Music Games Great for Parties with the Casual Video Gamer

The guests at your next party may not be die-hard video gamers, but odds are good that they can be persuaded to play the right sort of game. Regardless of which system you have available, there are music video game options for a full band as well as for karaoke. Music video games make great party games for casual gamers. They can be enjoyed not only by the group playing them but also by the group watching and waiting for their turn.

Games like the Rock Band titles and the Band Hero title for the Guitar Hero series allow for multiple players to play instruments and sing along with the songs included in the game. One to four players is the most standard number, but certain titles allow up to six or seven players.

Different titles may appeal to different age groups. LEGO Rock Band is a great, kid-friendly game if your casual gamers include pre-teens. If the crowd is one that is nostalgic for the '60s, Beatles Rock Band is a sure crowd pleaser. With all of these full band music video games, watching other players can be nearly as fun as playing the game. The games have background animations of the characters playing the songs, but it's also a lot of fun to watch your friends sing and play the instruments. Whether someone is waiting their turn or prefers to stay out of the limelight, they can enjoy the concert that has broken out in your house.

While the full band music video games can also be used as karaoke games by only having players sing, each major video game system has a karaoke-only video game. The XBox 360 has Lips, the PS3 has SingStar, and the Wii has WeSing. There are also karaoke video games for PCs and Macs, and even a free, online karaoke game at KaraokeParty.com. If, like many casual gamers, you do not have all of the current systems, you can find the karaoke game for your system or home computer, and often many additional titles in the same series. These games will allow one to four players to sing their hearts out, and require microphones for each player. But unlike traditional karaoke, the players score points based on how well they sing the song. Whether you play this game for the points or just for fun is entirely up to you and your party guests.

Music video games may not appeal to every party-goer or every casual gamer, but these titles have a way of drawing out even the shyest attendee. Pick the right game for you and your friends and enjoy an evening of casual gaming with music video games.