How do you feel...

[ratherdashing]

They're fun party games, but there are tons of other games I would much rather play.

I don't really think of them as being equivalent to playing a musical instrument. It's just a game. I don't get the people who say "you should be playing a real guitar instead." That's like saying I should beat a real cop to death with a dildo instead of playing GTA.

[Philcguitars]

I've heard all the arguments for Computer games, but...

I don't go with the argument that they allow people to get rid of their anger, in fact I think it encourages it.

I think they create couch potatoes and discourage emotional and conversational interaction that goes beyond 'Die, Sucker'.

I don't think it improves co-ordination. Otherwise every gamer would be able to do my job.

Computers should be tools and educational aids.

I KNOW this is going to be controversial!

[Zerberus]

Seeing as I myself don´t own a Console and probably never will, I couldn´t care less... if people want to imagine instead of living their dreams for real that´s fine by me, just makes it easier for me to achieve mine

[Mark Cearlock]

If it gets 1 person in 100,000 to play a real guitar, then why not? Otherwise, not for me. I can see it now, "Yes, I'm new to the forum, I have this 2007 guitar hero strat. I want to get a more distored rock tone out of it, what pickup do you think will work for this?"

[rashayritto]

other: choices were waaaaaaaay too specific OP

i dont mind em. people enjoy them (i know i use to). i stopped caring after they decided to make the note arrangements counter intuitive to increase difficulty.

[mrturtle_91]

I've heard all the arguments for Computer games, but...

I don't go with the argument that they allow people to get rid of their anger, in fact I think it encourages it.

I think they create couch potatoes and discourage emotional and conversational interaction that goes beyond 'Die, Sucker'.

I don't think it improves co-ordination. Otherwise every gamer would be able to do my job.

Computers should be tools and educational aids.

I KNOW this is going to be controversial!

I completely understand where you're coming from man, even though I don't completely agree with it myself. There are people out there who do nothing but play video games and end up being complete losers. But then again, there are people like myself. I only play video games every once and a while, usually when I'm extremely bored, extremely stressed, or having a good time with friends. It doesn't really improve co-ordination, not a whole lot of co-ordination is required. But I do think games are good for getting out anger and frustration. Yesterday I was kinda pissed off at something, so I decided to play Left 4 Dead. Nothing like mowing down zombies to get rid of some anger, lol.

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

I have fun playing Rock Band with my kids every now and again, even though I'm not much of a video game kinda guy.

- Keith

[super rad stuff]

[Petrovsk Mizinski]

As with mrturtle91 I game now and then, if I'm with friends, bored or just want to take my anger out on stuff in the virtual world and it brings a smile to my face too.
If I'm gonna play a computer game, why play something like GH?
I've got a real guitar.
If I wanna game, I'd rather play a game which involves something I can't do in the real world, that's fun to me, whereas a game like GH is just frustrating. It just makes me think I could be playing real guitar or a game that is less realistic and crazy. I basically try to avoid playing the game.
I don't own a game console either and 95 per cent of the time I use my computer is for reading (the news, internet forums, articles on anything though mainly guitar stuff etc) and listening to music.

[Philcguitars]

I completely understand where you're coming from man, even though I don't completely agree with it myself. There are people out there who do nothing but play video games and end up being complete losers. But then again, there are people like myself. I only play video games every once and a while, usually when I'm extremely bored, extremely stressed, or having a good time with friends. It doesn't really improve co-ordination, not a whole lot of co-ordination is required. But I do think games are good for getting out anger and frustration. Yesterday I was kinda pissed off at something, so I decided to play Left 4 Dead. Nothing like mowing down zombies to get rid of some anger, lol.

That's fair! Somewhere in between is probably a happy medium of sanity!

[sosomething]

They're fun party games, but there are tons of other games I would much rather play.

I don't really think of them as being equivalent to playing a musical instrument. It's just a game. I don't get the people who say "you should be playing a real guitar instead." That's like saying I should beat a real cop to death with a dildo instead of playing GTA.

....and that's the crux of it.

All of the ire drawn by these games from musicians is essentially misguided. Players of GH and RB don't think they're real musicians (even if their parents do). They think they're having fun playing a game.

The reality is that most of these kids would never pick up anything even vaguely guitar-shaped if not for these games, but even focusing on real guitar converts is missing the boat.

No, the real ancillary value to plain entertainment to be had from Guitar Hero is that it's putting real, honest-to-God rock and roll - GUITAR MUSIC - in the ears of these kids and they are eating it up!! Does anyone care to guess the likelihood that millions of young people would be rocking out to Steely Dan, Dinosaur Jr., Motörhead, Hendrix, The Allman Bros., ZZ Top, Queen, Pixies, and Nirvana without it?

The bottom line is that Guitar Hero is good for guitar players because it's creating millions of fans of guitar music.

[Philcguitars]

....and that's the crux of it.

All of the ire drawn by these games from musicians is essentially misguided. Players of GH and RB don't think they're real musicians (even if their parents do). They think they're having fun playing a game.

The reality is that most of these kids would never pick up anything even vaguely guitar-shaped if not for these games, but even focusing on real guitar converts is missing the boat.

No, the real ancillary value to plain entertainment to be had from Guitar Hero is that it's putting real, honest-to-God rock and roll - GUITAR MUSIC - in the ears of these kids and they are eating it up!! Does anyone care to guess the likelihood that millions of young people would be rocking out to Steely Dan, Dinosaur Jr., Motörhead, Hendrix, The Allman Bros., ZZ Top, Queen, Pixies, and Nirvana without it?

The bottom line is that Guitar Hero is good for guitar players because it's creating millions of fans of guitar music.

I'll conced that too. Perhaps I'll reconsider it in my consideration of how I feel about many other computer games.

I will also conced that it has by necessity of marketing advanced the graphics industry! Before anyone points that out too!

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

No, the real ancillary value to plain entertainment to be had from Guitar Hero is that it's putting real, honest-to-God rock and roll - GUITAR MUSIC - in the ears of these kids and they are eating it up!! Does anyone care to guess the likelihood that millions of young people would be rocking out to Steely Dan, Dinosaur Jr., Motörhead, Hendrix, The Allman Bros., ZZ Top, Queen, Pixies, and Nirvana without it?

Case in point: My oldest son now walks around the house humming "Crazy Train" to himself. He has even worked out the main riff on his keyboard—lo and behold, a real instrument!

I'm a little tired of "Crazy Train," but it's nice that he and I can connect on the same tunes, even if there are thirty years between when I first discovered it and when he did.

- Keith

[PFDarkside]

This:



and this sum up my opinion quite nicely:



I love to play rock band with my gf and a couple of friends. It's great fun, especially when there's alcohol involved. I don't really like playing it alone.

What puzzles me is how can people have such a strong negative attitude towards these games. If you don't like them, be indifferent towards them. "Time would be better spent practicing a real instrument.! WTF!?

Same reason people are pissed at Good Charlotte or Avril or whatever the current flavor of the month with minimal guitar skills may be. I think deep down they want all that practicing to mean something.

I guess I DO treat rock band like Doom or Madden. I can't shoot aliens or play pro ball, and all I can do is play simple beats. It has helped by syncopation and leg arm independance a ton as well. (I used to have that dumb lock up where if my foot played eighth notes so did my hand, I have half-broken that problem)

[ImmortalSix]

Other.

I don't give a **** about Guitar Hero. I don't think it's good or bad, I just don't ever think about it. I don't play video games and I am so busy that I put a new pickup in my Strat last week and I haven't had a chance to play it yet, not at all. Can you imagine?


A lot of people I know really like it, the post-college party crowd, but I've never played it or Rock Band.

It would probably not be any fun for me, as a serious musician, the quantification of it all would be frustrating, but who knows, I've never messed with it.

This 30 seconds is the first 30 seconds I've spent thinking about GH and RB, and the last probably. I don't have anything at all against it, I just have better things to do.

-Hunter

[lex666]

I've got real mixed feelings about RB and GH.

I'm the only musician in the family. Coincidentally, I play both guitar and drums.

Everyone else in my family has kids (none for me) and I'm constantly bombarded with comments about how good they are on GH or RB. Becuase they know I can play drums and guitar for real, I'm constantly being challenged to play. Having very little expereince on GH or RB, I suck. Everyone laughs it up like they're better than me. My 6 yo nephew can kick my butt on GH in expert level. So what?

My family seems to be under the illusion that RB and GH is somewhat "real". They play it all the time, and becuz they're good at it, they think they've developed some kind of talent. While maybe it does require some level of skill, I hardly consider this talent.

I don't know how many times I can express that if they were to spend the same amount of time practicing real guitar or drums it would mean something. Mastering a video game means absolutely nothing in the real world. Its all a waste of time IMO.

These are also the same people that aren't interested in hearing me play. I play mostly heavy metal music and my family is pretty conservative. They also don't appreciate loud music or me exposing their children to heavy metal music, yet 8 hours in front of the TV playing GH is fine.

I understand how RB & GH can be fun. I don't understand how mastering a video game has any benefit in real life and why some people think mastering GH or RB amounts to talent or musical ability

As a musician, I'm sorta offended people think clicking away on a toy is something to be praised instead of nurturing a real talent.

[The Golden Boy]

Other.

I never done played either. To me, they appear to be an updated version of the 70s hand held game Simon.

BUT...

In it's current form- these games are using good ol' fashioned rock and roll as a part of the games. If the kids who play these games ever learn to really play, hopefully they'll be influenced by the music they hear there instead of the pop hits of today.

I think I'd like to hear music influence by the Styx than "under my umbrella ella ella ella ellla..."

[The Golden Boy]

Real guitars are for old people.

[Ninja Monkey]

I have had a very good experience with rock band, it inspired me to play guitar after a 2 year hiatus. And it's vastly improved my still crappy singing.

[Jet-Jaguar]

I'll conced that too. Perhaps I'll reconsider it in my consideration of how I feel about many other computer games.

Well, I think part of your problem, as evidenced by your "Die, Sucker" comment, is that you think of all computers games as a single genre. It's like saying that all movies are about cowboys because you've seen a single western.

I will also conced that it has by necessity of marketing advanced the graphics industry! Before anyone points that out too!

No, the graphics in GH aren't anything to write home about. Granted, the slightly cartoony look has a certain appeal that fits in with the game, but I wouldn't consider it a milestone in graphics like Halflife 2 was.