Karaoke (Concept)

Karaoke

CONCEPT

Games in which the player is judged how well he or she sings along to the words onscreen.

Overview

Karaoke is a popular activity where people sing into a microphone while reading lyrics on a TV. Karaoke first became popular in Japan, where coworkers would go together after work into karaoke bars. The karaoke craze later made it to the west where friends would sing all night long in bars.

Karaoke usually requires two things: a microphone and courage. The first is usually attached to a speaker which lets everyone hear how well you sing. The second is essential since your singing voice isn't that great. During most karaoke, the lyrics to the song are muted, leaving only the beat. Unlike in video games, real karaoke does not give you a grade after the song.

In Video Games

Sing in SingStar

Karaoke has been gracing consoles for a while, letting wannabe singers test their vocal cords in the safety of their homes. The most popular example of karaoke on a console is Singstar. First released on the PS2, Singstar has since then had countless sequels and spin offs. Singstar became so popular in Europe that Microsoft decided to launch its own brand of karaoke games, Lips (Franchise). Both games come with a microphone in which you sing. The lyrics pop up on screen and a little bar helps you now what words you should be singing and how high your pitch should be. Each song usually plays with a music video in the background. At the end of the song, you are graded on your performance.

It is a known fact (that the microphones don't actually recognize the words you are saying, instead you're only graded on your pitch. This is where karaoke games slightly fall apart. Due to the fact that the microphones aren't intelligent enough to recognize your words, you can get through entire songs by singing the national anthem, as long as your pitch is right.

Karaoke games have also strived thanks to their online shops. The Singstore or the RockBand Store feature a large variety of songs from many decades and genres.

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