Harmonix and MTV had a gem on their hands when it comes to interactive gaming ever since Guitar Hero was launched. But with RockBand and now, RockBand 2, you can not only build out your rocker character to faux-shred equipment at the end of a Guns N’ Roses song, for example, but you can now create a fake logo and fake band merch for your bitchin’ fake band.
Currently, available merch for upload includes a T-shirt, keychain, and bumper sticker. The T-shirt costs $29, which of course you can then sell on MySpace or E-Bay at will. And as everyone knows, if your band is really good, the best way to make money is not by selling music but by selling merch with your band logo on it. However if this isn’t enough, you can order up a figurine of your made-up rocker avatar in your customized rocker pose for $69 and then you’ve got the real thing. Sort of.
This is all a part of the big news coming out at the conclusion of E3 for All, produced by IDG World Expo which attracted 15,000 gamers, developers, producers and media at the Los Angeles Convention Center October 3-5. Unlike the original E3 trade show packed with behemoth, expensive booths by the gaming industry and the largest trade show for the video gaming, E3 for All is the less expensive, more consumer-based version where competitions, and testing of new releases are all a part of the experience.
For example, Target, who’s now way into gaming with the launch of their North American Guitar Hero World Tour Challenge (yes we say world tour), continued it’s mission to associate with would-be-rockers with the “American Guitar Hero World Tour Challenge” at E3 for All offering up $2,000 in cash, prizes, and merch for players to take the stage live and rock-out against each other. Target also offered up sneak-peak playables of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed from LucasArt before it hits store shelves coming soon, and the highly anticipated Shaun White Snowboarding from Ubisoft.
Ironically, while the economy is in the midst of a serious-shakedown, you wouldn’t know there was any slowdown happening for some video gaming companies and players, especially when it comes to the rock band genre. Here is one case where aspiration can trump fiscal responsibility.
