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Do You Support Musical Video Games?

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BassPlayer
  • Authority 199
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BassPlayer said:

Recently, video game companies have been creating video games that simulate playing real music on virtual instruments. Games include Rock Band, Guitar Hero, SingStar, and DrumMania. Some people think these games are wastes of time and that children should be learning real instruments rather than sitting in front of a TV pretending to play.

As a player who is good (IMO, lol) at two real instruments, I believe that these games are fun and spread knowledge of good music, thusly I support them. I applaud companies such as Harmonix that create these games, which encourage people to learn to play actual instruments. And anyway, the games are a good way to have fun with some friends. :)

Agree with my opinion? Disagree?

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  • Posted 4 months ago.
lechuck
  • Authority 545
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lechuck agreed:

I totally agree. While these games wont teach anyone how to actually play an instrument, it will help with two things:

1. It helps get you attuned with using both hands. Co-ordination; strumming and hitting the chords at the same time takes practice and it really does help. Plus if you get good at the game, you get fast with the fingers.

2. Like you said, Bass, it spreads knowledge and is often the first step to someone wanting to learn the guitar, or drums, or bass, or whatever they decide to play.

Plus, the games are rockin’ and a ton of fun especially at parties!

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  • Posted 4 months ago.
oLahav
  • Authority 711
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oLahav agreed:

I agree with the two of you. The games open people up to rock, which is important. Also, it helps develop hand-eye coordination and a sense of rhythm in kids.

Personally I don’t like them much just because I’m awful at them (that and DDR, I hate DDR). I still haven’t tried the singing one (is there a singing one?), but I’d like to.

On the other hand, there are some problems with the games. The main one I can think of is that it can create some misconception of what real playing is like, and that can deter potential players. Also, it sort of pushes rock into what can be perceived as a shallow sort of environment when you get kids playing guitar hero and think that’s what rock is really about.

But then, it’s a fun game, who cares.

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  • Posted 3 months ago.
BassPlayer
  • Authority 199
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BassPlayer agreed:

oLahv, singstar is a game for singing, but Rock Band and Rock Band 2 each feature singing. It’s my best instrument on Rock Band, lol. Bet you can’t beat my scores :p.

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  • Posted 3 months ago.
oLahav
  • Authority 711
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oLahav disagreed:

You know what, I’m changing my opinion.

My little sister just got herself that DS thing with the new portable guitar hero or whatever it is, and it’s driving me nuts. Not only am I awful at it (not my fault, the setup makes no sense compared to a real guitar), she’s playing it all the time and it’s got only a very few decent songs (plus a few annoying covers of good songs), so it’s really been grinding my gears.

My sister doesn’t appreciate the music at all either, it’s just like a portable version of DDR for her, and the DDR music is just plain laughable, so I find it quite degrading to real rock.

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  • Posted 3 months ago.
lucyinthesky
  • Authority 665
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lucyinthesky disagreed:

I support musical video games because their intention is to entertain, not to educate. And they are successful in doing so, considering they are so popular. But perhaps the time spent learning to play these games could be more useful in learning these actual instruments…

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  • Posted 3 months ago.
chandra_avinash
  • Authority 515
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chandra_avinash agreed:

Games might build hand-eye coordination, but they wont come close to that required for playing a real instrument.

But still, if it were not for games like GuitarHero, kids would never get to know about Jimmy Page, Hendrix, etc. I would actually like to play one of these sometime soon – I wonder what’s more difficult – the real deal of playing with feeling or the hand eye coordination with nerves of steel. Sounds fun though.

\../ Maiden Maiden Maiden \../

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  • Posted 2 months ago.
lechuck
  • Authority 545
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lechuck agreed with:
chandra_avinash
chandra_avinash’s post:
Citation Body

Games might build hand-eye coordination, but they wont come close to that required for playing a real instrument.

But still, if it were not for games like GuitarHero, kids would never get to know about Jimmy Page, Hendrix, etc. I would actually like to play one of these sometime soon – I wonder what’s more difficult – the real deal of playing with feeling or the hand eye coordination with nerves of steel. Sounds fun though.

\../ Maiden Maiden Maiden \../

I don’t think the point of Guitar Hero and related musical games is to teach people to play a real instrument. There is a big difference between 5 fret buttons and a board full of 20 frets and strings.

I agree with Lucy in the fact it’s meant to entertain and it does that, really well. It also allows the currently generation to enjoy bands like Hendrix, Bowie, Alice Cooper, and the rest of the great classics, like you said Avinash.

What it also does is gives the rock n’ roll spirit to anyone who plays it and in turn they start having the bug to play an instrument. I know a lot of people who started playing the Guitar, Drums, or even the Violin after rocking out in Guitar Hero for hours straight. Though, they do get frustrated pretty easy… you can learn Guitar Hero in a matter of hours, not so much a real instrument. Haha.

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  • Posted 2 months ago.
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