I was at my parents, reading about it on my tablet in front of everyone, holding back tears that just found their way into daylight. I told my family, they smiled. No longer will dinner be compromised due to my spending habits single-handedly keeping Harmonix in business. My life the past 5 and a half years has been lived one Friday 10am EST week at a time, waiting, speculating, refreshing the Rock Band forums desperately waiting to find out what video game music I would be spending a week's worth of groceries on.
alas, this will happen no more.
It all began in 2007. Waiting on a cold morning for the Walmart 30 minutes from home to open their doors. They opened the earliest of any store in the area, I had chosen wisely. At home I barely had enough room to setup a plastic drum set and guitar next to my established Guitar Hero collection, but I found a way. Freshly introduced to Next-Gen entertainment and this concept of DLC, Harmonix began it's terror upon my wallet in which Steam sales paled in comparison. Hour after hour of hard labor at an electronics shop allowed me to fund this addiction, but it was never enough. I had learned their schedule, I knew of the F5 ways, but it was never enough. Friday mornings were unbearable, waiting for 9:50am so I could refresh their forums desperately hoping for an early announcement. Speculation was rampant, will my favorite song be announced today? No, it never did. But I supported the machine, I let it take my hard earned electronic store money in which I labored over. Tuesdays were an early morning endevour. I found that the 360 Marketplace updated at 5am EST, allowing for at least 3 hours of new song greatness before work. Life was difficult funding the addiction, but manageable.
In 2008 my life had changed. I no longer needed to fend for my own well being, but that of my girlfriend as well. Harmonix recognized my dedication and voluntary funding of their efforts and let me test the sequel early. I had gotten a better job, with access to a computer. No longer did I have to use the electronic store's phone to call home to learn of next week's DLC, now I could be paid for my refreshing. My plastic instruments reproduced. By the end of the year I possessed 12 plastic guitars, 1 plastic bass, 4 USB microphones, and three separate drum sets. Little did I realize that my collection was nearly completed and would not expand, but the world was stayry-eyed and beautiful through my naive eyes. The better job allowed myself to induldge the addiction, buying content discs as well as DLC, and purchasing multiple copies of the Rock Band for my friends. Plastic cymbols became my way of legitimizing the game to family and landlords, asking why I had so many peripherials strung around the property. I was in deep, but I would have never known.
The years leading up to 2010 maintained this norm. Sure, Beatles, Green Day, and DLC fed the addiction, but there was always something missing. Finally, I could expand my plastic collection once more. Keyboards & 108 Button Guitars, legitimization by real musicians was finally mine. There was a wedding during this game's lifespan as well, although unfortunately no plastic instruments were played at the reception. No longer forced to wade through the years of DLC, I could now instantly rank and find my favorite songs, but there were still songs missing. Finally, after years of dreaming and waiting, 'My Way'. I thought, there is no way this can get any better.....yet I was wrong.
With the world undoubtedly ending in 2012, I was able to take solace knowing that I would be able to purchase the spiritual successor to Frequency and Amplitude which began this addiction over 10 years prior. Yes, while the weekly DLC had the largest impact on my own and my family's well being, the one-time-purchase of a disc back in 2001 began this journey and was cemented in 2003. Having already purchased staples of those games' soundtracks, waiting in my vast Rock Band library, my body was ready. The last few months have been but a blur. My most favoritest song finally came out, 'Remedy', with keys in Rock Band 3 and all, but interest finally began to wane.
When will they give my the songs that sparked my interest in music when I was but 10 years of age? My Ben Folds Five songs were used as examples when the Rock Band Network had launched, but nothing more than mentions were given since. After 5 and a half years, 275 consecutive weeks, and countless amounts of monies spent...I had given up hope. Finally, the dagger, they announced that my money was no longer good to them, and would be shutting down the DLC operation come April 2nd, 2013. It was something great, life changing, and Earth-shattering, yes, but it could never end well enough to justify all of this time and effort...it had to end sometime.
So, with 4 more new-release weeks left (3 more Blitz re-release weeks).....I just can't wait for Friday to start refreshing like it was 2007.
