Rolling Stones And Pink Floyd Legends Slam Rock Band, Guitar Hero

Ex-Rolling Stones guitarist Bill Wyman and Pink Floyd star Nick Mason have attacked computer games like Rock Band for deterring youngsters from picking up real instruments.

Speaking on the eve of the release of "The Beatles: Rock Band", both the music icons believe such music games have a negative effect on children.

72-year-old Wyman, The Rolling Stones' guitarist from 1962 to 1992, said of the games to the BBC: "It encourages kids not to learn, that's the trouble.

"It makes less and less people dedicated to really get down and learn an instrument. I think is a pity so I'm not really keen on that kind of stuff."

Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason echoed the sentiment saying of Guitar Hero and Rock Band: "It irritates me having watched my kids do it - if they spent as much time practising the guitar as learning how to press the buttons they'd be damn good by now."

However, Alex Rigopulas from Harmonix Systems, the company behind Rock Band, believes the games have the opposite effect and actually encourage people to become good at playing their instruments.

He told the Beeb: "Most people try to learn an instrument at some point in their lives, and almost all of them quit after a few months or a year or two. This, I think, is because the earliest years of learning an instrument are the least gratifying.

"When people play Rock Band, however, they very quickly get a glimpse of the rewards that lie on the other side of the wall.

"We're constantly hearing from fans who were inspired by Rock Band to start studying a real instrument."

Thanks for the report to Gigwise.com.

Comments

[chickenfoot]

Very true what they say
but these games also introduce kids to other styles of music and bands they probably never have heard of

[MulletGuy]

That's a ludicrous thing to say from one party involved.

The Rolling Stones have had alot of involvement in many of Guitar Hero and Rock Band's recent releases. That's just idiotic for them to suddenly condemn these brand of games.

Fact is, if kids want to play a real instrument, they will. If they're not quite wanting to pursue a career in the music industry, they'll play a video game that can to some minor degree emulate the sensation.

If these games DO anything, it's introduce younger generations to music they'd never usually listen to. So Rolling Stones, if every fan is important - you'd surely sooner thank these games than condemn them, cause you've benefitted from them.

Jerks.

[bobbyk1978]

The Rolling Stones didn't condemn the games, ONE FORMER MEMBER condemned them.

[Smileyspencer]

come on now i play both and if you really want to its not that hard to play they shouldntve said that cause if you really want to its easy

[T3HM3T4L]

I'm a very shy person to begin with and don't let people know things about me easily, not even my mom. Asking to get Guitar Hero was the thing I needed to get the courage to ask for a real guitar. I know it sounds like a load of bull, but I'm really glad for this. I play both the games as the real guitar, though I have trouble playing because my fingers are genetically bad =/

[Irish Dman]

thats really rich coming from nick mason considering pink floyd had to get a session drummer for the wall!!

[scithe37]

"When people play Rock Band, however, they very quickly get a glimpse of the rewards that lie on the other side of the wall.

I guess this part makes sense, I just hate how some kids think guitar hero is harder than guitar. Thats my big problem with this game.

[CroMag523]

what guitar is nick mason holding in that picture?

[aebers79]

actually, guitar hero made me want to learn real guitar. if someone wants to learn something, they will. guitarists are just elitists

[zapatista89]

id agree with the statements that it "broadens" the kids music knowledge, if guitar hero 5 didnt have such a one dimensional track listing and parades the corpse of kurt cobain around like a really bad marionette.

[FearOfTheDuck]

I had the first two games, it was good at first, but it went too far. I know several people who just gave up playing guitar and picked up guitar hero instead. Because completing Thunderhorse on expert is much more impressive than doing it in real life!! It seriously gets to me, people having in depth convosations about how they can do songs on expert etc etc!
The amount of time they spend pretending to play the guitar, they could actually be semi good by now at the real guitar!

And now you can get drums for guitar hero! wuhey!

[Guitar Skater]

CroMag523 wrote:

what guitar is nick mason holding in that picture?

an SG?

[Dealer16]

I'm a very shy person to begin with and don't let people know things about me easily, not even my mom. Asking to get Guitar Hero was the thing I needed to get the courage to ask for a real guitar. I know it sounds like a load of bull, but I'm really glad for this. I play both the games as the real guitar, though I have trouble playing because my fingers are genetically bad =/

Not just your fingers, your brain might have the same genetical problem.

[ILuvPillows?]

And COD4 stops people from picking up a real gun and learning how to use it...oh wait.

Stupid statement. Guitar hero is a game, guitar is guitar. You choose which one (or both) you want to spend time on.

[Ninjamonkey767]

"When people play Rock Band, however, they very quickly get a glimpse of the rewards that lie on the other side of the wall.

...and so they never end up working towards that goal, because they already have it. I think Wyman hit the nail on the head, imo.

[Casterillo]

they're just jealous they dont have their own games

[Ninjamonkey767]

ILuvPillows? wrote:

And COD4 stops people from picking up a real gun and learning how to use it...oh wait.

Stupid statement. Guitar hero is a game, guitar is guitar. You choose which one (or both) you want to spend time on.

That's fine by me, but I just think that this whole idea about guitar hero introducing people to guitar is bull.

[ZarDac]

Ya know, I have talked to many people who own or work at guitar shops and they say that these games have actually increased their guitar sales. I think these old geezers just need to stop jumping on the bash guitar hero wagon. All these dudes are saying the same thing.

[Dolan92]

I had a very small music taste and was on the verge of giving up on guitar altogether. Played guitar hero 2 a lot, found lots of new music. from then on I've always found at least one band form the games I've played (guitar hero 2/3 rock band 1/2)
rock band drums also inspired me to start playing drums, going okay

in other words, I have good experiences with guitar hero

[deft1]

in one of the games they had a message that said " hey you, try picking up a real instrument" or something like that I personalyy did and im sure many others did as well. these games were time consuming but i think that it was a great thing to be introduced to kids and gamers alike

[OutrightChamp]

I agree with most of what he's saying, but Guitar Hero was actually something that encouraged me to buy my first real guitar and learn it. I loved the feeling of playing songs that I hear on the radio and when I learned to play them on an actual guitar I felt even better.

[Powerpro]

I would tend to agree with Mason/Wyman,
and the retort by the Harmonix guy is a poor theory.

[Dr Dynamyte]

Big musicians should stop complaining about these games. Sure, you'll always have the downsides with the kids thinking they play real guitar because they play the video game, but there is downsides to everything in life. I actually started playing my guitar a bit more after playing these games, it reminded me how much fun and satisfying it was to finish a song.

[xxunder-takerxx]

its true kids spend WAAAAAY too much time with these games (i love em myself, but enough is enough.) however, some of the games introduced me to new songs and bands iv never heard of or listened to, AND it DID encourage me to play guitar.

people are against these games are elitist fat head jerk offs, but these games have gotten a bit out of hand. it goes both ways, but same goes for everything.

[slashrock94]

There are so many people that are inspired to start learning because of GH, I totally disagree with what Nick and Bill said. I play Guitar Hero a little bit, and I must say, it is actually harder than guitar (at least expert is anyway). Some people will play GH for instant success, but they would never have been real instrument candidates anyway. Some choose to play both, I think it's quite good really.

[JDizzle787]

I love guitar, and anything associated with it.

I played and was pretty good, at Guitar Hero.

Does not equate with these theories/ complaints. I rarely play Guitar Hero now... still, does not equate

[MrBenjangles18]

Yeah, the first GH game i got was GH3 and i played it waaaaay too much. honestly, it did make me want to learn guitar. here i am a year later, and i never play GH anymore, i only play real guitar :P

[Riffrocker83]

I think Guitar Hero and Rock Band games are actually a good thing. Especially now in a generation dominated by hip-hop and bad rock music, it A) exposes younger people to different music from different genres and eras, B) may inspire them to try learning an instrument; where they might not have been inclined to do so before playing those video games.

[sashki]

I think it was statistically proven that Guitar Hero games encourage kids to learn to play a real instrument. The thing is, it takes less time to beat the game than to learn all the same songs for real, so I guess the lack of "instant gratification" will make them impatient and they'll quit guitaring.

It's a perfectly valid source of inspiration, though. Tony Hawks Pro Skater always had great music, and that, to an extent, contributed to me wanting to play the guitar.

[Project Pat]

Dude I like both games, and they actually helped me with fingering and moving up and down on the fretboard a little bit, not to mention that they inspire me to play songs I probably otherwise would've never heard. It bothers me to see that bashing GH and RB seem to be the popular thing to do by musicians now. I play guitar and I play guitar hero, the two work together for me.

[sav46e]

what a load of rubbish. If anything it encourages people to get into guitars Id say

[TheBigProjekt]

One's a game.

Another's a life.

Games < life.

Life = Win

Guitar = win?

Math is good :P

[MaidenandEddy]

Irish Dman wrote:

thats really rich coming from nick mason considering pink floyd had to get a session drummer for the wall!!

Mason did it all...and they only used a session drummer in the stage show who wore a mask that resembled his face...

Anyway, agreed with the above - i didnt start playing the guitar till i was 16, and part of that was due to playing guitar. you hear the songs and you wanna learn them for real.

[KPWoCkAxX]

Everytime a new Guitar Hero or Rock Band games comes out a different band member complains about it. Face it. They're not going to stop making games because a small number of people think it's a bad thing. It's a game, get over it people.

[MusicMan24]

That's bullshit, Guitar Hero made me WANT to play guitar

[the enigma 1]

CroMag523 wrote:

what guitar is nick mason holding in that picture?

It's an SG. I think it's just got a different colour scheme to most SG's.

[Sober_god]

First time i hear some sense about this game.

[Illiad86]

hehe yes it is...

But these guys have my exact feelings about these games, I'm glad I'm not the only one lol.

It's funny, my aunt really thinks from my cousin playing Guitar Hero, he can play a real guitar lol. But knowing him, he would give up. If it's not a video game, he won't do it.

[con job]

Not more of this crap. NOBODY is stupid enough to honestly believe that their talents on GH are equivalent to the talents of a real guitar player. It encourages picking up the guitar, not the opposite. I played guitar long before I ever touched GH, but it definitely would have encouraged me to play for real if it had been the other way around.

[limpidgreen345]

There's an episode of South Park that addresses this rather well I think...

I know plenty of kids who like playing Guitar Hero but they couldn't care less about real guitar. I tend to side with these guys on this issue. You can start playing Guitar Hero and in minutes have throngs of screaming fans and a meter telling you that you're spectacular, or you can start playing real guitar and work your ass off your whole life at it and not be as good as the guy you just played circles around with a controller. I guess it's just a matter of what one finds more gratifying.

On the other hand, it is true that video games can open up real-world interests. One of the things that helped get me interested in baseball was playing baseball games on my PS2... so there's two sides to everything, I guess.

[guarana]

Well, I'd say as long as you understand you're not doing anything moderately successful or productive, it can be a fun game. But I didn't learn a single technique, nor did it help even the slightest bit with my actual guitar playing. On the bright side, I heard a bunch of bands when the first two came out. then ended up leading me to what I listen to know, including Alice In Chains, Rage Against The Machine, and Pantera.

[limpidgreen345]

Of course most of the posters here are a few years younger than me so I may just have missed the Guitar Hero boat.

[tom-the-lawn]

Ninjamonkey767 wrote:

ILuvPillows? wrote:

And COD4 stops people from picking up a real gun and learning how to use it...oh wait.

Stupid statement. Guitar hero is a game, guitar is guitar. You choose which one (or both) you want to spend time on.

That's fine by me, but I just think that this whole idea about guitar hero introducing people to guitar is bull.

When people say Guitar Hero introduces people to guitar it doesn't mean that every single person who plays the game is going to start playing guitar.. it means that some of the people might give it a try. Although it probably would only be with people who had a slight interest to begin with anyway it just means GH could contribute to it. I don't see any reason why that would be bull.
I'm sick of these games and don't play them anymore but they're not the ****ing end of the world like some people seem to think they are, they're just games. Deal with it.

[blacktoothdude]

The guys sure have good points but I think that despite the success of these games there are enough kids who will grab real instruments

[Razgriz_101]

i agree with Harmonix on this one, RB's made by musicians in effect they just have as good an opinion as those of high calibur rock stars in the vein of technical knowledge.

A few people i know actually went on and learned instruments after RB for example my mate now plays drums so in relation to the statement the game shows a positive effect.

Just because big names say otherwise doesnt mean its always correct theres a good load of artists out there who have encouraged rock band for turning people on to music they otherwise wouldnt listen to.

Theres two sides to the coin theres the people who end up seeing it as encouragement to move to playing an actual instrument or those who use their time 100% a song...both are just used as literal badges of honour in a sense.

[Kinseh]

scithe37 wrote:

"When people play Rock Band, however, they very quickly get a glimpse of the rewards that lie on the other side of the wall.
I guess this part makes sense, I just hate how some kids think guitar hero is harder than guitar. Thats my big problem with this game.

I find it is harder than real guitar. When I play my actual guitar, you can play notes, not exactly dead on and still have it sound good, and, to play higher/lower notes and chords you have to move up/down the fretboard or strings and that gives you a sense of scale. With GH and Rock Band there are only 5 buttons so that sense of scale isn't there. That's how I feel anyway

[pandaXcore88]

YEAH. AND DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION MADE ME THINK I COULD BE ON AMERICA'S BEST DANCE CREW. i wish people would just shut up about this. it's ridiculous. The rolling stones and floyd WOULD attack that terrible game. old washed up dudes with something to prove against 10 year olds. if we're going to blame anyone for putting musicians in reverse it should be weak bands like three days grace, trapt, and possibly zakk wylde for getting every high school freshmen stuck on pinch harmonics.

[Gexzilla]

Well I know at least one person who started playing real guitar after guitar hero. Me.

[Eidred]

All of you, stop hopping on the bandwagon of defending GH. I know many of you are doing just that.

They have some merit in what they are saying. To say it doesn't take time away from someone's ability to learn a real instrument is ridiculous. If they're playing GH, obviously it is TAKING TIME AWAY, because they're not on that guitar. Now, saying it does this to ALL kids is wrong, but if you can't see that many people do get so wrapped up in this game that they don't take time to learn their real instrument, then you're all ****ing stupid and need a lesson in critical thinking.

[Eidred]

Like, I see people going "I five starred (insert song name here)" I'm like "great, you spent a week doing that on a plastic controller. I learned the song on my real guitar in two days, and it's far more impressive than holding some Fisher Price toy and staring at a screen all day"

[limpidgreen345]

Eidred wrote:

Like, I see people going "I five starred (insert song name here)" I'm like "great, you spent a week doing that on a plastic controller. I learned the song on my real guitar in two days, and it's far more impressive than holding some Fisher Price toy and staring at a screen all day"

From an interview here a couple weeks ago with Tom Morello:

Talk about your appearance on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Does it become a transformation from guitar player to icon?

That game has changed my life in some very odd and unexpected ways. What seemed like just an offhanded decision on a Wednesday afternoon to be in that video game – I didn’t know that it would go on to be the highest-grossing video game in the history of video games. The demographic of people who are aware of me, at least as a cartoon character, has gone to like five years old. It’s pretty crazy. Every day on the street I have people coming up me and going, “Dude, I kicked your ass at Guitar Hero!” I’m like, “Yes, it’s a video game. You should get out more.”

[Eidred]

"When people play Rock Band, however, they very quickly get a glimpse of the rewards that lie on the other side of the wall."

This is also the WRONG attitude to instill in young musicians. It isn't about rewards. Play your instrument because you love to play and it is something you will never truly master, not because you'll get a fat lump of cash out of it.

[Quaker Oats]

You know what else takes time away from learning instruments? Sleeping, eating, school, work.

I myself got a guitar because of Guitar Hero. And no, I never considered getting one before Guitar Hero, so it is entirely because of the game. Guitar Hero also introduced me to a lot of music. I think these old musicians are being kinda stupid by thinking guitar hero makes people less likely to play real instruments when it is often the other way around (as it was for me and 2 of my friends).

[Eidred]

limpidgreen345 wrote:

Eidred wrote:

Like, I see people going "I five starred (insert song name here)" I'm like "great, you spent a week doing that on a plastic controller. I learned the song on my real guitar in two days, and it's far more impressive than holding some Fisher Price toy and staring at a screen all day"

From an interview here a couple weeks ago with Tom Morello:

Talk about your appearance on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Does it become a transformation from guitar player to icon?

That game has changed my life in some very odd and unexpected ways. What seemed like just an offhanded decision on a Wednesday afternoon to be in that video game – I didn’t know that it would go on to be the highest-grossing video game in the history of video games. The demographic of people who are aware of me, at least as a cartoon character, has gone to like five years old. It’s pretty crazy. Every day on the street I have people coming up me and going, “Dude, I kicked your ass at Guitar Hero!” I’m like, “Yes, it’s a video game. You should get out more.”

Lol exactly. It's just some stupid game. I stopped finding it impressive after I realised just how much time people spend practicing their plastic controller. Playing Dragonforce songs on very slow in the practice mode for hours a day is a waste of time...

[Eidred]

Quaker Oats wrote:

You know what else takes time away from learning instruments? Sleeping, eating, school, work.

I myself got a guitar because of Guitar Hero. And no, I never considered getting one before Guitar Hero, so it is entirely because of the game. Guitar Hero also introduced me to a lot of music. I think these old musicians are being kinda stupid by thinking guitar hero makes people less likely to play real instruments when it is often the other way around (as it was for me and 2 of my friends).

School, eating, work, etc is all essential to your life though xD. Now, when you come home and decide to play GH, you COULD be learning a real instrument instead. So, in essence, the game does call you away from the real thing to go live in some fantasy world where playing guitar consists of five buttons.

[tommyt]

I really don't see their point here

"if they spent as much time practising the guitar as learning how to press the buttons they'd be damn good by now"

What if they have no interest in playing a real instrument, but enjoy playing the game?

I know plenty of people who love music but lack the dedication to actually practice an instrument ... Guitar hero is a game, like any other you can pick it up and play it straight away

Real guitar doesn't work like that ...

Learning to play an instrument is down to the person in question, not a game.

[Eidred]

tommyt wrote:

I really don't see their point here

"if they spent as much time practising the guitar as learning how to press the buttons they'd be damn good by now"

What if they have no interest in playing a real instrument, but enjoy playing the game?

I know plenty of people who love music but lack the dedication to actually practice an instrument ... Guitar hero is a game, like any other you can pick it up and play it straight away

Real guitar doesn't work like that ...

Learning to play an instrument is down to the person in question, not a game.

I believe he meant those that HAVE real instruments but decide to take GH over playing them. Not those that don't have one and don't care to get one.

[GREENWARRI0R]

I'm not really keen on that kind of stuff

Then really, why does he have any say in the matter?

The games are fun, open people to music, including myself, and the the very first guitar hero, when it came out, encouraged me to pick up my guitar again. If it keeps kids from picking up a real guitar then, really, that just shows they have no interest in music and just enjoy playing a game. And it's not like GH and RB are too hard to pick up. You people talk like you have to spend endless months playing to get good at it.

Also, ever have Rock Band at a party and getting your friends to play it? Loads of fun. Stop being such elitists and realize these are just GAMES and only that. Anyone who thinks of them otherwise is to blame and not the game itself.

Anyway, I cannot frikkin wait for Beatles Rock Band.

[wouldyakindly]

There are two levels of guitar hero:
1-Casual players, who enjoy it as part of a drunken karaoke time with friends (my signature singing song is ace of spades XD).

This lot are pretty harmless and if they play a real instrument, it has no bearing on how much they like the game.

2-Hardcore gamers, who treat it like any other video agme and try and "5 star" every song on expert.

The people in this latter group are the problem, but in fairness if they weren't playing GH they'd probably just be leveling their Shamans on WoW.

Also, I do know a couple of friends who took up real guitar as a result of guitar hero, so the Harmonix dude isn't talking complete nonsense.

[Luke.Zeppelin]

MulletGuy wrote:

That's a ludicrous thing to say from one party involved.

The Rolling Stones have had alot of involvement in many of Guitar Hero and Rock Band's recent releases. That's just idiotic for them to suddenly condemn these brand of games.

Fact is, if kids want to play a real instrument, they will. If they're not quite wanting to pursue a career in the music industry, they'll play a video game that can to some minor degree emulate the sensation.

If these games DO anything, it's introduce younger generations to music they'd never usually listen to. So Rolling Stones, if every fan is important - you'd surely sooner thank these games than condemn them, cause you've benefitted from them.

Jerks.

Bill Wyman is no longer in the rolling stones hes a former member, the current stones line up didnt condemn the game. So I think your the real jerk.

PS. I agree with what wyman and mason are saying

[Eidred]

wouldyakindly wrote:

There are two levels of guitar hero:
1-Casual players, who enjoy it as part of a drunken karaoke time with friends (my signature singing song is ace of spades XD).

This lot are pretty harmless and if they play a real instrument, it has no bearing on how much they like the game.

2-Hardcore gamers, who treat it like any other video agme and try and "5 star" every song on expert.

The people in this latter group are the problem, but in fairness if they weren't playing GH they'd probably just be leveling their Shamans on WoW.

Also, I do know a couple of friends who took up real guitar as a result of guitar hero, so the Harmonix dude isn't talking complete nonsense.

Lol I play WoW, but I still play guitar like crazy. In my opinion, GH puts the wrong idea into people's heads about guitar. They get the idea that it's easy, but so many people take up guitar after playing the game and give a year later.

[xberserkx]

It really all depends on the individual. Some people are going to be interested in learning how to play an instrument, while some would rather put time into playing the game.

[ChucklesMginty]

It's not expanding kids musical tastes because they only ever listen to songs from the game!

[Eidred]

xberserkx wrote:

It really all depends on the individual. Some people are going to be interested in learning how to play an instrument, while some would rather put time into playing the game.

True, but on occasion people get disappointed by a real instrument because it's "too hard" simply because they don't understand it's not like GH.

[Alander]

bill was the bassist...

[Eidred]

ChucklesMginty wrote:

It's not expanding kids musical tastes because they only ever listen to songs from the game!

OH GOD I KNOW! I was playing Day of Defeat and we were talking about drummers, and I said I love Neil Pert from Rush. Five people go "oh Rush is awesome!" and I go "name me a song that wasn't on GH or Rock Band" and they're like "oh well I don't really listen to them, I've only heard YYZ and Tom Sawyer"

Same for GnR "fans", Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and so on. It's sad but true, and if you guys don't notice that, you're sad :P

[Shabalaba]

But wait! Last time I checked it was a video game for pure recreational use. Getting good at guitar takes a long time, years infact with a lot of dedication. The game takes very little time to get good at and is just for a laugh.

You could apply the "You could be learning REAL guitar instead of that shit!!!!!11!" argument to any video game or anything else recreational. If someone chooses to play guitar and get good then good for them, if someone chooses to get good at Call of Duty 4 then good for them. It's a bullshit argument to say you could be learning real guitar in that time, not everyone wants to play guitar.

Anyone who takes the game seriously is as immature and childish as anyone who flames it, these people have too much time on their hands which is why they pick fault with it, I suspect most of you have the same problem.

[GREENWARRI0R]

Alander wrote:

bill was the bassist...

And we all know the bass isn't a guitar, right?

[visiofx]

if you think about it...the actual guitar industry is profiting well nowadays..and GH has got to be one of the primary factors of real guitars selling like doughnuts...cant deny the fact GH has introduced young kids to good rock music...these kids then learn to appreciate the artists so they buy their records..music..shirts..go to their concerts and what not....so everyone kinda benefits in a way...healthy aint it? some old veterans are just uptight technophobics

checked

[Eidred]

Shabalaba wrote:

But wait! Last time I checked it was a video game for pure recreational use. Getting good at guitar takes a long time, years infact with a lot of dedication. The game takes very little time to get good at and is just for a laugh.

You could apply the "You could be learning REAL guitar instead of that shit!!!!!11!" argument to any video game or anything else recreational. If someone chooses to play guitar and get good then good for them, if someone chooses to get good at Call of Duty 4 then good for them. It's a bullshit argument to say you could be learning real guitar in that time, not everyone wants to play guitar.

Anyone who takes the game seriously is as immature and childish as anyone who flames it, these people have too much time on their hands which is why they pick fault with it, I suspect most of you have the same problem.

Here is the thing. Any other game can take time from the guitar, but the point most people I think are trying to make is that those that HAVE A REAL GUITAR often don't get into it because they spend time on the game instead. They don't go and try and compose or learn anything, they'd rather spend a week in practice mode trying to five star some song the kid could learn for real!

[Forderr]

GUITAR HERO F**KS WITH YOUR EYES

On a more serious note, GH is fun but only in groups, it's similar to the Wii it gets boring when you're on your own!

I used to own GH3 but sold it for that very reason!
I think mason wants his kids to follow in his own footsteps when they probably have no interest.
Floyd are awesome though.

[BassFishin]

I agree with the offenders, not defenders, of guitar hero, however:

We need to stop having Guitar Hero news. Or at least comments need to be disabled on them. It's always the same basic arguements:

"I hate when kids think they can play because they play guitar hero"

"It gets some kids interested in real instruments"

"Its a waste of time" etc.

It's always the same thing. I dunno.....

[AEnima18]

Real Guitar FTW.

[98Timberwolf]

I agree with Alex. With the music most kids grow up with today, many might never be inspired to play the guitar. Rock Band and Guitar Hero introduce great rock music to a lot of younger kids. The first two guitar hero games are what got me into the real instrument. Granted, some kids might be lucky enough to grow up with good music, but my guess would be the majority hear mostly pop, and might never be inspired to pick up a guitar. I will say that the kids practicing for hours to play dragonforce on a plastic guitar are taking it WAY to far.

[theotherguy7145]

It encourages people to play guitar, certainly
ALL the people i know who started learning real guitar have quit already.
The games suck compared to the real thing. If people weren't so snooty that "i can play this on expert" then maybe the games wouldn't have such a bad reputation

[Mighty_Meh]

I really see it as ignorant when people say that simulating the experience deters actually striving to become good at an instrument. I got the first Guitar Hero game a few months before starting on the real guitar. I don't play the video games that much any more but spend a few hours on the instrument every day. I started learning to play drums because I found them on Rock Band really fun to play. I spend more time on the real thing now.

The entire broadening musical taste argument is a real one too. It's a little embarassing, but I started getting into metal because Symphony of Destruction and Cowboys From Hell were my favourite songs on the first one.

And if kids spend more time playing the games than the instrument, do they actually deserve to be or have the capacity to be good at the instrument?

[visiofx]

i know some stupid emo people coverting to metal and are digging classic rock like sabbath and acdc....now they despise and are embarrased they went thru that emo stage

[Eidred]

98Timberwolf wrote:

I agree with Alex. With the music most kids grow up with today, many might never be inspired to play the guitar. Rock Band and Guitar Hero introduce great rock music to a lot of younger kids. The first two guitar hero games are what got me into the real instrument. Granted, some kids might be lucky enough to grow up with good music, but my guess would be the majority hear mostly pop, and might never be inspired to pick up a guitar. I will say that the kids practicing for hours to play dragonforce on a plastic guitar are taking it WAY to far.

The thing about kids now days is that they have this mentality that "old music is gay". Seen it myself. I'm only a year and a half graduated out of high school. Those kids may like the game but many of them certainly don't give a shit about the songs themselves. Some of them won't even give a good classic four seconds of their time. They've got their standards and are so set in them they won't change it. That will come with time, but to say a game can change musical opinion doesn't seem to work. I've never noticed a change in musical taste due to GH. Most people that play it already know and love the bands on it.

[Quaker Oats]

Exactly. If the kids are playing guitar hero instead of their real instruments, then they would not make good musicians anyway. I really don't know anyone who thinks it's more impressive or fun or rewarding to play a song on guitar hero on expert than it is to play it on real guitar. I am pretty damn good at guitar hero but people are always more impressed when I play real guitar, and I'm not even that good at guitar.

[zimperial]

I believe in Harmonix's words and there cause. I believe that Rock Band is a good way for kids to really get intimate with their instruments, during their learning experiences or even before them. I had a drum set when I was 10, but I wasn't confident in my ability to play very well. As soon as Rock Band came out 3 years after, I got on it and started doing very well. In only 2 months after I played it once, I had already moved onto expert tier songs and levels of the game, and got back up on the drumset. I played very basic stuff originally, but then I started listening to the RB songs again, as well as harder songs I listen to on my iPod, like Rush, Dream Theater, and Mudvayne. Now I've acquired a band I've played in for 2 years, and am still progressing to create music with them, even while being at college at the other side of the country (studying music).

[Eidred]

zimperial wrote:

I believe in Harmonix's words and there cause. I believe that Rock Band is a good way for kids to really get intimate with their instruments, during their learning experiences or even before them. I had a drum set when I was 10, but I wasn't confident in my ability to play very well. As soon as Rock Band came out 3 years after, I got on it and started doing very well. In only 2 months after I played it once, I had already moved onto expert tier songs and levels of the game, and got back up on the drumset. I played very basic stuff originally, but then I started listening to the RB songs again, as well as harder songs I listen to on my iPod, like Rush, Dream Theater, and Mudvayne. Now I've acquired a band I've played in for 2 years, and am still progressing to create music with them, even while being at college at the other side of the country (studying music).

And now if you get famous when asked how you got your start your truthful answer would have to be "Rock Band"...embarassing IMO.

[98Timberwolf]

Eidred wrote:

98Timberwolf wrote:

I agree with Alex. With the music most kids grow up with today, many might never be inspired to play the guitar. Rock Band and Guitar Hero introduce great rock music to a lot of younger kids. The first two guitar hero games are what got me into the real instrument. Granted, some kids might be lucky enough to grow up with good music, but my guess would be the majority hear mostly pop, and might never be inspired to pick up a guitar. I will say that the kids practicing for hours to play dragonforce on a plastic guitar are taking it WAY to far.

The thing about kids now days is that they have this mentality that "old music is gay". Seen it myself. I'm only a year and a half graduated out of high school. Those kids may like the game but many of them certainly don't give a shit about the songs themselves. Some of them won't even give a good classic four seconds of their time. They've got their standards and are so set in them they won't change it. That will come with time, but to say a game can change musical opinion doesn't seem to work. I've never noticed a change in musical taste due to GH. Most people that play it already know and love the bands on it.

I guess that's a fair argument, though I have witnesed two of my friends switch from listening mostly rap to rock because of rock band. All depends on the person I suppose.

[SamXmas94]

1) they should be happy, they have less new competition. and 2) Guitar Hero inspired kids that liked crap before into rock! and for a bonus cookie for me: 3) Guitar Hero inspired me to pick up a real guitar.

[Eidred]

SamXmas94 wrote:

1) they should be happy, they have less new competition. and 2) Guitar Hero inspired kids that liked crap before into rock! and for a bonus cookie for me: 3) Guitar Hero inspired me to pick up a real guitar.

I should make a list of people who got "inspired" to play a guitar by GH. That way if you get famous if you lie about how you got started playing I can come on and go "NOOOOO he got started on GH!"

[Metal-Nigga]

I dont listen to pink floyd or the rollin stones but i with them. I hate those games. I saw Kerry King talkin about it and he says he likes it( he had his own reason) so i guess it depends on your point of view of the whole thing. But I, myself, think those games suck major monkey nutz

[visiofx]

its just a freakin game...let the gamers play the game..let the musicians make music on their real instruments....we shouldnt be expecting every GH player to become the next hendrix or herman li...then everybody would be so good and real guitar playing and shredding will eventually become common thing and turn into an ordinary tasteless form of art...GH keeps the music alive so that renders all these complaining pointless.

[limpidgreen345]

Just a bit of coincidence, I guess, but one of the main things that inspired ME to want to play guitar was listening to Nick Mason's bandmate...

[Eidred]

limpidgreen345 wrote:

Just a bit of coincidence, I guess, but one of the main things that inspired ME to want to play guitar was listening to Nick Mason's bandmate...

Right on. Being inspired by David Gilmour is excellent. I think real guitarists should inspire people, like they used to. Not these plastic games.

[Eidred]

See that's the problem here...saying GH inspired you to play guitar is just...strange to me. That's like saying Call of Duty inspired you to run off and join the military. There has to be a better reason to want to play guitar than these stupid games

[chay007]

Im a Rock Band fan, it actually lead to me starting to learn to play guitar, but not because i thought i would be good at it because of Rock Band but i discovered so many new music styles, bands and song. Rock Band is not easy to player but it is not like a real guitar in any way however thats not why i am still a fan of Rock Band.

On its your own i agree that rock band is not great but at parties or even just when friends are round its great fun to play and its at these times where you not around people who can play instruments that Rock Band comes into its own. Btw many of you may have noticed i referred to Rock Band rather than Guitar Hero and that is because i feel not only is Rock Band better but Harmonix show more respect to music and the musicians as proved by the way the treated the Beatles compared to Cobains treatment in Guitar Hero

[Quaker Oats]

As a kid growing up today how else are you going to be exposed to real guitarists like David Gilmour if not through Guitar Hero? Certainly not by listening to the radio or watching MTV.

[shizahole]

the thing that annoys me the most about guitar hero and rock band is how it commercialises music. these games create posers. fake music fans. the type of people that when you look at their ipod and see Nirvana, all they have is In Bloom, because its on rock band. people who play these games fall in love with the hits, not with a bands less known, and sometimes better, songs. i think that is the real tragedy here. the thrill in discovering music is rapidly depleting...

[Eidred]

Quaker Oats wrote:

As a kid growing up today how else are you going to be exposed to real guitarists like David Gilmour if not through Guitar Hero? Certainly not by listening to the radio or watching MTV.

The only people I've seen on GH are Slash, Kirk Hammet, Tom Morello, and James Hetfield. Oh and Hendrix. I think that's all of them. And to be honest, these guys aren't the cream of the crop guitar players. They're certainly good but to say those select few people rendered in 3D on a screen can be inspiring is beyond my understanding.

[Molokian]

Eidred wrote:

See that's the problem here...saying GH inspired you to play guitar is just...strange to me. That's like saying Call of Duty inspired you to run off and join the military. There has to be a better reason to want to play guitar than these stupid games

hah, if you could play call of duty with a plastic gun, maybe then. but in fact, i know lots of guys who had inspired from guitar hero. and it even helps you to get started, besause it is easier to co-work to your hands, when you have played with some kind of "guitar" earlyer

[Eidred]

shizahole wrote:

the thing that annoys me the most about guitar hero and rock band is how it commercialises music. these games create posers. fake music fans. the type of people that when you look at their ipod and see Nirvana, all they have is In Bloom, because its on rock band. people who play these games fall in love with the hits, not with a bands less known, and sometimes better, songs. i think that is the real tragedy here. the thrill in discovering music is rapidly depleting...

Lol, right. "I LOVE BLACK SABBATH! PARANOID AND IRON MAN RULE!" Pfff. There are dozens of better songs than that by Sabbath, but the kid wouldn't know that since all he knows are GH songs, which were COVERS at that...terrible covers.

[shadowsoldier08]

these guys are just pissed that kids enjoy something other than their multi platinum records. if anything, rockband/gh inspire kids to play real instruments. how could any sane person state that "oh yea, kids who play games like halo are more drawn to guitars than those who play rock band" it makes no logical sense.

[Kevy Absolution]

shizahole wrote:

the thing that annoys me the most about guitar hero and rock band is how it commercialises music. these games create posers. fake music fans. the type of people that when you look at their ipod and see Nirvana, all they have is In Bloom, because its on rock band. people who play these games fall in love with the hits, not with a bands less known, and sometimes better, songs. i think that is the real tragedy here. the thrill in discovering music is rapidly depleting...

Who the **** are you to determine what real music is or isn't?

[Riffomatic_5000]

I respect these guys but these ol' coots are dead wrong. Guitar Hero actually encouraged me to get better at playing. IT also introduced me to bands that inspired me, such as Pantera, Ozzy Osbourne and so on.

[rebeltildeth87]

shizahole wrote:

the thing that annoys me the most about guitar hero and rock band is how it commercialises music. these games create posers. fake music fans. the type of people that when you look at their ipod and see Nirvana, all they have is In Bloom, because its on rock band. people who play these games fall in love with the hits, not with a bands less known, and sometimes better, songs. i think that is the real tragedy here. the thrill in discovering music is rapidly depleting...

Seriously, how many kids have metallica on their ipod because of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, and 9 times out of 10 its just "One". It cheapens the music and makes it seem so dull. I dont see how a music fan can like it. Songs and bands dont seem as special if everyone likes them. When every 10 year old kid is like "OMG I LOVE CLASSIC ROCK, KISS IS SO AWESOME" and all they know is Detroit Rock City cuz it was on a ****ing video game. Its killing music, not helping.

[limpidgreen345]

Eidred wrote:

Quaker Oats wrote:

As a kid growing up today how else are you going to be exposed to real guitarists like David Gilmour if not through Guitar Hero? Certainly not by listening to the radio or watching MTV.

The only people I've seen on GH are Slash, Kirk Hammet, Tom Morello, and James Hetfield. Oh and Hendrix. I think that's all of them. And to be honest, these guys aren't the cream of the crop guitar players. They're certainly good but to say those select few people rendered in 3D on a screen can be inspiring is beyond my understanding.

One thing that seems to happen is that it cheapens stuff like tone and phrasing in lieu of having you tap buttons faster and faster.

But for me that goes way beyond GH... I definately respect it from a technical standpoint but I take alot of crap from alot of people for thinking things like Malmsteen sounds like when you jam too many keys down on your keyboard and it starts dinging at you

[AngryGoldfish]

You could say that about anything. "If they had spent less time playing Forza Motorsport, they'd be great drivers by now."
"If they had spent less time kicking a football against a wall and more proper practising, they could be brilliant footballers by now."

It's just old folks who think they know the way life works. Period. They certainly know enough to get by, but not everything. They're generalizing.

The thing is, when people play the games, it doesn't mean it's replacing playing guitar. They may never of even started playing, which is what they, and many others, are mistaking.
Yet, the people may be inspired to pick up the instrument because of the game.
They think, because it's the most popular game of all time, it means that all those people would be playing guitar if they weren't playing the game. WRONG.
They'd just be playing a different game. Maybe 10% of those people would be playing guitar. But another 20% have started playing because of the game. Therefore, 10% more have started than if the game wasn't around.

[Dregen]

aebers79 wrote:

actually, guitar hero made me want to learn real guitar. if someone wants to learn something, they will. guitarists are just elitists

+infinity, especially the guitarists being elitists part, even though I am one.

[Nimado]

i can say from personal experience that rock band and guitar hero both encouraged me to pick up an instrument. when i got guitar hero 2 it really motivated me to play real guitar, which i still play. then when i got rock band, i loved playing the drums on the game so much, that i worked over the summer to buy myself a drum kit. i was never interested in drums before i played rock band. i've played the drums for 1 year now and guitar for 2 1/2 and i haven't regretted it yet.

[Dregen]

AngryGoldfish wrote:

You could say that about anything. "If they had spent less time playing Forza Motorsport, they'd be great drivers by now."
"If they had spent less time kicking a football against a wall and more proper practising, they could be brilliant footballers by now."

It's just old folks who think they know the way life works. Period. They certainly know enough to get by, but not everything. They're generalizing.

The thing is, when people play the games, it doesn't mean it's replacing playing guitar. They may never of even started playing, which is what they, and many others, are mistaking.
Yet, the people may be inspired to pick up the instrument because of the game.
They think, because it's the most popular game of all time, it means that all those people would be playing guitar if they weren't playing the game. WRONG.
They'd just be playing a different game. Maybe 10% of those people would be playing guitar. But another 20% have started playing because of the game. Therefore, 10% more have started than if the game wasn't around.

Another great post. Some people just don't give two shits and don't really care, it's just fun to do.

[K3VN]

If it wasn't for GH I would've never got a good taste of music or ever picked up a guitar. After playing GH3 I discovered a lot of great "oldies". I also felt more inspired to play the guitar. Now I'm able to play songs from GH on the real guitar, sometimes even better than in the game.

[JPScralatchtica]

That's ridiculous! It may be true for some people because there's always exceptions, but it's just a game. I don't think that either game will truly influence a person on whether or not they are going to play a real instrument. If they do end up playing because of the game, awesome and if they don't, who cares...I really wish people would stop bitching about these games; they are fun! Go spend your time practicing since that's "what we should be doing"...not bitching about the games; I personally feel that is worse than playing them.

[limpidgreen345]

Practically all of the music I listen to was published twenty years before I was born, and I've never played GH and just started playing real guitar in April.

[rockinrunner90]

the thing i hate about these games is that people that play them think they are some kind of instant expert on the music featured played in the game. when they have no real knowledge of the music.
also, i had a mother bring in her son who was prob 13 years old, and she was going to buy him the best guitar and equipment because he was so good at guitar hero, she thought he was going to get himself and her out of the trailer park. i tried to tell her it wasn;t the same, but she persisted and spent over $1000 on a guitar, amp and other equipment. she was back to return in within the week.

[DroogieSteve]

I don't really think this has anything to do with guitar hero personally, it's just another case of the older generation complaining about video games.

[vinnie-watt5]

K3VN....I respsect you getting into guitar hero but that video game ruins songs somehow.

I just can't listen to bull on parade the right way anymore. I think Tom Morello regrets working with that video game because of the stupid
"hey tom I kicked your ass on guitar hero"

[Tostitos]

Anyone else of the opinion that these games are just great party games and shouldn't be put under all this scrutiny? Its fun for a short time with a bunch of people, and if kids want to waste hours and hours on them, then that's their life that they're wasting.

[Phil Collins]

Who knows, maybe these plastic 5 button pieces of crap and today's overstimulated ADD generation will replace guitarists with guitars made out of wood and metal..just saying...

[Phantasmasaurus]

rebeltildeth87 wrote:

shizahole wrote:

the thing that annoys me the most about guitar hero and rock band is how it commercialises music. these games create posers. fake music fans. the type of people that when you look at their ipod and see Nirvana, all they have is In Bloom, because its on rock band. people who play these games fall in love with the hits, not with a bands less known, and sometimes better, songs. i think that is the real tragedy here. the thrill in discovering music is rapidly depleting...

Seriously, how many kids have metallica on their ipod because of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, and 9 times out of 10 its just "One". It cheapens the music and makes it seem so dull. I dont see how a music fan can like it. Songs and bands dont seem as special if everyone likes them. When every 10 year old kid is like "OMG I LOVE CLASSIC ROCK, KISS IS SO AWESOME" and all they know is Detroit Rock City cuz it was on a ****ing video game. Its killing music, not helping.

i'm sorry, but that is just retarded. first of all, music, as some kind of inherently magically sacred collective, does not belong to you or anyone else, and you do not have the right to force other people to not listen to it, just so that you can maintain whatever arbitrary ideas about the music not being "tainted" just because a few posers listen to it. second, what you're talking about(people listening to just one song from a band) is what people do in general, because they are lazy and unfortunately most people don't go very far out of their way to find new music, the problem is the mainstream, the problem is the culture that dumbs everyone down and keeps them passive with the cheapest fix. the problem is not guitar hero or any video games.

[Phantasmasaurus]

rockinrunner90 wrote:

the thing i hate about these games is that people that play them think they are some kind of instant expert on the music featured played in the game. when they have no real knowledge of the music.
also, i had a mother bring in her son who was prob 13 years old, and she was going to buy him the best guitar and equipment because he was so good at guitar hero, she thought he was going to get himself and her out of the trailer park. i tried to tell her it wasn;t the same, but she persisted and spent over $1000 on a guitar, amp and other equipment. she was back to return in within the week.

the people you are talking about don't sound very intelligent. i have never met anyone who thought being good at guitar hero was the same thing as being good at a real guitar, and i have met a lot of people who play guitar hero and rock band, including my 13 year old brother. if people can't tell the difference between a video game and playing an instrument, the problem is that they are stupid, the problem is not the video games, and taking away the video games doesn't solve the problem.

[necrosis1193]

I love The Stones and Pink Floyd, I can listen to both for hours on end happily, but both of these men have shown tremendous idiocy; I work in a music shop, half the kids I sell guitars to say they're picking it up because of Guitar Hero or Rock Band. The other half say that's why they picked it up a year or two ago when picking up a new set of strings. There are some(Like myself) who picked it up pre-Guitar Hero or without playing Guitar Hero, but if anything I've only seen the opposite of what these men say.

And for the people who are complaining about it giving kids "instant gratification without hard work", first, there's little else that'll make them want to pick it up. Like it or not this generation is fickle, most of us need instant gratification to stay interested.

Finally, it's a goddamn game. It's not meant to replace real guitar, and just like it's only a small-and-loud-about-it 18% that make up the "Stupid American" stereotype, it's a huge minority who think the game makes them real guitarists, and even then they're dumb enough they'd smash the guitar against the wall trying to figure out how to tune it so they're not going to pick up a real guitar regardless. Let some people have fun with it, ignore the idiots as always and stop taking that one episode of South Park so seriously.

[handbanana78]

Is nice to know some people are on "our side" of this argument....but eh i stop caring a while ago, let the kids do what they want, i dont care any more

[Phantasmasaurus]

i hate to admit it, but nearly anytime any of these older, more conservative thinking musicians open their mouths, i lose a bit of respect for them. really, how hard is it to figure out that rock band and guitar hero are not trying to pass themselves off as being real guitar? they are video games, you play them for fun. chances are, these guys have some things that they do for fun, that they could be doing instead of playing their instruments, so who are they to talk about how the video games take away from music? seems pretty moralistic/self-righteous/arbitrary/douchey to me. guitar hero is not some kind of "placebo" for real guitar. it's something in a completely different field. it's so sad that just by mixing music and video games, we've caused THIS much confusion. if you're not responsible enough to figure these things out, you shouldn't be allowed to have control of a guitar hero guitar OR a real one, you shouldn't even be allowed to think.

[hippie_guy]

Well... When i finished gh3 i suddenly felt an urge to learn those songs on my guitar. And i did. Complete with solos. And now, when i get bored of playing and jamming with my friends, i try to beat them on ghwt, and i fail ). I'm thinking of buying a set of drums and starting a classic rock / thrash metal oriented band. I'd like to be the lead guitarist, but it seems i'd be the best drummer:| So, yes, guitar hero helps, but it's a dead end.
(Posted from my cellphone, thx4reading)

[Chaingarden]

You guys are all musicians. Of course you love playing real instruments. It's your deal. Not really the case with lots of other people.

It drives me crazy when people say "if you spent that much time learning real guitar, blah, blah, blah." I know people who can five-star songs on Guitar Hero after playing avidly for a few weeks. If you can show me someone who has never played guitar in their life, and have them playing a song like Cowboys From Hell flawlessly after a few weeks, I'll gladly eat my words.

In reality, if you want to play songs like that all you have to do is buy a guitar and amp and accessories (We're talking 250 bucks, minimum, and that's for the shittiest rig available) put forth the several years of dedicated practice to be able to do the songs justice, likely shell out more money along the way for different sounds for different songs, not to mention the accessories that are essential (picks, strings, repairs, etc.), find a few other musicians that have put in similar time, effort and money, hope they are good enough to play the songs, and then you have a chance at making a half-faithful recreation of whatever song you like. Not really an attractive prospect to someone who just wants to rock out for an hour or two with their friends.

It makes me so bummed to see these guys in these bands I like, really downplaying what it takes to make real music. As though it makes no sense why someone would play a game when it's clearly just as easy and rewarding to play real instruments. And what a way to exclude your fans who like playing along to your music, but just aren't that talented, musically.

And people who are saying "it's turning people into posers," but at the same time saying "it's stifling music discovery," kindly shut your ****ing mouths. If it weren't for Rock Band, these people that like these few songs from a handful of cool bands would otherwise be listening to Young Jeezy or Lil Wayne. And what better way to stifle music discovery than to vilify people for liking the popular songs of the bands you think they should like. I cannot stand that ****ing mentality...

"Why don't you like the music I do?"
"Oh well, you don't like the legit songs I like, so you're a poser."

[BGrem261]

i hate people who play cooking mama and think they are a legit cook... sheesh learn the real way to do it!

[.Joker.]

I played guitar before guitar hero and i play guitar still. Although after plyaing drums on guitar hero, i really want to buy a kit lol.
Although in GH5 they added Sympathy for the Devil and after playing that on drums, I never want to listen the band again...my god thats boring.

[koalla99]

guitar hero is intended as a relaxing hobby. the same as a non proffesional sport or a standard video game. the gratification involved is purely a completionist type achievement. when you win at a soccer game and all you get is a pat on the back, is that not a waste of time? no of course not. when you have fun playing any video game, its not a waste of time as long as you recieve some form of compensation that could come in ANY form. with guitar hero, you are given a challenge, involving coloured buttons pressed on beat to a tune. these buttons could be on a controller or a guitar shaped plastic toy. simply put, the game itself is for fun. the simulation gives the impression of what it could be like if you were playing a real guitar. people who play the game have in no way actually experienced anything close to a real guitar. if you pick up the game and start playing, its possible to get to an expert level in around a month or two. even playing a real guitar almost all day. it would take several years to play those same songs at an expert level. the amount of time to achieve "expert" status on both a real guitar and the game are so different that the game cannot possibibly be harder. people who play both, may find the game harder than the real thing. that is just because they have put in the time already to play a real guitar, and the game, not being remotly close to a real guitar, is like relearning a new instrument only this time its a looooot easier.
its for fun. has no disadvantage other than creating pompus pricks, and may infact cause some fence sitters to pick up the real thing.
lmao people chill everything is gonna be okay

[redwolf206]

Psh, they're just jealous. I bet they failed that Nirvana song on easy and just gave up.

[Cafas]

Basically what we have here is ignorance from a few people in established positions, and then more ignorance from the people who treat them like gods. It's a ****ing video game. And for the record, I know a lot of people who wouldn't have bothered with the genre or the instrument at all if it weren't for Guitar Hero. People need to lighten up, big time.

[Cafas]

Also, the kind of 'posers' people describe are nothing new at all. You guys are just too young to know the difference, apparently. And that's pretty funny, since you're in the same boat as the people you bash. There will always be fairweather music fans who just like the hits. That's nothing new, and it's not a result of playing a video game.

[Zeoilvia]

I never thought I had what it took to be a guitarist. Then I played Guitar Hero for some months, and after that I believed in myself and started playing realtar. They're just too old to know what they're talking about.

[M1K3A]

Guitar hero made me pick up the guitar.

different for everyone i guess

[CTangent]

Bullshit, I play guitar today because of Guitar Hero 2.

[HGF]

of course Mr. Rigopulas has to say something good about the product he's selling, so... he could fired the other way!

[Cafas]

of course Mr. Rigopulas has to say something good about the product he's selling, so... he could fired the other way!

What does this even mean? He was reached for a comment, and he gave one. "Of course".

[axez_steve_jam]

I think its true; kids become lazy and prefer to play rock band or GH, it's much easier. But on the other hand, the games show'em some new music they've never heard. It's all a matter of beliefs.

[somedude01]

Irish Dman wrote:

thats really rich coming from nick mason considering pink floyd had to get a session drummer for the wall!!

And that session drummer could actually play the drums.

How is this relevant?

[Cafas]

I don't understand what's 'lazy' about playing Rock Band over a real guitar if you have no desire at all to learn how to play an instrument. This argument is honestly like slamming your head into a brick wall.

[Froggy McHop]

'It irritates me having watched my kids do it - if they spent as much time practising the guitar as learning how to press the buttons they'd be damn good by now.'

So what? If they spent as much time practicing card tricks they'd be damned good. There seems to be an assumption that playing an instrument is a more worthwhile endeavour than videogames, but actually they're different paths to the same thing; to have fun.

[Cafas]

Bottom line is Guitar Hero/Rock Band are nothing more than DDR with guitars and more aggressive forms of music. They're RHYTHM games. If you're going to bitch about a rhythm game destroying the integrity of rock (a ok for Led Zeppelin to lend their music to car commercials though), you have to be mentally challenged. That sounds like hyperbole, but I don't think there's any other explanation.

[J@MI3]

i disagree, guitar hero was the reason i got into guitar and made me want to pick up an axe and learn how to play the best i could

[Taste_My_Scythe]

I'm sorry but if a kid is inspired to learn a real instrument, like i myself have been, through guitar hero or rock band and they get progressively good at it, or at the very least, interested in it, how is that a bad thing? I really don't see how "It makes less and less people dedicated to really get down and learn an instrument." If Anything, these games inspire younger kids to learn a real intrument! these games show "What's at the other end of the rainbow" if they get good at the instrument they've been inspired to play!

[Black Ox]

I guess it could work both ways.

[scarfacesuit]

They just want attention because they're dinosaurs and can't get it through music anymore.

It's a shame such artists of the past would stoop to such a low degree to make a ridiculously absurd point that has already been addressed tenfold.

[joshmetalmaniac]

i dunno about this, my frend plays guitar hero NONSTOP, and i think that after playing it, he thought guitar would be a walk in the park. thats the only thing i hate about this game
PS - Y are there DRUMS in GUITAR hero?????

[thefullpython]

"2-Hardcore gamers, who treat it like any other video game and try and "5 star" every song on expert."
Why are these people the problem? If anything, these are the more educated people who have an understanding and respect for actual musicians who have to work their asses off to play real music. Anybody I've ever talked to who is an above average music game player agrees that it's a hell of a lot harder to play a real instrument than guitar hero. The casual players, however seem to be more impressed by button pushing than actual musical talent.

[courtkid1012]

Rock Band and GH are good for AFTER you've begun learning and instrument and got got pretty good. It might open up some more music for you (if you're not into much music, I bet most of UG already knows the songs on GH/RB), but it also develops finger skills. I noticed that I was better with pulloffs a little after guitar hero 2. It did help a little, but not as much as actually playing. Then there's kids who play too much which is horrible. I don't think GH/RB help the instruments, just get more stupid kids to buy music they don't know and support the artists putting their songs out.

[TisPyon]

Eidred wrote:

limpidgreen345 wrote:

Just a bit of coincidence, I guess, but one of the main things that inspired ME to want to play guitar was listening to Nick Mason's bandmate...

Right on. Being inspired by David Gilmour is excellent. I think real guitarists should inspire people, like they used to. Not these plastic games.

"real" guitarists wrote the songs being featured on the guitar hero and rock band games...im not seeing the logic in your argument if they are inspired by songs from those games then are they not being inspired by "real" guitarists?

personally i know a lot of guys who have picked up the guitar thanks to the games in fact one of my students was inspired to start because of guitar hero....

seriously you elitists need to chill out and realize its just a game.... i mean im pretty good at madden, do i think i could be a hall of fame football player? no.

[avengedchicken]

the games are no worse than any other game...if people want to vegetate in front of a screen for hours on end then by all means let them.

less competition haha

[afortuneinlies]

ILuvPillows? wrote:

And COD4 stops people from picking up a real gun and learning how to use it...oh wait.

Stupid statement. Guitar hero is a game, guitar is guitar. You choose which one (or both) you want to spend time on.

so true. COD4 stops me from playing guitar more than guitar hero, lol.

[Its So Easy]

I'm sick of all this game crap. THere will always be 2 sides to everything so get over it.

Furthermore COD4 is so fake and dumb you couldn't learn anything from playing that game. Playing military simulators like ArmA 2 and Virtual Battlespace 2 keep me from ever wanting to be involved in warfare, (even I would if America needed me). Sure its fun, but when you think about other people trying to kill you, well it sways your opion just a little bit.

[1sheldon]

yeah the reason i play guitar is because of Guitar hero2

[Carvin-on-Bass]

if they stop producing slash and df fanboys and children who think they know more about guitar than actuall guitarists then i'll be fine. i think playing gh1 back in the day made me want to practice more tbh

[GoldenBlues]

Wyman, The Rolling Stones' guitarist

BASS guitarist. Anyway I liked the first 3 guitar hero games, but the most recent one sucked balls. The inclusion of drums and a microphone make it too expensive and the set list suffered for it.

[FearOfTheDuck]

Guitar Hero is fun when you have some people over and want to get drunk and play some good metal songs and have a sing a long.

I disagree with the people who sit at home for hours trying to beat the game on expert and all that.
I'll admit i owned the 2 first guitar heros because it looked fun, but after that i couldnt be arsed and realised that i was playing more guitar hero than my actual guitar. Oh, and its a plastic guitar with buttons...

I have completely given up video games because to me now, they are pretty sad. Why pretend when you can do the real thing? I have friends who play Xbox and world of warcraft, some arent getting any better at their instruments because of games, and some have given up because of games!!!

[zvxqykhg]

Ninjamonkey767 wrote:

ILuvPillows? wrote:

And COD4 stops people from picking up a real gun and learning how to use it...oh wait.

Stupid statement. Guitar hero is a game, guitar is guitar. You choose which one (or both) you want to spend time on.

That's fine by me, but I just think that this whole idea about guitar hero introducing people to guitar is bull.

Wow that is completely wrong. I know at least 4 people including myself who have picked up a real instrument because of Guitar Hero. I got my first guitar 3 years ago, played it for a week and gave up when i didn't make any progress. A year later I got Guitar Hero, and started to play that instead. After a while i got good enough to play on expert. When that happened i thought "Well maybe I can be good enough to play real guitar." I wasn't, but I can safely say that Guitar Hero is the reason I play real guitar today.

[Kylianvb]

ILuvPillows? wrote:

And COD4 stops people from picking up a real gun and learning how to use it...oh wait.

Stupid statement. Guitar hero is a game, guitar is guitar. You choose which one (or both) you want to spend time on.

Thank you. First, I started playing Guitar Hero. I started to get way more into music, and started to get interested in the real thing. I probably would've picked up the guitar some time anyways, but Guitar Hero did give me a certain push. Yeah, people can take it the wrong way and go "OLOL YOU CANT PLAY TTFAF ON REAL GUITAR, U MUST SUCKZOR11!11!!!!!1!!", but people can also take it for what it is, a game.

[leftyace]

Personally, GH neither introduced me to new music or made me want to play guitar. I found these things by not standing in front of a television for hours. So I guess I win the most of all?

[zimzaderk]

my brothers and i love guitar hero and rock band i was playing guitar before it first came out but my brothers never wanted to play any instruments, but now that we play these games my younger brother plays the drums wich he learned by playing rock band and my other brother now plays the cello base and guitar. but on the other hand my best friend who is the best guitar hero player ive ever seen and he doesnt want to take the time to play a real guitar because he can rip on a fake so over all it inspires or it doesn't wich is the same as someone wanting to play or not by listening to music so tah duh its just another way to expierience music.

[Metallica708]

Wow, what total idiots. People don't play Guitar Hero/Rock Band to become real rock stars. What if they just want to have fun, not practice at something that in reality has very few rewards other than itself? Not many people are truly cut out to learn an instrument, and if a person wants to play a video game instead, I'm perfectly fine with that.

[qotsa1998]

All this criticism is getting ridiculous. If someone wants to devote lots of time and lots of money to play in a band that has a rather narrow chance of becoming famous, let them. But if someone wants to pay a few hundred dollars to play along to a song with their friends and just have some fun, it shouldnt be a big deal. Its just a video game, for crying out loud. It's almost like Terrell Owens condemning the Madden franchise because it makes kids spend more time playing living room quarterback than actual quarterback. It's just stupid to say IMO.

checked again

[Jhachey22]

72-year-old Wyman, The Rolling Stones' guitarist from 1962 to 1992

am i the only one who notices that?

[Oosh.]

I do agree with what he is saying, but thats only with maybe the majority (Or minority). I know this kid who started playing guitar because of guitar hero, now he dropped the guitar and is now learning drums because of guitar hero.

[Metal Onslaught]

I'll leave it at this: they are just stating their own opinions, and their comments are actually baseless. I'm sure that if someone did a study, it would show that many of the kids who play these games either already play an instrument, or decide to actually try learning to play a real one.
If we are going to accept the arguments of these two geezers, then we could also say that listening to other peoples music discourages kids from learning to make music, because someone else is doing it for them.
Final note: playing drums on rock band can actually aid you in learning a simple drum beat, which IS learning to play an instrument (contrary to what they claim). I learned to hold a simple beat, and a few roll tricks by just toying around with the drums. So I think it stand to reason that these old farts don't know what they are talking about.

[Angusyoung2640]

i don't really agree with them. guitar hero is what made me want to play guitar. and i've gotten pretty good. so if it weren't for guitar hero, i probably wouldn't be playing. and that's probably the same for a lot of other kids out there.

[Ita3rd]

Ninjamonkey767 wrote:

ILuvPillows? wrote:

And COD4 stops people from picking up a real gun and learning how to use it...oh wait.

Stupid statement. Guitar hero is a game, guitar is guitar. You choose which one (or both) you want to spend time on.

That's fine by me, but I just think that this whole idea about guitar hero introducing people to guitar is bull.

It's not bull it's a fact. I picked up guitar because of Guitar Hero, a friend of mine picked up bass because of it, my ex-girlfriend's brother picked up guitar because of the game, I could go on and on. The fact is it does encourage people to learn the real thing and it also exposes them to genres and bands they may have never heard otherwise. Guitar Hero and Rock Band have done great things for guitar and guitar based music in the short amount of time they have been out.

[Djaydjay]

It makes less and less people dedicated to really get down and learn an instrument.

yeah, exactly like there are less and less pilotes since collin McRae came out...

uh oh, let's try it again

less and less murderers since GTA3 came out...

last chance

less and less militaries since counterstrike came out... damn, again failed.

It's a video game, and it's hardly related to what you're doing in real life.
The only way video games are holding you back from playing an instrument, is by taking much of your freetime, but it won't change anything if you're playing guitar hero or wow... (well, wow takes way more of your freetime, but it think you got my point^^)

[metalgirl0]

Guitar Hero is kinda fun, but it's far from the real deal. If people that play GH want to learn guitar, they will learn guitar, if they don't want to, they won't. It's all a question of choice.

[ryan21947]

Ninjamonkey767 wrote:

ILuvPillows? wrote:

And COD4 stops people from picking up a real gun and learning how to use it...oh wait.

Stupid statement. Guitar hero is a game, guitar is guitar. You choose which one (or both) you want to spend time on.

That's fine by me, but I just think that this whole idea about guitar hero introducing people to guitar is bull.

It's not bull it's a fact. I picked up guitar because of Guitar Hero, a friend of mine picked up bass because of it, my ex-girlfriend's brother picked up guitar because of the game, I could go on and on. The fact is it does encourage people to learn the real thing and it also exposes them to genres and bands they may have never heard otherwise.[quote]

took the words right out of my mouth. I also picked up the bass because of the game, and now i dont play the game at all because id rather learn a song for real rather than beat it in a game.

[m0o]

"Most people try to learn an instrument at some point in their lives, and almost all of them quit after a few months or a year or two. This, I think, is because the earliest years of learning an instrument are the least gratifying."

Yeah well thats the whole point... youre supposed to get past the INITIAL stage so you can actually learn something and follow it. I almost quit guitar after a few months... I'm glad there was no guitar hero to side track me from it.

ON THE OTHER HAND... guitar hero and rockband are fun games.. its a good pastime if treated like one... no need to take it so seriously.. might as well pick up a real guitar and practise it instead of practising how to press buttons.

[BigZman95]

I disagree. Guitar Hero was what really got me into playing guitar. Now I have pretty much dropped video games altogether and mostly spend my free time playing one of my three guitars. I've only been playing now for about 8 months and I've already started 20 songs, of which I've finished about 7 and probably 6 of those 7 have solos. I think if the kid continues to just try to be good at the game and never picks up a guitar, then yes, that is bad. Also, I believe that Guitar Hero has helped me with my alternate picking, because after two months I was already pretty much shredding. It didn't exactly sound good but hey... But I think it is good for kids to be exposed to Guitar Hero and Rock Band. A lot of people were talking about how it exposes you to different types of music, and I totally agree with that. For instance, when I played Rock Band, I had never heard Enter Sandman by Metallica!!! I have to say, Guitar Hero and Rock Band made me realize what I had been missing out on.

[Zyph73]

Meh, I don't know what to think here. I know it will lead some into more variety in music, but there are always those with huge egos and small IQs that think it makes them good at the guitar. There will always be those types of people, just sucks to see them coming from something that at the same time helps in some ways.

[Kanklez]

As far as what techniques GH can help with there's tremelo picking(Misirlou), fast chromatic runs(Raining Blood) not to mention building finger strength and musical timing. Of course it's not as good as the real thing, but it's a good first step.

[MethLabForCutie]

i agree, with some variances, but agree nonetheless.

i play guitar hero and it isn't as satisfying as playing guitar.

i masturbate and it isn't as satisfying as real sex.

but masturbation isn't over commercialized like guitar hero.

[drycell17]

How come music games are the only ones taking this kind of critisism? thats like saying if you play gears of war then you have no reason to join the army. i agree with the guy from harmonix. guitar hero was what really got me into music and a few years later im a bassist. so i think its just if kids have the will to go from buttons to real instruments

[Megadeth Mani4c]

These games are such a waste of time. So freakin boring and you don't learn a bloody thing. They're not even least bit like the real guitar. I for one picked up a real guitar before these time wasters even existed, and when i played the game once I was like WTF is this video game even harder than the real thing? Who would spend all day playing this? it's so boring! It might inspire a kid to get a real guitar, but it won't make them good at it. They'll probably just give it up after a while after frustration. So pointless...

[cyonn]

did the guy on top of me just compare Gears of War and actual warfare?

[.:!j.man!:.]

Its just one of those things.
neither side of the argument will come out on top.

[Scott-Mastro]

They are only critisizing becuz they are old fashion people, back in their day pickin up a guitar would be like one of use purchasing the games. i too bought guitar hero an rock band games but i always had an intrest for guitar b4 that the games had no push factor on my decision to start playin for real and since i started playin for real i rarly ever play the games cuz they are so pointless. the real push to learning guitar was blues music an solo styles. i think these games do influence people to TRY the real thing but out of those poeple i doubt a lot even stay tryin to learn to play

[nexteyenate]

I HATE people who bash GH/RB because they think it discourages kids from picking up the guitar. If it weren't for GH, I wouldn't have picked up the guitar.

[guitarmanzoso]

i think the only problem with guitarhero and rockband is that you'll get alot of gamers picking up guitar and putting out shitty tunes because they dont have a raw passion for music but just its a cool thing to do. Dont get me wrong, every guitar player plays because they think its cool but to get good at guitar, you gotta have more passion then just to look good.

[Kronos09]

People often forget that GH and Rock Band introduce today's kids to music they would have never heard before. That's the way it was for me. I listened to local radio and all that was playing was pop and country. but GH introduced me to real rock and metal and now that's all i listen to.

Oh, and megadeth mani4c, don't be such a hater. I decided to buy and electric guitar after getting good at GH and i've stuck with it for 2 years. Now I can't even play GH because the real fingerings of the songs are going through my head and it distracts me!

GH is a game. It is meant to entertain. People aren't saying, "If my kid would spend as much time shooting a real gun instead of playing Call of Duty, they'd be a sharpshooter," or, " If my kid would spend as much time practicing swordfighting as they spend playing World of Warcraft, they'd be a master at killing," STFU already.

[sam50441]

what about the people like me that play expert on Guitar hero and rock band and can play instrument

[huskyplayer]

i use GH or RB for timing on songs ...got tired of GH and RB and played a real instrument but thats just me in aprrox 6.5 Billion people

[huevos]

slashrock94 wrote:

There are so many people that are inspired to start learning because of GH, I totally disagree with what Nick and Bill said. I play Guitar Hero a little bit, and I must say, it is actually harder than guitar (at least expert is anyway). Some people will play GH for instant success, but they would never have been real instrument candidates anyway. Some choose to play both, I think it's quite good really.

Which is why you pick one side and reinforce it, not water it down with dubious overtones of objectivity.
I think we can agree that guitarists=elistist douchebags, while Guitar Hero "Heros"=elistist douchebags just the same.
There's always that fringe of crazies that have to ruin it for everybody.

Kronos09 wrote:
GH is a game. It is meant to entertain. People aren't saying, "If my kid would spend as much time shooting a real gun instead of playing Call of Duty, they'd be a sharpshooter," or, " If my kid would spend as much time practicing swordfighting as they spend playing World of Warcraft, they'd be a master at killing," STFU already.

But I want my kid to be a sharpshooting master of death!
I guess I'm in the minority here...

[RoKkStAr719]

around the time i started playing guitar hero, a few months later, I bought a real guitar. Then, I kept playing both and I'm good at both. Rock Band helped me with Guitar and vice versa. Thanks to me beating Let There Be Rock on Expert, I can now strum extremely fast.

[GODhimself37]

they have no clue what they are talking about. guitar hero 2 inspired me to pick up the real thing. they need to stfu

[floydisawesome]

guitar hero made me wanna play guitar. i love pink floyd, but i'm gonna have to disagree with them on this.

[holydave93]

HAHAHAHA!! LIER!!! I was Guitar Hero that motivated me to play Guitar in the first place, been playin a year and a half

[Kalyth]

I bought my first guitar 4 years ago AFTER I completed the first GH game.

[Phycopath09]

thats the most retarded thing ive ever heard of. rockband 2 inspired me to play guitar.

[venomouskiss320]

Guitar Hero made me pick up the real guitar, I respect these legends, but they need to do their homework before they bash.

[stratty matt]

chickenfoot wrote:

Very true what they say
but these games also introduce kids to other styles of music and bands they probably never have heard of

+1

[iwannabesedated]

Guitar Hero and Rock Band will create more musicians in the long run than deter them. It's a great connection.
Gamers who would never have thought of playing in a band get a glimpse of how much fun it is, and musicians have a way to chill out and have fun with music again.

[yaaarp]

Wow. I was embarrassed to admit guitar hero got me into guitar, my school had lessons and everything but they made me hate it. Now I see so many others with similar stories

[BoxCarMothra]

FearOfTheDuck wrote:

I had the first two games, it was good at first, but it went too far. I know several people who just gave up playing guitar and picked up guitar hero instead. Because completing Thunderhorse on expert is much more impressive than doing it in real life!! It seriously gets to me, people having in depth convosations about how they can do songs on expert etc etc!
The amount of time they spend pretending to play the guitar, they could actually be semi good by now at the real guitar!

And now you can get drums for guitar hero! wuhey!

I laughed out loud pronouncing that last word. Woo-hee? Wha-hey? Wuh-hey?
But yeah, i mostly agree.

[LukeElliff]

MulletGuy wrote:

That's a ludicrous thing to say from one party involved.

The Rolling Stones have had alot of involvement in many of Guitar Hero and Rock Band's recent releases. That's just idiotic for them to suddenly condemn these brand of games.

Fact is, if kids want to play a real instrument, they will. If they're not quite wanting to pursue a career in the music industry, they'll play a video game that can to some minor degree emulate the sensation.

If these games DO anything, it's introduce younger generations to music they'd never usually listen to. So Rolling Stones, if every fan is important - you'd surely sooner thank these games than condemn them, cause you've benefitted from them.

Jerks.

I started playing guitar 1st, and I think that these games actually help improve basic technique.

[MGB2]

I played guitar hero 3 years ago and then i bought a guitar and play it non-stop. But now guitar hero seems stupid too me :P

[NathanWolff]

There is no factual information to back up their opinion.

[rickneedshelp]

My motivation was called records and radio that was thirty years ago.There were lots of guitar heroes then but none were games.

[les paul sig]

I was playin guitar long before i got GH3 and was about to quit but after playin the game and listening to all the cool songs on it i picked it back up n have been playin real guitar for 5 years n dont play GH much at all.
anyway if your gona play the game, ul play it, it might help inspire you to play properly if not, its a good game and its fun to play

[thedarkblues06]

LukeElliff wrote:

MulletGuy wrote:

That's a ludicrous thing to say from one party involved.

The Rolling Stones have had alot of involvement in many of Guitar Hero and Rock Band's recent releases. That's just idiotic for them to suddenly condemn these brand of games.

Fact is, if kids want to play a real instrument, they will. If they're not quite wanting to pursue a career in the music industry, they'll play a video game that can to some minor degree emulate the sensation.

If these games DO anything, it's introduce younger generations to music they'd never usually listen to. So Rolling Stones, if every fan is important - you'd surely sooner thank these games than condemn them, cause you've benefitted from them.

Jerks.

I started playing guitar 1st, and I think that these games actually help improve basic technique.

As sad as this is, I'm going to agree. I played guitar for about a year before GH, and I was starting way better than any of my friends, and my alternate picking got way better after playing.

The kids and idiots who say "I can do this on GH hahahaha" are just teasing the other kids and idiots who shoot back "Yeah, well, u cant play it on guitar hahahaha"

Grow up and move on. To each his own.

[xxMrMongoose]

I don't agree with what they're saying about this. I played Guitar Hero before I started on real guitar and Guitar Hero made me want to learn real guitar. Now when I play Guitar Hero it just seems unfulfilling and I decided its better to play a song badly on a guitar than play it well on Guitar Hero.

[godisasniper]

I'm going to side with the guy from Harmonix. The only people who play GH so much that they give up on real guitar probably would give up on the real thing anyways.

[Sinaskafitch]

While I am only one reference, I would like to state that I was turned onto guitar by playing Guitar Hero III. I've been teaching myself for about a year, and I now take a class to hopefully improve my skills further, and if it weren't for the very same glimpse Harmonix stated, I wouldn't have gone through with it.
I think this argument is along the same lines as "People will just think they can play guitar by playing the video game." When in reality, most people weren't that douchy. Not everyone is into guitar, and those who aren't will play the game for the sake of playing the game, and those who are interested might be turned on enough by Guitar Hero or Rock Band to try it. Their argument is actually very counter-productive.

[jbrain95]

I've been playing Guitar for a long time, I just picked up Rock Band to have fun with friends. I hate people who say that. Sometimes I like a new band because of Rock Band.

[mitch311]

Well I started guitar 2 and a half years ago after having played guitar hero 1. Now I'm playing Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, John Petrucci etc songs and composing my own music so I'm pretty they actually have no idea and just talking out their ass

[bigdaddy323]

in contrast, guitar hero made me go: WOW! i wanna make this music for real, so im gonna go get a guitar and practice my butt off. I still play the music games, but a real guitar is sooooo much fun

[Dmmrng]

I absolutely disagree with what they're saying. Guitar hero is doing real guitar players a service, by thinning the herd. They're attracting the jackasses the pick up a guitar to look cool to their friends. Hooray for guitar hero!

[PuddleJumper11]

Wow... this is just stupid. Wake up. It's a game. If a kid wants to learn, the kid will learn. If he doesn't, oh well, that's his call. Personally, I listened to my fair share of rock before Guitar Hero, but it was after playing it that I decided to pick up the guitar. Frankly, I still play Guitar Hero, though I play guitar a good deal more. I mean... who can deny the fun of rounding up your musically talentless friends, kicking back, and pretending to be in some band?

[SkepsisMetal]

Both points are kind of...pointless really.
No, they dont deter people from picking up an instrument - people just take it far too seriously and consider themselves musicians and superiors to those who did take the time and effort to learn a REAL instrument - thats my only hack at this game.
But Alex Rigopulas is also making a very bold statement - if Rock Band does anything, it just introduces new music and influences to younger (or older) generations who may not have heard of the bands, although they havent yet made one for unsigned or relatively unknown bands who may benefit a whole lot more from the marketing than say...Metallica or The Beatles, but it really doesnt make people want to pick up a real instrument. They just sit there and think, well - i just spent £100 on a video game, and I'm pretty good at it, I think I'll stick with this thanks.
At the end of the day, musicians stick to your instruments, and gamers stick to your games and ALL of you stop creating such a goddamn fuss over something none of you will ever have an influence over. Playing both is a fun experience; guitars are just for people who WANT to dedicate time to learning

[bass-man9712]

i dont think that if you play rock band your going to want to play the instrument, and people give up for many reasons besides a game. These people are missing another to play the game... its for FUN

[Red33]

I started out playing guitar hero, got me playing guitar, I don't play guitar hero anymore.

[problemchild149]

amen

[itsjimmy2times]

iwas addicted to video games for a long time i now know that they rot your brain,ang real guitar is something worth doing even you dont get to play in a band ,its still rewarding

[who1973]

Irish Dman wrote:

thats really rich coming from nick mason considering pink floyd had to get a session drummer for the wall!!

I'm afraid you're confusing Nick Mason for Richard Wright, the band's keyboardist, who was kicked out of the band during the recording of The Wall and was replaced by a session musician on most of the songs. Although Wright did come back (as a paid session player) for The Wall concerts as a final goodbye.

[DaGuitarMasta01]

I think the best way to solve this problem is if people make the discovery I made about a year ago when I stoped hating guitar hero.
There is no similarity between Guitar and Guitar hero just like there is no similarity between Halo and War (if you do not believe me try re spawning in real war)
I like GH as a enjoyible waste of time I can play almost any song on expert and am a real preforming guitarist
There is no similarity anyone that thinks their is does not know either guitar or GH.

The only think I hate about it is it lead to the purchasing of cheap guitar wich led to the disgrace that is "squire" damb you you disgrace to the great name of Fender!!

[prsrulz91]

Eidred wrote:

wouldyakindly wrote:

There are two levels of guitar hero:
1-Casual players, who enjoy it as part of a drunken karaoke time with friends (my signature singing song is ace of spades XD).

This lot are pretty harmless and if they play a real instrument, it has no bearing on how much they like the game.

2-Hardcore gamers, who treat it like any other video agme and try and "5 star" every song on expert.

The people in this latter group are the problem, but in fairness if they weren't playing GH they'd probably just be leveling their Shamans on WoW.

Also, I do know a couple of friends who took up real guitar as a result of guitar hero, so the Harmonix dude isn't talking complete nonsense.

Lol I play WoW, but I still play guitar like crazy. In my opinion, GH puts the wrong idea into people's heads about guitar. They get the idea that it's easy, but so many people take up guitar after playing the game and give a year later.

First off, I really wish these articles on GH would go away. There's been waaaay too many at this point
Back to your quote, your point makes sense, but keep in mind that if they give the guitar up a year later because it was harder than they thought, they might have a work ethic problem that extends into areas past the guitar, if that makes sense

[_person_]

i played guitar hero and it made me want to play guitar, and then one day my parents brought home a guitar and i haven't even touched that game since! and also, you arrogant people, it isn't "just a game". it is something that makes 10 year old kids think that playing guitar is easy. also, as Jack White put it, getting kids interested in different music from a different time through a video game is pretty sad. guitar hero and rockband are insults to instruments and the REAL musicians who recorded the music for those wimpy games. i don't speak for all kids, but i am very sure that some think that games like that are just like playing guitar.

[kpkyle]

guitar hero was one of my the main reasons i started playing, i mean i wanted to play before that but it pushed it over the edge, made it look fun

[Natrone]

I can see both sides of it, but as someone who was introduced to "good music" by Rock Band/Guitar Hero, I have to call them a good thing. In fact discovering Stevie Ray Vaughan through GH3 is what inspired me to replace plastic with wood and metal.

[SGofawesome]

MulletGuy wrote:

That's a ludicrous thing to say from one party involved.

The Rolling Stones have had alot of involvement in many of Guitar Hero and Rock Band's recent releases. That's just idiotic for them to suddenly condemn these brand of games.

Fact is, if kids want to play a real instrument, they will. If they're not quite wanting to pursue a career in the music industry, they'll play a video game that can to some minor degree emulate the sensation.

If these games DO anything, it's introduce younger generations to music they'd never usually listen to. So Rolling Stones, if every fan is important - you'd surely sooner thank these games than condemn them, cause you've benefitted from them.

Jerks.

See, it doesn't take the whole band to give a song to Guitar Hero. If you actually had your facts straight you would know that Wyman was against this.

[fridgeraider]

This is pointless. the only reason i bought myself a real guitar was because of guitar hero. After i beat expert i needed a new challenge so the only place to go was real guitar. i'm sure a lot of people have the same story as i have.

[Eidred]

Right so how does this sound then:I'm going to come home from work, and instead of picking up my nice Epiphone Les Paul, I'm going to go plug in some stupid fisher price toy and spend four hours of my time trying to five star some song on a game. I could decide I want to go and learn that song and work on my guitar technique, but instead a plastic game is more entertaining. It's sad to see that guitar is looked at that way. A five button toy replaces the joy and entertainment of a REAL instrument...

Seriously, I know it's a game that is meant to be fun, but I HAVE WITNESSED people who LOSE the desire to play a real guitar for this plastic dreamland.

[SGofawesome]

DaGuitarMasta01 wrote:

I think the best way to solve this problem is if people make the discovery I made about a year ago when I stoped hating guitar hero.
There is no similarity between Guitar and Guitar hero just like there is no similarity between Halo and War (if you do not believe me try re spawning in real war)
I like GH as a enjoyible waste of time I can play almost any song on expert and am a real preforming guitarist
There is no similarity anyone that thinks their is does not know either guitar or GH.

The only think I hate about it is it lead to the purchasing of cheap guitar wich led to the disgrace that is "squire" darn you you disgrace to the great name of Fender!!

I'm pretty sure a lot of people know that you can't respawn during war, that would be just stupid, so therefore your opinion is also stupid.

[Eidred]

And it is sad how many of you are guitar hero people...honestly...what happened to the days when becoming a guitar player was up there along with being a football player or a soccer star? People used to aspire to things...now they just play video games and think "hmm maybe the real thing is good" and I've seen people give up because it's 'too hard'...

[Eidred]

SGofawesome wrote:

DaGuitarMasta01 wrote:

I think the best way to solve this problem is if people make the discovery I made about a year ago when I stoped hating guitar hero.
There is no similarity between Guitar and Guitar hero just like there is no similarity between Halo and War (if you do not believe me try re spawning in real war)
I like GH as a enjoyible waste of time I can play almost any song on expert and am a real preforming guitarist
There is no similarity anyone that thinks their is does not know either guitar or GH.

The only think I hate about it is it lead to the purchasing of cheap guitar wich led to the disgrace that is "squire" darn you you disgrace to the great name of Fender!!I'm pretty sure a lot of people know that you can't respawn during war, that would be just stupid, so therefore your opinion is also stupid.

+100000

[s0uleater13]

-sigh- as much as its true that guitar hero and rock band are doing that to SOME kids. They obviously forgotten how guitar hero and rock band have also inspired some kids to play real instruments. if it wasnt for guitar hero i wouldve never learned to play the real guitar and if it wasnt for rock band my brother would still hate all types of rock. while rock band and guitar hero might have ruined rock songs for some it also opened doors to people who without it wouldve never listened to bullet for my valentine or linkin park, etc. it is inspiring a new generation of music. a couple years from now most bands will be saying how rock band and guitar hero introduced them to the bands that inspired them.

[Lemmon]

Not true, i decided to buy a drum kit and learn drumming after LOVING drummin in guitar hero.

[Eidred]

s0uleater13 wrote:

-sigh- as much as its true that guitar hero and rock band are doing that to SOME kids. They obviously forgotten how guitar hero and rock band have also inspired some kids to play real instruments. if it wasnt for guitar hero i wouldve never learned to play the real guitar and if it wasnt for rock band my brother would still hate all types of rock. while rock band and guitar hero might have ruined rock songs for some it also opened doors to people who without it wouldve never listened to bullet for my valentine or linkin park, etc. it is inspiring a new generation of music. a couple years from now most bands will be saying how rock band and guitar hero introduced them to the bands that inspired them.

So we should encourage carbon-copies of bands that already exist because people decide they want to learn to play just like Herman Li? :P

[CurlyBash]

heh, gotta be honest on this.. playing the guitar hero 1 demo at best buy when i was in 6th grade made me want to get a real guitar.

[Mad-Season]

I no longer play Counterstrike anymore because it discourages me from training to become a real counter-terrorist.

[Eidred]

Mad-Season wrote:

I no longer play Counterstrike anymore because it discourages me from training to become a real counter-terrorist.

Lol that is not even ****ing relevant. If a kid plays GH and decides a real guitar would be fun, and then learns it's hard and gives up, he goes back to GH. So unless you were creeping around the neighbourhood and didn't like the first bullet you took in the leg, your point is stupid. Or did you just suck at shooting a gun?

[GREENWARRI0R]

Eidred wrote:
Seriously, I know it's a game that is meant to be fun, but I HAVE WITNESSED people who LOSE the desire to play a real guitar for this plastic dreamland.

Then that is entirely the person's fault, NOT the game's. Obviously, when it comes to that person's priorities, enjoying a video game comes before practicing the guitar. Don't blame the game, blame the person.

[Eidred]

GREENWARRI0R wrote:

Eidred wrote:
Seriously, I know it's a game that is meant to be fun, but I HAVE WITNESSED people who LOSE the desire to play a real guitar for this plastic dreamland.

Then that is entirely the person's fault, NOT the game's. Obviously, when it comes to that person's priorities, enjoying a video game comes before practicing the guitar. Don't blame the game, blame the person.

The game is partly to blame simply because people get it into their heads that guitar is easy BECAUSE of the game. Get it? Attitudes are learned, you're not born with them.

[Eidred]

SGofawesome wrote:

CroMag523 wrote:

what guitar is nick mason holding in that picture?wow man, you really know your guitars, don't you? Lqtm.

Nah, obviously it's a plastic Gibson Les Paul from Guitar Hero.

[I is be sexy]

I'm just gonna go ahead and say that like a lot of you, I never thought about learning real guitar until after playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and the games have also introduced me to much better music than what I listened to beforehand.

P.S. To all you guys saying real guitar is always harder, I think its just almost always harder. For example, metal and metalcore riffs such as Waking the Demon and Six are actually a little easier on real guitar, while solos are (almost) always harder on real guitar.

[drawnacrol]

Mad-Season :
I no longer play Counterstrike anymore because it discourages me from training to become a real counter-terrorist.

hahahahahahahahahahahaah

anyways back on topic this seems to be quite a sensitive subject among guitar players,I always taught it was a game for gayboys until I actually played it and found it quite entertaining but what puts me off is how people brag about the can play such and such on expert as if its the same as playing a guitar.

[MasterExploder0]

ILuvPillows? wrote:

And COD4 stops people from picking up a real gun and learning how to use it...oh wait.

Stupid statement. Guitar hero is a game, guitar is guitar. You choose which one (or both) you want to spend time on.

Exactly this.

You're a retard if you think a video game is going to replace actual guitar.

[I is be sexy]

Eidred wrote:

Mad-Season wrote:

I no longer play Counterstrike anymore because it discourages me from training to become a real counter-terrorist.

Lol that is not even ****ing relevant. If a kid plays GH and decides a real guitar would be fun, and then learns it's hard and gives up, he goes back to GH. So unless you were creeping around the neighbourhood and didn't like the first bullet you took in the leg, your point is stupid. Or did you just suck at shooting a gun?

Pretty sure he was joking there, Eidred

[Eidred]

And I no longer play CS due to those stupid AWPs...god a trained monkey can AWP someone...anyway sorry off topic xD

[I is be sexy]

No idea what you're talking about as I've never played CS, but W/E :P

[Bearded_Seth]

sad but its true really.. the games are great fun, but easy to get attached to.. i stopped playing guitar for like a month cos of these damn games and i felt like i lost a lot of skill when i finally picked my real guitar back up :l

[Eidred]

Can you do THIS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLGwV5H96eo&feature=channel_p age with a Guitar Hero controller? No. The most you can do is this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH4LScpwieQ

And Gustavo Guerra is awesome by the way :P

[I Collect Limbs]

Thats just stupid. Guitar Hero actually got me interested in real guitar. Now, the amount of time I spend practicing real guitar is much greater than the amount of time I ever spent on Guitar Hero (it was a lot). Im pretty sure Jack White from the White Stripes made a comment like this a few months ago, and look, there's a song from the white stripes appearing in the new guitar hero. Whats that all about? People who think of guitar hero as a simulation and say it very unrealistic compared to real guitar are right. its nothing like real guitar, but the fact is, ITS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE. Its supposed to be a game. Im pretty sure anybody who plays guitar hero a lot and is really good actually thinks they are good at real guitar. they just know they're good at the game. After being able to play guitar hero well, i was inspired, not discouraged to actually learn them. besides the guitar hero and rock band games are gonna die soon anyways because theres too many of them. people will get bored like me.

[Eidred]

Let me fix that link to the real guitar video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLGwV5H96eo&feature=channel_p age from my above post...since most people on here don't have much of a brain and can't see what's wrong with the link :P

[Eidred]

okay it seems to automatically put a space in the word 'page' in the URL. just fix it yourselves :P

[NoInnerKind]

These guys are just jealous because their kids can beat them at the game.

[WarwickFunk]

Actually statistics show demand for guitar lessons is up since the initial release of these games. They are getting kids exposed to the music that they would never get exposed to in this world of every song sounds the same rap and water down disney teenie boppers. The newest guitar hero has King Crimson on it. There is no way young people would ever come across it any other way. I bet most of you dont even know who King Crimson is.

[Eidred]

WarwickFunk wrote:

Actually statistics show demand for guitar lessons is up since the initial release of these games. They are getting kids exposed to the music that they would never get exposed to in this world of every song sounds the same rap and water down disney teenie boppers. The newest guitar hero has King Crimson on it. There is no way young people would ever come across it any other way. I bet most of you dont even know who King Crimson is.

I do. Good band : )

[Droid11]

nick and bill are idiots.

[McHizzie]

well ****, man! not everybody actually wants to become a musician. It's just for fun lol my god

[Chase_Jarvis23]

I think they're wrong. I started on Guitar Hero 2, and that made me want to play real guitar. Now guitar playing is my passion.

[Eidred]

McHizzie wrote:

well ****, man! not everybody actually wants to become a musician. It's just for fun lol my god

Okay, perhaps you and many others interpret this the wrong way. I think people who bash GH are saying that people who already have guitars OFTEN(NOTE THE WORD, I didn't say ALWAYS) choose to play GH over learning their guitar playing. They spend countless hours trying to impress people with this plastic toy. We're not saying everyone is trying to be a musician. My own parents play the game ffs, but they don't want to play guitar. But people who do play guitar don't spend as much time on their instruments as they do on the game.

[Phantasmasaurus]

wait a minute...

you mean being good at turok doesn't make me a real dinosaur hunter?

my world is shattered. :'(

[Wesseem]

these guys are retarded. rockband and GH are games. and i'm pretty sure there is nobody out there who has said 'hmm i'm thinking about learning guitar, but rockband makes me not want to do that'
if somebody wants to learn the real thing then they will, RB or GH will not stop them, if anything it will encourage them to want to actually be able to play the songs they like on a real instrument.

[Slash 555]

eh they're old and they probably don't understand the value in it. to most people it's just a more active way to listen and be exposed to new music.

[The Cheat]

Casterillo wrote:

they're just jealous they dont have their own games

Oh Right! Because who's ever heard of Pink Floyd or The Rolling Stones?

Did you even look at that statement before you posted it? Both bands are HUGE. The Rolling Stones, being the one of the only notably bands in the sixties besides The Beatles, and Pink Floyd, one of the greatest progressive rock bands ever, are jealous they can't be in Guitar Hero or Rock Band.

[Deep*Kick]

If people want to pretend to play guitar instead of actually play one that's fine by me, I just don't think it's a very constructive use of time, it's not like you're making anything original.

[N031]

I think many "artists" take these games way to seriously. Keyword: GAMES!!!

They're not supposed to be taken seriously. Kids and adults alike play games recreationaly, not to become guitar heroes. Plus, like many people have probably already argued on this page, MOST of these kids would never have even bothered to hear music from the stones or pink floyd where it not for GH or Rock Band. Alot of these kids are probably icking up guitar solely because of these games. I've personally had 3 kids that started guitar lessons with me because of guitar hero.

[atomgross]

kid plays game, kid picks up a real guitar, kid puts down the real guitar, kid picks up the plastic guitar, kid never plays real guitar again!

my experience with the introducing kids to new bands and styles of music..... doesn't make sense, i tell friends of bands and songs to check out, but none of the bands i suggest are cool enough for anyone untill they have a track on GUITAR HERO WOOO!

my roommate has more plastic guitars then ill ever have real ones..... and he's cooler than me! im jealous! wanna jam on the marshall? nah.... lets jam on the xbox!!!

[apm505]

Harmonix basically said that its good not to make sacrifices, or struggle for an ultimate end. What horrible people. Anyone who defends these games is a fool for wasting their time on something so devoid of meaning.

[apm505]

WarwickFunk wrote:

Actually statistics show demand for guitar lessons is up since the initial release of these games. They are getting kids exposed to the music that they would never get exposed to in this world of every song sounds the same rap and water down disney teenie boppers. The newest guitar hero has King Crimson on it. There is no way young people would ever come across it any other way. I bet most of you dont even know who King Crimson is.

wheres the data. Harmonix?

[darksting75]

Yeah, that is pretty ironic...guitar hero and Rock Band got me into guitar and I've been playing for almost a year now!

[racman92]

Honestly, I find guitar hero pretty fun. I play real guitar everyday for hours, and I play GH maybe once a week. I played guitar before guitarhero even came out, but I dont see how it could make someone put down the real guitar.
This may sound weird, but it actually helped me with my playing. I had problems using my pinky because of an injury, and when i played guitar i would automatically revert to playing with my first three fingers. In playing GH, I was able to exercise my pinky and now it works and I'm a way better guitarist because of it.
So I get why people hate it, cuz its mad annoying when you mention a song and someones like "yeah, I can play it on GH... I'm soo cool" but i dont think its this evil life draining entity that some people seem to believe it is.

[rebeltildeth87]

Phantasmasaurus wrote:

i'm sorry, but that is just retarded. first of all, music, as some kind of inherently magically sacred collective, does not belong to you or anyone else, and you do not have the right to force other people to not listen to it, just so that you can maintain whatever arbitrary ideas about the music not being "tainted" just because a few posers listen to it. second, what you're talking about(people listening to just one song from a band) is what people do in general, because they are lazy and unfortunately most people don't go very far out of their way to find new music, the problem is the mainstream, the problem is the culture that dumbs everyone down and keeps them passive with the cheapest fix. the problem is not guitar hero or any video games.

Whos forcing other people not to listen to music? im just saying its sad that you have to make a video game for kids to get interested in music. I think that the time spent on this guitar video game could be spent learning a real instrument. I guess I dont understand it.

[SchecterZV]

One flaw - It has inspired many to pick up a real guitar. One being myself.

[racman92]

plus, It introduced me to quite a few bands, like Living Colour, Mountain, and Muse!

[Eidred]

Yeah yeah we've heard from about half of UG now about what a saint GH is because they were inspired by a plastic game. Great, I'm inspired by COD4 to go join the military. See you guys in six months. Pfft. I'm inspired by actual guitarists. If you can bring Elroy Budvis or Johnny whateverthe**** his name is and have him show me the light of guitar, then I'll shut up about GH forever.

[mitchwagz]

guitar hero inspired me to pick up a guitar and learn it... now i don't even play guitar hero anymore because real guitar is way more fun but still it introduced me to something i might not have done if guitar hero didn't come out

[santa_man99]

I sold my guitar hero games for an SG .

[welcomehomeyou]

Yeah i see where they coming from but disagree and do believe its had the total opposite effect, kids are being introduced to music they would have never listened to before, they going through dads old records to find that song and listen to the others, they are actually seeing the picture of why their parents hate music of today because of what they listened to. As for deterring from playing real guitar, i've got a friend who is a guitar teacher and says that his bookings for lessons has doubled since guitar hero came out because kids want to learn their favourite song on guitar hero on a real guitar and get into a band. A recent Interview with Matthew Bellamy from Muse about him appearing in latest Guitar hero said that its great because it gives people an idea of the feeling he gets whenever he walks on stage and thousands of people are cheering for you and break out with this massive guitar riff like plug in baby.

[Eidred]

mitchwagz wrote:

guitar hero inspired me to pick up a guitar and learn it... now i don't even play guitar hero anymore because real guitar is way more fun but still it introduced me to something i might not have done if guitar hero didn't come out

And that's what is saddening. People don't respect real musicians, they respect this plastic ****in toy on a TV screen. They are inspired by 3D renderings instead of actual musicians, musicians they never heard of or respected until a stupid game told them about them.

[g00fy_130]

Funny, you hear NASCAR drivers condemning the driving games. When's the last time you heard Tiger Woods or Troy Aikman putting down the games that represent their sports? So many more examples, but I hope some of you get my point.

[g00fy_130]

Sorry, I meant to say you don't hear NASCAR drivers complaining...

[playinbass1432]

Yeah, and Grand Theft Auto prevents people from going out and stealing real cars.

For ****'s sake, it's a ****ing game. Get over it, you ****ing crybabies.

[direngrey680]

Eidred wrote:

mitchwagz wrote:

guitar hero inspired me to pick up a guitar and learn it... now i don't even play guitar hero anymore because real guitar is way more fun but still it introduced me to something i might not have done if guitar hero didn't come out

And that's what is saddening. People don't respect real musicians, they respect this plastic ****in toy on a TV screen. They are inspired by 3D renderings instead of actual musicians, musicians they never heard of or respected until a stupid game told them about them.

Its not that people are not respecting the musicians...its just people learned about these musicians THROUGH the game. Its like saying I am not respecting the musicians because my grandpa gave me a Pink Floyd CD. You have to respect both. You gotta respect your grandpa for LETTING YOU KNOW about Pink Floyd...AKA You gotta respect Guitar Hero for all the things its done. I picked up guitar because of Guitar Hero and through GH, I learned about all these other muscians that I now know of and respect for their skills.

[Eidred]

g00fy_130 wrote:

Funny, you hear NASCAR drivers condemning the driving games. When's the last time you heard Tiger Woods or Troy Aikman putting down the games that represent their sports? So many more examples, but I hope some of you get my point.

Why? Because a message isn't being conveyed with golf or driving games. Those games don't have a level of interaction that GH does. Golf isn't easy, and the golf games don't make it seem that way. NASCAR games don't make driving race cars seem easy. Guitar Hero does. It makes you think you can buy a ****ing guitar, and immediately get good at it. GH takes a week to get good at. Reflexes need honing and that's it. With a guitar it takes years of dedication to create the songs that these kids "play". I don't like GH because of the high and mighty attitude kids have when they can five star a song. WHO CARES? It's a game. Learn it for real, and I'll be impressed.

[Guitarmaster94]

Here's my story:

When I was around 7 or 8 my aunt bought me an acoustic. I started taking lessons near where I lived. I found the guitar the hardest thing to play in the world, so I gave up on it around when i was 9. Then I bought guitar hero 2. I was practically awesome at that game, and I beat it on expert within 2 days. That game gave me the confidence to pick up my old acoustic shortly after. About a year later (when I was around 11 or 12) my parents bought my first electric. I was now dedicated to learn as much as I could on my guitar. I am now 15 and I am 10,000x better than I was when I was 7 or 8. I find the guitar easy to play. Guitar Hero got me back into playing and that's why I like the game.

[k00ks]

personally i think that it does encourage people to pick up an instrument, maybe never having the though of playing or singing... Eidred: they don't respect a toy... I've heard your argument of musicians never being known or respected till the game came out. But because of the game they are out there. More people know the = more fans + more haters. That's life buddy. get over it.

[limpidgreen345]

When I first heard of GH it didn't interest me in the least... neither the video-game-playing side of me or the guitar-playing side of me. No offense at all meant to anybody here, but the average age of the posters on this site seems to be about 15... nothing wrong with that, just not like there's this wide demographic coming out saying they were inspired by GH. I don't really get it, but that's just me. I don't really have that much against GH... not interested in it, so I don't play it, fair enough I guess.

But I know a number of kids who really like playing GH, but couldn't care less about playing guitar, which is an ART not a game. I can believe that alot of people would become interested in playing guitar from GH but... frankly there's alot of guitar players who don't really respect it, that's way more annoying to me than GH.

And Eidred I didn't join the military but I did get pretty good at COD4

[LPshredder91]

these people are crazy. playing rockband will encourage people who have no musical background to try a real instrument. i hate people saying these games are bullshit. if people like myself enjoy these games let them be entertained. if they learn a real instrument and make something of it good, if not then nothing is really lost.

and by these guy's arguments people who play madden should ditch the controller and go be legit nfl players.... yea thats not likely for the nfl to grow by millions of people just to accommodate this. also this argument says people who play gta should go out and mindlessly slaughter hookers.... leave the kids alone. they arents effecting you at all bye playing these games so why should you care.

[balikguitar]

I think Guitar Hero and Rock Band are the most ridiculous games ever. I'm a freshman in highschool and all my friends talk about how good they are at these games when it is a million times more gratifying to play a REAL instrument.....the world would be much better without these useless games.

[Eidred]

Look I know over 50 people that play these games, and not a damn one of them expressed any desire to learn guitar. I've offered to teach them myself. They are like "nah it's boring, I like playing on expert"...I'm not blanketing the game and the people that play it, but that's a lot of damn people that say that crap. You guys seem to be some elite core exception.

[direngrey680]

Eidred wrote:

Look I know over 50 people that play these games, and not a damn one of them expressed any desire to learn guitar. I've offered to teach them myself. They are like "nah it's boring, I like playing on expert"...I'm not blanketing the game and the people that play it, but that's a lot of damn people that say that crap. You guys seem to be some elite core exception.

Maybe cause we're on Ultimate-Guitar, a website for guitar players?

[Eidred]

I ask you guys, why should we respect a game like this? To me it seems a mockery of the art of the guitar. "Haha look at me I can play this song that took months of love and creativity to compose, and I'm better than you because I can do it on this stupid game on expert" is the attitude that many people have. It commercialises bands and their music(now the bands allowing the crap on there is their fault, but still) There's no dedication, no creativity, nothing. Just taking someone ELSE'S hard work and making it seem like nothing because of five buttons on a plastic toy. It's a prostitution of music in my opinion, which is commonplace now days.

[limpidgreen345]

Eidred wrote:

Look I know over 50 people that play these games, and not a damn one of them expressed any desire to learn guitar. I've offered to teach them myself. They are like "nah it's boring, I like playing on expert"...I'm not blanketing the game and the people that play it, but that's a lot of damn people that say that crap. You guys seem to be some elite core exception.

The kids I've referred to a couple times... They love playing GH, and in two seconds they'll swap the disc out and play a racing game and love that, and a shooting game and love that, and so on...

In those cases it just seems to me to be taking something that's an art, something you can never really master, something that people spend years and years on... and cheapening it to amuse a bunch of kids. That some people have been inspired to learn real guitar from it, FANTASTIC... But the part that bothers me is dishing out cheap video game thrills at the expense of what REAL guitar is.

My opinion of course but there it is.

[limpidgreen345]

direngrey680 wrote:

Maybe cause we're on Ultimate-Guitar, a website for guitar players?

I imagine that you won't hear alot of "Yeah, I play GH and I don't care about playing guitar" on a guitar site.

[Shabadoo]

Who gives a ****, it's a video game. There argument is as valid as ass hole parents who blame kids being violent on GTA ... ****ing sick of hearing this bullshit.

[Eidred]

Shabadoo wrote:

Who gives a ****, it's a video game. There argument is as valid as ass hole parents who blame kids being violent on GTA ... ****ing sick of hearing this bullshit.

Then leave you cockstick. That's a good solution. Go play Guitar Hero.

[TheLonging]

Without Guitar Hero and Rock band, I honestly would haven't bothered to play drums, electric guitar, and acoustic guitar. I'm also pretty good on GH/RB and I'm learning all 3 of the instruments I own. I've also read something about how kids are more likely to pick up a real instrument after playing GH/RB for a while. I can't see where these guys are coming from, but on the other hand... I guess I do. And it won't matter much, but I am 14.

[TheLonging]

Eidred wrote:

"Haha look at me I can play this song that took months of love and creativity to compose, and I'm better than you because I can do it on this stupid game on expert" is the attitude that many people have.

What? I never hear this ANYWHERE. At all. Where do you hear it, where you live? If so, I honestly feel sorry for you, those guys are dumbasses.

[Eidred]

TheLonging wrote:

Eidred wrote:

"Haha look at me I can play this song that took months of love and creativity to compose, and I'm better than you because I can do it on this stupid game on expert" is the attitude that many people have.

What? I never hear this ANYWHERE. At all. Where do you hear it, where you live? If so, I honestly feel sorry for you, those guys are dumbasses.

Aye. People think they're amazing because they can play on expert. Great, so can I. Not perfect, but I don't care to perfect it. Because I can play a real instrument.

[.Epidemic]

Meh. Like this won't be debated for ever. I personally like the idea of a world without musical games like these. It's raped the minds of many of my friends who did play instruments and just thought it easier to play a game. So much for accomplishing something. It goes both ways, people pick up and drop instruments for the dumbest reasons.

Also: People find learning instruments boring I find because any formal* teacher doesn't start with "okay what do you want to learn" but with "okay, this is sheet music and timing" no one cares about that at first. Get them hooked on the instrument and let them learn it later, they'll start to care- trust me. The first step is sinking the line and making it enjoyable.

[TheLonging]

Eidred wrote:

Aye. People think they're amazing because they can play on expert. Great, so can I. Not perfect, but I don't care to perfect it. Because I can play a real instrument.

The only problem I have with GH/RB is that when I hear kids think they are actual rock stars and all that when they play. I mean, it's a game, don't act all cool about it because you're playing plastic instruments. And when they have that attitude, I want to slap them

[Eidred]

.Epidemic wrote:

Meh. Like this won't be debated for ever. I personally like the idea of a world without musical games like these. It's raped the minds of many of my friends who did play instruments and just thought it easier to play a game. So much for accomplishing something. It goes both ways, people pick up and drop instruments for the dumbest reasons.

Also: People find learning instruments boring I find because any formal* teacher doesn't start with "okay what do you want to learn" but with "okay, this is sheet music and timing" no one cares about that at first. Get them hooked on the instrument and let them learn it later, they'll start to care- trust me. The first step is sinking the line and making it enjoyable.

That's one of the main issues. People seek instant gratification, and when they don't get it, they give up. Guitar doesn't have an "easy mode" like GH. Sure, you can start easy, but it doesn't mean everyone will find it easy. A friend of mine has problems just picking up and down properly. It doesn't mean he's bad, it just means he learns on a slower level than others. But some people who don't find guitar fun immediately say **** it and go back to GH.

[stones_fn_1218]

aebers79 wrote:
guitarists are just elitists

yeah... we are... sorry.

and yeah, Bill Wyman has no rights over the Stones' music... and he's not the guitarist, he's the bassist.

[XxTopCatxX]

I credit guitar hero and rock band for introducing a mass of people to lots of different music they probably wouldn't have heard otherwise. If it wasn't for guitar hero 2 I probably would have never gotten into All That Remains.

[jean_genie]

So I'm guessing it's all kids in this group, because scrolling through I didn't notice a single post about how BILL WYMAN WAS THE BASSIST, AND NOT THE FUCKING GUITARIST!!!

Seriously guys. Seriously.

Guitar Hero is like D&D or poker. Good fun with your friends, a total waste of your time if viewed as anything more than a diversion. The notes are all preprogammed, so it's nothing more than kareoke with instruments. Singing aside, it's literally impossible to ever play the song better than the recorded versions. And I'm fine with that.

Think of it this way: no matter how much you practice, the best you could ever do is to not screw up. If you want to have fun, not screwing up is fine. If I'm going to dedicate a portion of my life to something, just 'not screwing up' isn't good enough.

[jean_genie]

stones_fn_1218 wrote:

aebers79 wrote:
guitarists are just elitists

yeah... we are... sorry.

and yeah, Bill Wyman has no rights over the Stones' music... and he's not the guitarist, he's the bassist.

Shoot, you got in while I was typing!

[sonoflife]

kids love being in the limelight. guitar HERO makes them feel like rock stars. some kids will want more than that and they'll turn to a real instrument.

[southern_stylin]

I've heard from many people who attempted and quit guitar that after a few months they got bored and frustrated by it. The thing is (as with most skills that take time) you have to dedicate yourself for a while. The hardest part is the beginning. Video games have a very easy learning curve. Not so with musical instruments. I tell my friends, "Stick with it for a few months, even a year, it only gets easier." No one is so completely natural that they can just pick it up and wail. I played simple 3 power chord tunes for so long I was ready to quit myself. Practice and eventually you will perservere.

[Eidred]

XxTopCatxX wrote:

I credit guitar hero and rock band for introducing a mass of people to lots of different music they probably wouldn't have heard otherwise. If it wasn't for guitar hero 2 I probably would have never gotten into All That Remains.

Yeah and 90% of Guns and Roses "fans" that became "fans" because of the game can only name Sweet Child O' Mine and Welcome to the Jungle. "Fans" of Rush can only name YYZ and Tom Sawyer. "Fans" of Black Sabbath can't seem to figure out that Iron Man, War Pigs, and Paranoid are in fact NOT the only songs they have(bet they don't know who Ronnie James Dio is either from later Sabbath :P) and so on. Give me a break.

[XxShadow19]

i started playing guitar because of guitar hero II (or I, i forget), i wanted to play beast and the harlot sooo bad... i did (poorly that is)... and the realized hey, it's not that hard when you make your own music. two years later here i am with my first gig in 5 days with our own material... take that Wyman

[Revival]

I have no problems with these games , in fact, I love them , It .. and a few other things inspired me to pick up a real guitar and I've improved insanely..

Plus, GH/Rockband can help out existing guitarists too, It really increases the dexterity in your fingers.

What I hate though is little pricks saying Guitar hero is harder then real guitar...

[Red1337Sox]

MrBenjangles18 wrote:

Yeah, the first GH game i got was GH3 and i played it waaaaay too much. honestly, it did make me want to learn guitar. here i am a year later, and i never play GH anymore, i only play real guitar :P

Same

[TheLonging]

Revival wrote:

What I hate though is little pricks saying Guitar hero is harder then real guitar...

What if real guitarists, whom you know by heart, say Guitar Hero is harder then real guitar?

And the thing for me was, when I found new bands in GH, I wanted to find MORE by them, so I would listen to other songs by them, etc. Dave Mustaine in particular isn't good at GH, iirc. But he loves GH/RB, so... idunnolol

[limpidgreen345]

XxShadow19 wrote:

i started playing guitar because of guitar hero II (or I, i forget), i wanted to play beast and the harlot sooo bad... i did (poorly that is)... and the realized hey, it's not that hard when you make your own music. two years later here i am with my first gig in 5 days with our own material... take that Wyman

Yeah, I'm sure Bill Wyman and Nick Mason will be so jealous of you, they'll sob and blow their nose on hundred dollar bills.

[Red1337Sox]

Eidred wrote:

XxTopCatxX wrote:

I credit guitar hero and rock band for introducing a mass of people to lots of different music they probably wouldn't have heard otherwise. If it wasn't for guitar hero 2 I probably would have never gotten into All That Remains.

Yeah and 90% of Guns and Roses "fans" that became "fans" because of the game can only name Sweet Child O' Mine and Welcome to the Jungle. "Fans" of Rush can only name YYZ and Tom Sawyer. "Fans" of Black Sabbath can't seem to figure out that Iron Man, War Pigs, and Paranoid are in fact NOT the only songs they have(bet they don't know who Ronnie James Dio is either from later Sabbath :P) and so on. Give me a break.

Since when was knowing all the songs by a band a prerequisite to liking them? I'm sure you loathe more than a few bands that you have only heard one song from.

Musical knowledge is not required for musical appreciation.

[Eidred]

Red1337Sox wrote:

Eidred wrote:

XxTopCatxX wrote:

I credit guitar hero and rock band for introducing a mass of people to lots of different music they probably wouldn't have heard otherwise. If it wasn't for guitar hero 2 I probably would have never gotten into All That Remains.

Yeah and 90% of Guns and Roses "fans" that became "fans" because of the game can only name Sweet Child O' Mine and Welcome to the Jungle. "Fans" of Rush can only name YYZ and Tom Sawyer. "Fans" of Black Sabbath can't seem to figure out that Iron Man, War Pigs, and Paranoid are in fact NOT the only songs they have(bet they don't know who Ronnie James Dio is either from later Sabbath :P) and so on. Give me a break.

Since when was knowing all the songs by a band a prerequisite to liking them? I'm sure you loathe more than a few bands that you have only heard one song from.

Musical knowledge is not required for musical appreciation.

Point being, they can't name songs that aren't on the damn game. And no, I don't judge music before I give it a proper chance, so if I hate a band, it's because I've listened to a lot of their music. Thank you.

[joshua029]

these guys are still alive? what is it gonna take?! seriously?!?!!?

[limpidgreen345]

Eidred wrote:

XxTopCatxX wrote:

I credit guitar hero and rock band for introducing a mass of people to lots of different music they probably wouldn't have heard otherwise. If it wasn't for guitar hero 2 I probably would have never gotten into All That Remains.

Yeah and 90% of Guns and Roses "fans" that became "fans" because of the game can only name Sweet Child O' Mine and Welcome to the Jungle. "Fans" of Rush can only name YYZ and Tom Sawyer. "Fans" of Black Sabbath can't seem to figure out that Iron Man, War Pigs, and Paranoid are in fact NOT the only songs they have(bet they don't know who Ronnie James Dio is either from later Sabbath :P) and so on. Give me a break.

When I tell people I'd be a Pink Floyd fan if they broke up in 1972... most people don't even seem to get what I'm trying to say...

[flyingjew34]

I play 3 instruments and I still enjoy playing Rock Band...

[joshmckinnon]

yeah i definetly think GH and rock band are great at parties as like a type of kareokee thing but to play it all the time to get 5 stars on expert is such a waste of time. Just think, you could be out with your friends playing sports or jamming in a band or even studying so you dont fail that midterm. seriously when you get hooked it becomes a gigantic wwaste of time.

Oh and all you semi-famous people who are hating on GH/RB kindly shut the F*** up. dont need the rolling stones' ex guitarists opinion on everything.

[edgeyyz]

I agree with them, yet disagree at the same time. In general, kids tend to think that GH/RB are the equivalent of playing real instruments, when they're not. However, that's not to say that they don't inspire kids to pick up real instruments or listen to different music.

[crazy8rgood]

I agree with everything that Nick Mason said.

:down:

Nah, but really, it is quite sad when you hear people say things like "Guitar hero is SOO much harder than real guitar".

Makes me want to punch babies.

[Chokes26]

i suck at Guitar Hero, i would feel ultra guilty if i spent my time trying to improve my skills on that when i could be using that same time to learn more songs for my band.

[bokma]

Agreed 100%. I always thought so ever since i first heard about the game.

[bokma]

^I agreed with Mason

[Shreddinator666]

FearOfTheDuck wrote:

I had the first two games, it was good at first, but it went too far. I know several people who just gave up playing guitar and picked up guitar hero instead. Because completing Thunderhorse on expert is much more impressive than doing it in real life!! It seriously gets to me, people having in depth convosations about how they can do songs on expert etc etc!
The amount of time they spend pretending to play the guitar, they could actually be semi good by now at the real guitar!

And now you can get drums for guitar hero! wuhey!

Same thing here, the really annoying thing is that it got some of my spoiled friends to get instruments from their rich parents just to have it collect dust while they play a piece of plastic.
Also, it seems to have given the impression that playing bass is easy, which pisses me off!

[Wezz.]

Lol... the flame war I've witnessed since the game came out has finally come to a head.

Simply put - the article itself is a failure. He's condemning a "game". Everyone who plays guitar hero is not going to learn how to play guitar, it's that simple. As I just said, it's a "game" - I don't go shooting M16's in place of playing Call of Duty. It's the same asinine comparison. GH/RB has, and always will be - a "game" - and all video games are a waste of time, if you want to be honest - and if you want to get into that argument, you could debate every hobby someone has is a waste of time.

I used to, and occasionally play both - it sickens me how good I am, but I don't regret playing the game. People who are still debating the most efficient double-handed tapping method for the last part of Through the Fire and the Flames and think they're more advanced than "real guitar" are idiots - let them be that, they're getting no reward, and when they (like us) have horrible arthritis, at least we'll have accomplished something.

Now for the people the people who respect both an ability to "be good at a game" and the ability to "play guitar epicly" - whatever your style may be, good for you, you are intelligent, and the idiots mentioned in this article could take a note from you.

Guitar hero DID inspire me to play guitar, and I've been going strong and loving every minute of it, but I'm not going to decline playing the game because I'll "waste time I could be spending on guitar" - both guitar and gaming are my hobbies, and it's that simple.

[stratomaster123]

Hey Mr. Alex Rigopulas, if playing rock band is so much more gratifying then learning a REAL instrument wouldn't kids be more motivated to play rock band all ****ing day instead of ever touching an actual guitar? Your thinking seems a little mixed up to me.

[CrzyGuitarist93]

Eidred wrote:

Yeah and 90% of Guns and Roses "fans" that became "fans" because of the game can only name Sweet Child O' Mine and Welcome to the Jungle. "Fans" of Rush can only name YYZ and Tom Sawyer. "Fans" of Black Sabbath can't seem to figure out that Iron Man, War Pigs, and Paranoid are in fact NOT the only songs they have(bet they don't know who Ronnie James Dio is either from later Sabbath :P) and so on. Give me a break.

Still for others, it gives them a chance to hear a band and think, hey I really like this sound, from there they might go onto their computer and look around for other songs by the artist.

[Venom251]

Their right, I remember buying GH 2, GH3, and Rock Band for around $250+ when I should of replaced the crappy amp I had. I could of even bought a bass. I really wasted my money.

[Wolf_Link64]

After I beat TTFAF on Expert for the first time, I wondered how good I'd be at a real guitar. I bought my first guitar a few months before World Tour came out. I still play both GH/RB and real guitar very often.

GH didn't have a negative effect on me, but it could probably go either way, depending on how dedicated you are to learning how to play a real instrument.

[Skagasm]

if you guys as much time practicing guitar as you do bitching about what OTHER PEOPLE LIKE you might be able to get somewhere with music. i find that when your partying with a bunch of people rock band is alot of fun so get over it and play it or dont!

[BlessureK]

Well, sorry as I am to say it, I started playing guitar after I first played guitar hero. I wanted to learn guitar back in 2006 when I was 15 but parents wouldn't let me because of money etc. Then I played guitar hero in 2008 and got hooked. cause i loved solos etc. bought guitar hero 3, and after a while, decided i wanted to play real guitar so i could be like metallica. so a year on i am still playing guitar and guitar hero, and guitar is now my only hobby. also, guitar hero introduced me to music and bands i would of never heard if i never picked up the plastic controller. so i like guitar hero

But i hate those faggots who think guitar hero is harder than real guitar. and you try to explain to them why, and they say shit like "but you dont learn songs, the buttons come down the highway and you have to react quick enough" etc. seriously, try having the tabs for "one" or "through the fire and flames" come down like a GH highway. see how hard it is

[Babbs]

I'm sure it's been said, but Bill Wyman was the bassist.

[EclipseNine]

I played guitar for a few years, and then took a few years off from playing. Guitar hero was actually what got me to pick the guitar back up. I still enjoy playing both the games and the real guitar. I'm glad that the first guitar hero came out because otherwise I may never have began to take the real guitar as seriously as I do now.

[Knot555~666]

I am so sick of this whole god damn argument of people saying it deters people from
Playing a real instrument IT.....IS.....A.....GAME FOR FUCK
SAKE hey let's go out and steal cars and shoot people like gta oh wait no that's ****ing stupid. If people wanna pick up an instrument and learn it good for them but if people wanna play gh an rock band... Good for them. Fuck those two they are only pussys

[Issor]

Why does anyone care? GH2 got me into Buckethead... The ONLY reason I play guitar is because I discovered buckethead... Buckethead has then current musical taste.

I literally would not at all be the same person had I not played Guitar Hero.

I'm not the only example of this, that's for sure. This is a bullshit argument, period.

[Issor]

has then influenced my current musical taste*

[Pretty in Casts]

MulletGuy wrote:

That's a ludicrous thing to say from one party involved.

The Rolling Stones have had alot of involvement in many of Guitar Hero and Rock Band's recent releases. That's just idiotic for them to suddenly condemn these brand of games.

Fact is, if kids want to play a real instrument, they will. If they're not quite wanting to pursue a career in the music industry, they'll play a video game that can to some minor degree emulate the sensation.

If these games DO anything, it's introduce younger generations to music they'd never usually listen to. So Rolling Stones, if every fan is important - you'd surely sooner thank these games than condemn them, cause you've benefitted from them.

Jerks.

Agreed! I learned guitar almost 5 years ago. I also bought the first guitar hero around the same time. And I'm playing pretty damn good because i had the dedication to sit down and play real guitar for at least 3-4 hours everyday. this game had nothing to do with it. People that truly love music have a deep passion for understanding and playing it, people that dont...well they just sit on their fatass and play guitar hero. Old dick is just mad that rather than his kids being interested in learning guitar they play guitar, typical over enthusiastic dad

[Pretty in Casts]

"in *instead* of learning guitar they play guitar *guitar hero*"

[Corsack]

The problem with this arguement is that everyone is using the extreme positives/negatives on this subject. Yes, you could be learning an instrument during the time it takes you to learn to push buttons to a rhythm being played on the screen, but for many people this is the first experience they have with anything romotely close to a musical instrument. I started to play real guitar after the second game, but even before I had a motive to learn an instrument. I am now closing in on two years of experience(self-taught so its nothing special) and I am still having a blast with it. The same thing is happening with Rock Band, I tried playing the drums for a different experience since the plastic guitar routine had gotten stale. I have found that drums seems to be another experience I would like to learn for real(as soon as I have the finances :P).

[Duality Ninja]

They need to grow up. It's inspired many of my friends to pick it up, and if people want tog et serious, they will. Maybe a person wants to just have fun and play a game once in a while.

[McAngusYoung]

I like both of them but they have it wrong about Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Most of my friends ahve started wanting me to show them how to play guitar because they played GH and RB. Also it does introduce people to new bands and new genres. I started liking a lot of bands just because of the games. Also if you already play guitar GH and RB will give your fingers a workout(especially if you broke a string or two and need to keep your hands in shape). Overall they should have thought about what they said more and not be so judgemental on a video game. Finally usually you get tired of playing the same songs...so if you want to play more you wanna pick up a guitar.

[hardrocker628]

if it wasn't for guitar hero and rock band i would problably not even listened to rock but rap instead and instead of playing guitar i would have become a dj but luckily by these games i changed my future by listening to rock bands like nirvana, guns n' roses, the jimi hendrix experience, the white stripes, the who, the hives, led zeppelin and counless other bands instead of rapppers like kanye west or jay z i don't have anything against rap music but this pisses me off

ps.screw you nick mason and bill wyman oh and by the way nick mason is not a star from pink floyd only david gilmour is

[Eidred]

I love how people contradict themselves. "Oh if we play GTA should we go out and steal real cars?" but then in the next sentence "I was inspired by GH to learn real guitar". So, wait, you're saying games don't inspire people to do things but you then go and say the game inspired you to do something. No, I don't think GTA is a bad game that makes people do things. Someone may get the wrong idea from it but I'd owe that to insanity, but the contradictions of people make me laugh : )

[McAngusYoung]

Also some people might just have a hard time learning guitar. I know some of my friends have been trying for months but no matter how hard they practice they just can't get a hold of playing for real

[ham34518]

I guess this could be true, but guitar hero could also encourage kids to learn to play.

[Corsack]

Gah...did it again

Anyways long story made short, these games had opened my eyes to a new musical world and I for one am glad I picked up an actual guitar. These also sharpened my musical taste so I know what type of music I like. I could search these bands and see what type of music and see what others bands are similar or what other bands were good in the same genre.

These games are not bad things.

[moses132049]

they spelled "practising" wrong.
what the hell some people aren't good enough to play a real instrument, so they play rock bad and guitar hero. i play guitar and i play rock band, rock band is fun to play when i dont feel like playing my guitar, there's nothing wrong with that. and without guitar hero 2 i probably never would have heard yyz by rush and never would have gotten into my favorite band, so guitar hero rules and these old farts shoulnt be criticizing it

[Eidred]

moses132049 wrote:

they spelled "practising" wrong.
what the hell some people aren't good enough to play a real instrument, so they play rock bad and guitar hero. i play guitar and i play rock band, rock band is fun to play when i dont feel like playing my guitar, there's nothing wrong with that. and without guitar hero 2 i probably never would have heard yyz by rush and never would have gotten into my favorite band, so guitar hero rules and these old farts shoulnt be criticizing it

No, they're not. That is the proper English way to spell practise.

[moses132049]

Eidred wrote:

moses132049 wrote:

they spelled "practising" wrong.
what the hell some people aren't good enough to play a real instrument, so they play rock bad and guitar hero. i play guitar and i play rock band, rock band is fun to play when i dont feel like playing my guitar, there's nothing wrong with that. and without guitar hero 2 i probably never would have heard yyz by rush and never would have gotten into my favorite band, so guitar hero rules and these old farts shoulnt be criticizing it

No, they're not. That is the proper English way to spell practise.

oh, in america its practicing... i think

[Eidred]

It is. Lol I hate American English. I once got marked off on an essay for using 'ise' instead of 'ize' and 'our' instead of 'or', etc.

[b4t3man]

My favourite part of this is how these musicians believe what they think will have any affect on the sales of Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Makes me laugh.

[miketheman401]

sashki wrote:
It's a perfectly valid source of inspiration, though. Tony Hawks Pro Skater always had great music, and that, to an extent, contributed to me wanting to play the guitar.

me too man! by the time i was 12 i learned just about every song of of THPS1 haha

[queenslander47]

glad to see most ppl here accept these games for what they are. just because somebody plays guitar hero doesn't mean that they aren't gonna play the real thing, thats retarded. Its a game, its a way for ppl to find music they may not otherwise find, and it definitely gets certain ppl interested in playing an instrument. not me personally but many of my friends picked up a guitar after playing guitar hero

[FootSwitch]

Rock band made me a fan of the Pixies, I have most of there albums, I'm seeing them twice when they come to New York, and I can't stop playing Kim Deals bass lines. I Don't see anything wrong with it. However I refuse to buy guitar hero 5 since they added Kurt Cobain into it, its just a gimmick to sell it not based on his music he gave to us. Rock Band Beatles feels more of a tribute to there carrier, so i feel its okay to enjoy.

[RUSTDOGG666]

some people dont want to play real guitar. they're just gamers. be one thing if they were interested in it but if they're not then this is the next best thing and people shouldnt be hating on the game if its for that reason.

[vulcan53]

They do have a valid point, however, I was playing guitar before guitar hero ever came out. And even with the more simple layout of the controllers, I still was inspired to pick up my guitar and learn. In fact, guitar hero, like others have said, made me a fan and somewhat a player of songs/artists that I probably would not have listened to.

[Tedward]

These games are making something a lot of people base their lives on into a toy.

So you can look at that statement both ways, personally I would take it as a morally bad thing, for myself as an artist (assuming I made VideoGameWorthy music >_>)

I can imagine the paychecks kick ass though,

[ihavenoname93]

aebers79 wrote:

actually, guitar hero made me want to learn real guitar. if someone wants to learn something, they will. guitarists are just elitists

this. i actually started wanting to play guitar after playing gh2, and opened my eyes to different music. guitar hero doesn't prevent people playing guitar at all.

these guys in the interview are just typical grumpy, set in there way, old men. my respect for them has been halved

[mr_metal121]

hmm i personally dont hate the game just the people that are addicted to it, this game has made millions of posers who think they know good music just cause it's on guitar hero, and they have arguements about what's harder on expert like "i can play satch boogie 100% on expert" it annoys the crap outta me how in depth they go into the game yet once you mention something bout real guitar they're stumped

[Cookie_Dog]

My opinion: It's just a game. It's fun to have around at parties & things, especially if there's alcohol involved! If someone sounds ridiculous geeking out over Thunderhorse on expert, another sounds ridiculous geeking out over boutique amps & complex effects chains.

[tacobellman2007]

Wrong. I can't believe they'd say this stuff.
After I started playing Guitar Hero II, it inspired me to learn how to play guitar. If they had never invented that, I bet I wouldn't be as as I am now.

[Zeerion]

i agree that it doesn't teach you how to play the real thing, but at least it turns more people to REAL music & not that shit cramming the airwaves. & if they at least listen to REAL music, then that's all right with me.

[dudeitseskie]

I'm not a fan of guitar hero or rock band. I feel they discourage people from picking up a real guitar. Also a lot of people say it introduces them to music that they might have never heard of; who the f**k hasn't heard any rolling stones songs. Another thing that im upset about is trying to find a music video or a cover of any song thats on Guitar Hero and finding "Metallica - One 100% on expert!!!!!1!"

[Ibzman]

Amen to the legends. I hate these games.

[DontFightTheFoo]

The amount of comments these things get campared to comments on album or gear reviews make me sad.

Anyway, RG and GH is a party game. It's supposed to be fun for everybody. I'm pretty sure Dance Dance revolution or...Parrapa the Rapper (ah, nostalgia) had no intentions to make kids not try the real thing. If anything, it encouraged them.

[ndschroede23]

mr_metal121 wrote:

hmm i personally dont hate the game just the people that are addicted to it, this game has made millions of posers who think they know good music just cause it's on guitar hero, and they have arguements about what's harder on expert like "i can play satch boogie 100% on expert" it annoys the crap outta me how in depth they go into the game yet once you mention something bout real guitar they're stumped

That reminds of the time that I was talking to a bunch of guys about football, and then I brought up equestrians and they were all stumped. Then I remembered that they're two separate, exclusive things that have little in common.

[ndschroede23]

Eidred wrote:

All of you, stop hopping on the bandwagon of defending GH. I know many of you are doing just that.

They have some merit in what they are saying. To say it doesn't take time away from someone's ability to learn a real instrument is ridiculous. If they're playing GH, obviously it is TAKING TIME AWAY, because they're not on that guitar. Now, saying it does this to ALL kids is wrong, but if you can't see that many people do get so wrapped up in this game that they don't take time to learn their real instrument, then you're all ****ing stupid and need a lesson in critical thinking.

Eidred, how many times have you commented on this article? Maybe you should have used that time instead to improve your guitar-playing skills. Or, maybe, you can be a reasonable human being and recognize that people are allowed to divide their time between different things. You play guitar to entertain yourself. Other people play Guitar Hero or Rock Band to do what? Why do you think people play it?

If your main concern in this issue is little kids threatening your musical dominance by saying they're better than you because they can 5* a GH song, maybe you're playing guitar for the wrong reasons.

[satchboogieman]

rolling stones had an ex guitarist? and then why do they have a song in gh3? hahahaha

[satchboogieman]

ndschroede23 wrote:

Eidred wrote:

All of you, stop hopping on the bandwagon of defending GH. I know many of you are doing just that.

They have some merit in what they are saying. To say it doesn't take time away from someone's ability to learn a real instrument is ridiculous. If they're playing GH, obviously it is TAKING TIME AWAY, because they're not on that guitar. Now, saying it does this to ALL kids is wrong, but if you can't see that many people do get so wrapped up in this game that they don't take time to learn their real instrument, then you're all ****ing stupid and need a lesson in critical thinking.

Eidred, how many times have you commented on this article? Maybe you should have used that time instead to improve your guitar-playing skills. Or, maybe, you can be a reasonable human being and recognize that people are allowed to divide their time between different things. You play guitar to entertain yourself. Other people play Guitar Hero or Rock Band to do what? Why do you think people play it?

If your main concern in this issue is little kids threatening your musical dominance by saying they're better than you because they can 5* a GH song, maybe you're playing guitar for the wrong reasons.

+ 99999

[limpidgreen345]

I think we've all learned a valuable lesson today.

Good grief, this is far beyond the point of diminishing returns.

[Ghostmaker]

Who am I to tell anyone what they should or shouldn't be entertained by? People have fun playing their games, and that's what matters to them. I'm far more entertained by a real guitar, because it is my PASSION, and nobody can tell me what I'm doing is wrong. If someone doesn't have the dedication to learn a real instrument, and can settle for the video game substitute, good on them, because the worst musician is the one who has no passion to learn.

[Mr. Skull]

RUSTDOGG666 wrote:

some people dont want to play real guitar. they're just gamers. be one thing if they were interested in it but if they're not then this is the next best thing and people shouldnt be hating on the game if its for that reason.

well those people obviously have no bearing on this topic whatsoever, and you clearly aren't one of them, so why the hell defend them like that??

[hendrix n page]

WOAH look at all the comments...
I have to agree with them i really find guitar hero stupid.
with the amount of shit about guitar hero on this site i'm wondering where the guitar hero walkthroughs are

[Vredesbyrd23]

chickenfoot wrote:

Very true what they say
but these games also introduce kids to other styles of music and bands they probably never have heard of

yeah but then you get a bunch of people running around in slayer shirts only knowing one song that they heard of through guitar hero, and too many people just take things how they are, and are lead to think that Dragonforce are the most talented band in the world and then they won't shut u about them an stuff.

[PortgasDRoy7]

haha, well thats less competition for my generation > and more fans so it works out for me

[Kung-Fu-Kai]

I dont see why they are offended by the GH and RB franchises, sure they do take people away from playing real instruments but there is a difference between the purposes of playing games and playing musical intruments.

I mean I play guitar, but I am also into video games, including the Guitar Hero series (I'm getting #5 for Christmas or something like that).

So just because some high profile guys are angry dosent mean you need to be. I really comes down to your own opinion and just stick to it (unless theres something wrong with it).

I actually have to thank the Guitar Hero franchise, since the game itself got me interested into playing guitar, so just a couple months I got Guitar Hero 3 I bought a real guitar (with an amp, strings, picks etc) and started playing!

Keep on Rocking!

Kai =)

[-xCaMRocKx-]

bobbyk1978 wrote:

The Rolling Stones didn't condemn the games, ONE FORMER MEMBER condemned them.

Exactly, misleading title is misleading.

[TC1223]

How do they know that this game won't actually inspire people to try the real thing? and vice versa. it's all meaningless. The point is, some people have aspirations and some are lazy shit heads. That's it.

[sfaune92]

The games' not that great.
But no need to bash them!

It encourage them to like real music, and start to play a instruments sometime.

[jammy827]

thats is stupid. but i can see where he is coming from. kids think they are like king of the hill on guitar hero then they play a real guitar and they get a shock. but i dissagree, i know alot of people that now play guitar thanks to guitar hero and rock band as it exposes people to new music.

[soilworker6661]

"Most people try to learn an instrument at some point in their lives, and almost all of them quit after a few months or a year or two. This, I think, is because the earliest years of learning an instrument are the least gratifying.
i totally agree with this statement the first couple of months trying to learn guitar were grueling but after a while i started to enjoy the guitar to this day (i've been playing for almost 6 years) and i will admit that rock band/guitarhero did inspire me at times where i was about to quit playing.

[salival111]

guitar hero sold out anyway and is really lame compared to the first 2 ones. and they don't want people learning real instruments because it would take time away from the game.

[jcarrig]

way i see it is this: i've got a friend who has tried to learn guitar, thought it was too hard, stopped. picked up guitar hero, played it for a while, had fun learning a lot about the rhythm of music and coordinating left and right hands, and now finds playing normal guitar a bit easier and is learning faster. theres two sides to everything. the games work for and against people picking up instruments almost equally, so its a stupid argument.

[zeppedled]

For someone like me who plays guitar, and the drums its a cool change of pace to play something that only requires a few hours of practice to become a virtuoso with as opposed to 9 years of guitar where i know even now i have so many more years ahead of improvement. This game can deter children to begin with, however it gives them an opportunity to see more than what the radio stations play in respect to music, and in turn it turns them on to a wider window of music. With that being said it can also take children's minds to a new level of ambition to learn the real instrument. but as a downside it can deter them when they try cause the real thing is not nearly as simple as a few buttons or drum pads on the rockband version.

[Tominator_1991]

wow, i bet if his kids picked up guitar hero he wouldnt be saddened to the point where he whinges online

this is just flamer - peddling

[Melvin7727]

@ Eidred:
I agree with everything you have said on this subject.

i agree, with some variances, but agree nonetheless.

i play guitar hero and it isn't as satisfying as playing guitar.

i masturbate and it isn't as satisfying as real sex.

but masturbation isn't over commercialized like guitar hero.

I will quote you on this for years to come my friend.

[Idiot_Son]

yet another couple of washed up rock stars trying to stay relevant. how much did they get paid for this. its just nonsense.

[Idiot_Son]

the kids who spend all their time playing GH were never gonna play real guitar or they would be already idiots

[Stevie B]

the only reason i started playing guitar was because of guitar hero and how awesome it made me feel playing a bit of plastic, so i busted out a real guitar and it felt better !

[Purple_Tears156]

i see where nick and bill are coming from and i respect their opinion.
on one hand, kids might play this game because its kinda new and people know what kids are like with video games.
one the other hand, it might stop people from learning real instruments.

i have most guitar hero games at the moment but i also play electric guitar so no one can really tell me that i am being hypocritical, the reason being, i play both.

[Rab13]

guitar is guitar and guitar hero is guitar hero, they are completely different. i say its perfectly fine to play guitar hero as a guitarist. yes its not as fun,but people can get the hang of it in 30 mins and it avoids the embarressment of humiliating my friends.

[UberElixir]

Just let people have their fun, if you enjoy playing guitar and take music seriously; Great
If you enjoy playing Rockband or Guitar Hero and you don't take music as seriously; Great
People should be allowed to do what they enjoy.

[masterofinsanit]

I started electric guitar lessons before those games become popular in Greece, but i believe those games are both good and bad, because kids learn about rock music, but in the other hand they don't want to learn to play music instruments because they already have the "sense" how to be a rock stars, and video games are cheaper from an real guitar!!!

P.S.: its Alex(andros) Rigόpulos not Alex Rigopulas, his Greek!!

[Bowl]

i don't agree with this, because i started playing the guitar AFTER i first played guitar hero III and it hasn't deterred me from my instruments

[ginger ninja102]

i play those games cause they fun they didnt inspire me to start guitar i started long before id even played or heard of them and while the game has shown me songs ive grown to like you only have to go on yoou tube and kids playing the games gets wholly crap your awesome where kids playing actuall guitar get man you suck you hacked it you didnt do that lier its shit and the thing i hate the most is they brought back hendrix from the dead on world tour which is stupid made him look like a stoner which is ****ed and has caused me to never play that or any other type of it again

[miskatsu]

chickenfoot wrote:

Very true what they say
but these games also introduce kids to other styles of music and bands they probably never have heard of

Smileyspencer wrote:

come on now i play both and if you really want to its not that hard to play they shouldntve said that cause if you really want to its easy

These two are good comments. I started playing guitar because of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. You people can say whatever you like, but there is nothing wrong with Guitar Heroes or Rock Bands. Guitar Hero III has changed my world totally!

[tom1thomas1]

if they want to see what's on the other side of the wall, listen to some pros and that should be good enough

[Aussie_Warrior]

All I see are a bunch of old men trying to get attention.

[Feel bad inc.]

MulletGuy wrote:

That's a ludicrous thing to say from one party involved.

The Rolling Stones have had alot of involvement in many of Guitar Hero and Rock Band's recent releases. That's just idiotic for them to suddenly condemn these brand of games.

Fact is, if kids want to play a real instrument, they will. If they're not quite wanting to pursue a career in the music industry, they'll play a video game that can to some minor degree emulate the sensation.

If these games DO anything, it's introduce younger generations to music they'd never usually listen to. So Rolling Stones, if every fan is important - you'd surely sooner thank these games than condemn them, cause you've benefitted from them.

Jerks.

its a former member of the band actually... I doubt he'd have much say in the process

[Slapfunkah]

Always with the god damn GH negativity. Anyone who insults this game is a total douchebag. Its just a goddamn game. The fact that musicians even bring it up with actual instruments is just god damn ridiculous.

[dognoisefile]

I hate to say it but whoever has seen the Guitar Queero episode of South Park hit it right on. You can play any of the songs from any guitar hero game on real guitar to a 12 or 13 year old and they'll go "oh that's fine. but can you get the high score on expert on the game?". It's not the people who play it as a game, there's just way too many people and kids who take it way too seriously and think its a real impressive feat that they beat the game on expert.

I've been a musician for 4 years now, I'm seventeen and I started playing guitar long before guitar hero. Games are fun and all, but when it comes to music, the real thing is a 150% more rewarding, they never mention that in these games do they?

[prleLTD]

i wanted to play guitar 4 all my life ironicaly i played gh 1 month i had pirate version i deleted it and bought real guitar

[ndschroede23]

Eidred wrote:

I should make a list of people who got "inspired" to play a guitar by GH. That way if you get famous if you lie about how you got started playing I can come on and go "NOOOOO he got started on GH!"

And that's what is saddening. People don't respect real musicians, they respect this plastic ****in toy on a TV screen. They are inspired by 3D renderings instead of actual musicians, musicians they never heard of or respected until a stupid game told them about them.

I ask you guys, why should we respect a game like this? To me it seems a mockery of the art of the guitar. "Haha look at me I can play this song that took months of love and creativity to compose, and I'm better than you because I can do it on this stupid game on expert" is the attitude that many people have. It commercialises bands and their music(now the bands allowing the crap on there is their fault, but still) There's no dedication, no creativity, nothing. Just taking someone ELSE'S hard work and making it seem like nothing because of five buttons on a plastic toy. It's a prostitution of music in my opinion, which is commonplace now days.

Eidred wrote:

Got to love how people took all of that seriously. I don't give two shits about GH or who plays it :P

Oh sure, I always comment 47 times on things I don't care about. STFU Eidred, no one's taking you seriously anymore.

[Stian16]

Guitar hero (the first game) really opened my eyes for how awesome guitar is. So I started playing real guitar after that, and have played almost every day since. Those old men are just afraid of new things. Just like every old people.

[Jonesy033]

You do get the odd annoying kid who thinks being good at Guitar Hero is more impressive than being good at real guitar or whatever but most people realise it's just a game to play for fun and it's not the thing that's stopping them learning a real instrument.

[I is be sexy]

To everyone saying that this game deters people from getting good at real guitar: is that really who you want making the music of the next generation? People who are in it for cheap thrills and bragging rights? I say if anyone stopped playing guitar because of guitar hero, They weren't really into playing guitar. Don't know if anyone's already said this or not, I don't feel like reading all those comments.

[Shazwazza]

So I was on Xbox Live today and there was some downloadable content for Guitar Hero 5, It was the Rolling Stones Live track pack

[BigPaws]

I own Guitar Hero on Wii and X-box 360. I have all but the new version. I am a professional musician and do not play the game, my girl does. I enjoy watching people play it but I have no desire to. There are some good points being made about time invested in a wanna be guitar. If those individuals really wanted to learn the real thing then they probably would or at least try. When I hear a song my fingers react to it in scales, arpeggios and chords not in blue, red, yellow. So for me it would be counterproductive not entertaining. There really are not any parallels to the game and real life in the ability sense, as I have a 4 Handicap in golf but I can shoot 20 under par on Tiger Woods 2010 on my PS3.

[BigPaws]

Also the Bands the ones that have not had an edition or songs on the game maybe? They can use any of my music

[piggyback101]

I disagree with them. I played guitar hero for a while and it was one of the the biggest things that pushed me to pick up a guitar. True it can make kids not want to play real guitar, but it can alos have the oppisite effect.

[Eidred]

ndschroede23 wrote:

Eidred wrote:

I should make a list of people who got "inspired" to play a guitar by GH. That way if you get famous if you lie about how you got started playing I can come on and go "NOOOOO he got started on GH!"

And that's what is saddening. People don't respect real musicians, they respect this plastic ****in toy on a TV screen. They are inspired by 3D renderings instead of actual musicians, musicians they never heard of or respected until a stupid game told them about them.

I ask you guys, why should we respect a game like this? To me it seems a mockery of the art of the guitar. "Haha look at me I can play this song that took months of love and creativity to compose, and I'm better than you because I can do it on this stupid game on expert" is the attitude that many people have. It commercialises bands and their music(now the bands allowing the crap on there is their fault, but still) There's no dedication, no creativity, nothing. Just taking someone ELSE'S hard work and making it seem like nothing because of five buttons on a plastic toy. It's a prostitution of music in my opinion, which is commonplace now days.

Eidred wrote:

Got to love how people took all of that seriously. I don't give two shits about GH or who plays it :P

Oh sure, I always comment 47 times on things I don't care about. STFU Eidred, no one's taking you seriously anymore.

Hmm. Pretty sure that's the point.

[BigPaws]

Car jacking people on Grand Theft Auto IV is just not the same as it is in real life.

[MedicalHouse]

Come on people, it's just for fun. Besides, less "real guitarists" means less competition for those who do have a passionate interest in learning guitar. Odds are GH freaks who don't ever pick up a guitar never would have anyway. Who's loss? Their own. I don't think anyone needs to get so worked up over whether or not video games are having an effect on the number of people playing actual instruments. People who are passionate about music will not be deterred by a video game, and people who just want to have fun playing a video game will continue to do that. And if Nick Mason wants his kids to **** off with the guitar hero, then he should be doing his job as a parent rather than bitching about popular video games. I'm sure he's just pissed off because Pink Floyd isn't making any money off these games....yet...

[PuRs3l]

Guitar Hero II is actually the reason i started playing guitar. I got sick of pressin buttons and wanted to do the real thing.

[evening_crow]

MulletGuy wrote:

That's a ludicrous thing to say from one party involved.

The Rolling Stones have had alot of involvement in many of Guitar Hero and Rock Band's recent releases. That's just idiotic for them to suddenly condemn these brand of games.

Fact is, if kids want to play a real instrument, they will. If they're not quite wanting to pursue a career in the music industry, they'll play a video game that can to some minor degree emulate the sensation.

If these games DO anything, it's introduce younger generations to music they'd never usually listen to. So Rolling Stones, if every fan is important - you'd surely sooner thank these games than condemn them, cause you've benefitted from them.

Jerks.

Bitches gotta stop whining cuz they haven't gotten an exclusive game offer.

hehe...

[Irish Bassist]

i tried guitar hero once,couldnt play it.i just stick to the bass.i can see why some people say that guitar hero stops people playing real instruments.but that does not mean they cant play gh and a real instruments.

[vteckid]

I play Guitar Hero, own 5 guitars, and a have a few thousand dollars worth of equipment. Honestly I think real guitar is easier, unless of course your talking about easy mode. In my opinion I think these games are great. They are perfect for building coordination and introducing kids to the world of music. You simply can't expect every one who plays the game to pick up the real thing. If your a gamer your just going to game. I play because I love video games. Honestly nothing can ever replace the feeling of holding a quality instrument and creating music.

[redisni]

I think that they gotta stop being all butt-hurt.

"It irritates me having watched my kids do it - if they spent as much time practising the guitar as learning how to press the buttons they'd be damn good by now."

Maybe those kids aren't into music? And he's pushing them to do something they don't like? Or maybe the kids owned his ass on GH. It's just retarded.

I can only imagine the Stones or Pink Floyd saying 20 years ago on some music magazine:

Ex-Rolling Stones guitarist Bill Wyman and Pink Floyd star Nick Mason have attacked the style know as AIR GUITAR for deterring youngsters from picking up real instruments. "It encourages kids not to learn, that's the trouble.It makes less and less people dedicated to really get down and learn an instrument. I think is a pity so I'm not really keen on that kind of stuff."

[edinfang]

Am I the only one that agrees with them?

[guitar_lvr]

Aren't most all videogames pretty evil in this sense? If kids aren't playing guitar hero they'll get addicted to some other brain-killing game like halo, or crack. Kids will always waste their time.

I play guitar 2-3 hours a day but I also get wasted for about 3 hours every night.

[jamiemc1]

Or maybe the kids owned his ass on GH

lol

I have to disagree with them because if it wasn't for guitar hero 3 i probably never would have even considered pickin up guitar which would be really bad cos i love mi guitar

[zimperial]

Eidred wrote:

zimperial wrote:

I believe in Harmonix's words and there cause. I believe that Rock Band is a good way for kids to really get intimate with their instruments, during their learning experiences or even before them. I had a drum set when I was 10, but I wasn't confident in my ability to play very well. As soon as Rock Band came out 3 years after, I got on it and started doing very well. In only 2 months after I played it once, I had already moved onto expert tier songs and levels of the game, and got back up on the drumset. I played very basic stuff originally, but then I started listening to the RB songs again, as well as harder songs I listen to on my iPod, like Rush, Dream Theater, and Mudvayne. Now I've acquired a band I've played in for 2 years, and am still progressing to create music with them, even while being at college at the other side of the country (studying music).

And now if you get famous when asked how you got your start your truthful answer would have to be "Rock Band"...embarassing IMO.

Lol, that's my plan

checked..

[GNRAGE_2010]

scithe37 wrote:

"When people play Rock Band, however, they very quickly get a glimpse of the rewards that lie on the other side of the wall.
I guess this part makes sense, I just hate how some kids think guitar hero is harder than guitar. Thats my big problem with this game.

Well in some cases it can be harder than real guitar because with guitar hero there are some songs where you have to play a string of notes and hit every note with a button where on guitar it is more of less a chord form with the left hand and picking on different strings with the right hand. A good example is Snow by RHCP in rock band. playing the main riff in rock band consists of having to hit all of the notes with the buttons where in real life your left hand doesn't have to move as much and it's mainly just different chord forms with the left hand. This only applies to people who already play guitar though

[bergice]

Finally someone on my side!

I agree with them so much...
It annoys me all those peeps that think they are so pro cause they can push those 5 colored buttons, i find it disgusting.

[yougotdied]

Everyone saying how much you hate GH or RB shouldn't because its either because you tried to play and sucked, or you decided to hop on the hater bandwagon because its the cooler thing to do, and not have ever even tried it.
I used to listed to hiphop (lol) then i played GH1 at my friends house, and i was like "omg this is fun" so i bought it for mysellf, and im a expert player who can 5 star every song, and fc most of them too. Im also in a REAL band, i play bass, and occasionally guitar, which ive been playing for 3 years. Muse is my favorite band, which i discovered in GH3. People who think it DOESNT expand your personal library of music arent always right, i have Muse's entire discography.
BRB, ima go play GH5

[KurdtStaley]

I don't think the games really matter too much. Everyone points to the games as being good or bad but they're neither really. It's the users which are good or bad. Most people don't have the patience or determination to learn real guitar. Most people are completely worthless. If they want to play GH or RB I could care less. It's not like it's going to prevent users from picking up a real instrument.
It's my personal opinion that anyone who would rather play a guitar emulation video game than an actual guitar is completely worthless, but that still has nothing to do with the game of GH. GH is simply supplying the market demand for all the losers who can only enjoy an activity that is heavily handicapped and takes little time to learn.

[KurdtStaley]

Also if you need a video game to force feed you good music, you're probably completely worthless. I'd rather not have some corporation choosing music I actually like to feed to all the sheep. They'd like any shit with a melody, so I'd rather not have them making something I like the fad of the year for all the losers.

[Root Beer]

Love Nick Mason, but gotta disagree with him here. I learned real guitar before I played Guitar Hero, and the friend that initially showed me the game later started taking lessons from me. Now, I'm not going to be stereotypical and say it ALWAYS encourages, but a large percentage of the people I personally know have been inspired to play an instrument BECAUSE of Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

[Aerokizzombie]

I agree to a point.

I have a little bit of a problem with the games, but my only big problem is the people who think that being good at the game means something, and even worse if they think it means more playing a fast song on guitar hero than a slow song on guitar

[Aeromaiden2195]

scithe37 wrote:

"When people play Rock Band, however, they very quickly get a glimpse of the rewards that lie on the other side of the wall.

I know my younger cousin was playing master of puppets on guitar hero and hes says to me "dude this song is so hard, its probably harder to play on guitar hero then real guitar" and im like wtf

I guess this part makes sense, I just hate how some kids think guitar hero is harder than guitar. Thats my big problem with this game.