What do you think about the Guitar Hero game?

[Reinder]

I think there are two parts in this debate.

1. Does Guitar Hero simulate real guitar playing? To some little extent it does but it's nothing like the real deal. Just like WII tennis simulates tennis a little, but there will be no tennis pro that thinks WII tennis is a good way of practicing tennis. In Guitar Hero you need to do a rythmic movement with your right hand whilst pressing something down with your left hand. That is about as far as it goes for simulation. I think guitar players that like videogaming have a little advantage in the pull-off/hammer-on parts because of their left hand coordination in this type of movement. I don't think playing the game can prepare you for real guitarplaying or makes you better in guitarplaying. I do think people can get interested in playing real guitar, just like when I saw Guns N' Roses on MTV when I was 14 years old. Did MTV simulate guitar playing? No, I was playing air guitar in front of the television and it made me wanna play a real one.

2. Is this game opening up a new way to get into music? To me definitely yes. If I hadn't played this game, I wouldn't have known about Priestess, Killswitch Engage, AFI. I bought the Killers album, I bought the essential Heart, I dug up the Smashing Pumpkins again, appreciate Living Colour even more. People are even paying for new downloadable songs so they can play them. Yes they PAY for it, instead of downloading everything for free. Also because you play a song a lot of times and the guitartrack is high in the mix you get to appreciate songs more. For example, I love metal but Slayer isn't really my thing. The first time I had to play Raining Blood in Guitar Hero, I thought it was a bad song. But it's also one of the hardest songs so you have to play it a lot of times. Now I kinda dig it. So I think this is where Guitar Hero deserves it's credit.

[DEADTUNES666]

Playing RISK doesn't make anyone a better or more benevolent world leader/dictator...

Playing CLUE doesn't make anyone become a better or more intuitive detective...

Playing Monopoly doesn't make one a better banker/landlord/real estate mogul...

Playing Chinese Checkers doesn't make someone a better Checkers playing Chinaman...

And...Playing Guitar Zero doesn't make someone a better or more well rounded guitar player...It just makes you a video game geek!!

As for new music being exposed to you...get a subscription to Guitar World...Seriously.

[elcid]

Super Mario Brothers did make me grow a moustache and jump on people's heads for coins.

[nuno]

it would be cool if it had Ibanez shaped guitars...

[DEADTUNES666]

Originally Posted by elcid

Super Mario Brothers did make me grow a moustache and jump on people's heads for coins.

I figured, which is why I didn't use that as an example.

It made me like mushrooms way too much.

[Reinder]

Originally Posted by DEADTUNES666

Playing RISK doesn't make anyone a better or more benevolent world leader/dictator...

Playing CLUE doesn't make anyone become a better or more intuitive detective...

Playing Monopoly doesn't make one a better banker/landlord/real estate mogul...

Playing Chinese Checkers doesn't make someone a better Checkers playing Chinaman...

And...Playing Guitar Zero doesn't make someone a better or more well rounded guitar player...It just makes you a video game geek!!

As for new music being exposed to you...get a subscription to Guitar World...Seriously.

I buy Guitar World from time to time but it costs a lot over here (€13,50 = $ 21!). And I tried putting it in my CD player, but I didn't hear any music

[DEADTUNES666]

Originally Posted by Reinder

I buy Guitar World from time to time but it costs a lot over here (€13,50 = $ 21!). And I tried putting it in my CD player, but I didn't hear any music

Is that per issue?

[Reinder]

Originally Posted by DEADTUNES666

Is that per issue?

No, per page


Yep, bought the june issue last saturday. And guess what, it's completely about Guitar Hero You should avoid that issue like the plague Deadtunes

[Reinder]

And I'm not kidding

[DEADTUNES666]

Originally Posted by Reinder

No, per page


Yep, bought the june issue last saturday. And guess what, it's completely about Guitar Hero You should avoid that issue like the plague Deadtunes

Yeah I have a subscription...I saw it...

[southpaw_lefty]

The only thing I can say good about it is that it has exposed me to music that I normally would have never known about. I've actually sat down and learned quite a few of these songs.

[Vinco]

This Guitar Hero: "Put here the name of your favourite band" will be endless.

I am just a bit disappointed by the first band choice: Aerosmith.

I hope they will have the guts to release something as wicked as Guitar Pro: Morbid Angel!

That would be great fun.

[bringer of torture]

Originally Posted by Reinder

And I tried putting it in my CD player, but I didn't hear any music

I could say the same thing about modern bands in general. As far as Guitar Hero goes, the first time I ever played it I had nightmares about a giant fretboard with weird coloured dots on it. Not a fun experience, and I've played it about twice since. To its credit it does seem to condition the eyes for better/faster sightreading.

[CaptainD00M]

Its a tough one, because it has gotten more people into guitar... well ok thats more competition so that’s not all good, but still.

Anyway my actual point is, it seems to me that Guitar Hero is like the gym membership that people buy to tell them selves they are going to go to the gym and loose weight, or the promise of 'quick and easy weight loss' in that its a quick fix, it gives people an immediate but ultimately hollow sense of accomplishment. Perhaps the education grading system in my home country would be a better analogy, but it would be difficult to explain.

My point here is its the promises to people that they are the that great at something, while also reinforcing just how much of a difference there is between a game and actually putting the 18 hours a day you do at the weekend ion Guitar Hero toward honing real chops. Its a continuation of what western society seems to have nurtured an addiction toward which is instant fulfilment and gratification. If anyone is familiar with the Hindu concept of the Veil of Maya, this game seems very much to fit into that in that it fools the person into thinking that they have achieved something noteworthy and are on a par with that of these people they idolise very quickly, only to find that it will run out swiftly and that the next new evolution in gaming willhopefully fill the void.

Im not saying that gaming is the root of all evil, of that i have no opinion, it just seems to nurture habbits similar to that of WOW and an unhealthy perspective. That said i'm sure there are plenty more worldly wise people who would argue that about obsessive guitarists such as myself, but the key difference here, and i think many here have touched upon it is that is it real achievement versus instant gratification...

Suppose it all depends on your priorities...

[JJEMMER777]

Originally Posted by CaptainD00M

Suppose it all depends on your priorities...

You could have just said ^^^^ instead of making us read all that text!!!


j/k Excellent post