in time with commands from the game, which are in time with the [[rhythm]] of a song. Doing so will cause the game's protagonist or [[avatar]] to dance or play their instrument correctly, thus achieving a greater [[Score (game)|score]]. They can be played with a hand-held controller, though different control devices have been made to play rhythm games, such as [[guitar]]- and [[drum]]-shaped controllers for musical instrument games, and pressure-sensitive pads (called [[dance mats]]) that the player must step on for dancing games. The [[Kinect]] for the [[Xbox 360]] allows the player to use their whole body to control the game by tracking their movements. Some games have a [[Multiplayer video game|multi-player]] mode, where players can play as members of a [[band]] or [[dance crew]], or compete against each other. The 1996 title ''[[PaRappa the Rapper]]'' was the first influential rhythm game. The basic design of the game became a pattern that later rhythm games followed. In 1997, [[Konami]]'s ''[[Beatmania]]'' started popularity for rhythm games in [[Japan]]. The company's music division, [[Bemani]], released many music games over the next several years. ''[[Dance Dance Revolution (1998 video game)|Dance Dance Revolution]]'' was the only one to achieve large-scale success outside of Japan. The game's style was imitated by many other games, until the release of [[Harmonix]]'s ''[[Guitar Hero (video game)|Guitar Hero]]''. This was inspired by similar, earlier Japanese games, but Harmonix added [[rock music]] aimed at a [[Western world