Enough Already: Fun and Games Pt. 2
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A blogumn by Jordan Weeks
Rock Band and Guitar Hero: Post-Modern Harbingers of Absolute Social, Cultural, Emotional, and Economic Paralysis, or Just Bad, Unclean Fun?”
“Do you know what a Luddite is? That’s a person who doesn’t like newfangled contraptions. Contraptions like nuclear submarines armed with Poseidon missiles that have H-bombs in their warheads, and like computers that cheat you out of becoming. Bill Gates says, ‘Wait till you can see what your computer can become.’ But it’s you who should be doing the becoming. What you can become is the miracle you were born to work—not the damn fool computer.”
— Kurt Vonnegut, “Knowing What’s Nice” (In These Times, November 6, 2003)
Don’t hate the player, hate the game. (And the player. A little bit.)
I kid. (A little bit.)
But listen, this is no joke. Rock Band and Guitar Hero are not harmless, or even merely time-stealing, video games. They are social and cultural impedimenta and microcosms of a larger problem, which seems bigger and bigger with each passing year (and with each incompatible gaming-component upgrade). It’s like an across-the-board “programming” (for lack of a better term) of Americans, Westerners in general, and folks elsewhere who have or will soon get video games, to be comfortable with what could be perceived, by someone given to such bold skepticism, as a corporate-planned move away from manual involvement in activities of all kinds and toward button-pushing “virtual” versions of these activities, wherein the human element of interaction with other people, or with oneself and, say, an instrument, or a canvas, or a pen and a piece of paper, are replaced with mouse or touchpad controls and button-pushing. Imagine a world where this could…oh, right; that is our world.
There is arguably strong encouragement from the U.S. marketplace, to get people to be not only comfortable with pushing four or five buttons to “play” a song in Guitar Hero or Rock Band, but actually to desperately WANT to push those few buttons rather than learn how to play the same songs on a real musical instrument – which, I propose, can and will likely supplant the very human desire to play a real instrument, or participate in any number of other real activities.
I submit that developing an “expanded” “relationship” with music with Rock Band or Guitar Hero, before or instead of doing so with a real instrument, will diminish one’s interest in learning a real instrument (because the person in question can already “play” the song, even though he’s nowhere near being able to play it), and could actually affect (i.e. interfere with) the game-player’s capacity to think on a real instrument, should he or she decide to play one in the future, as “successfully” playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero has absolutely nothing to do with the manual facility, dexterity, or technique of playing a real instrument (to say nothing of the feel of playing such an instrument).
(An “exception” may be the Rock Band and Guitar Hero drum-sets, which apparently require the player to approach the included pads in a way that seems to approximate how one might play a real drum-set, although the player seems limited insofar as his ability to customize the “kit”’s set-up; the pads seem to be arranged in one fixed way, and that’s how you have to play them. Which, in addition to being other things, is just complete bullshit.)
I feel like these two games actually distance players from music rather than draw them closer to it, because with these games, the player doesn’t have to learn how to replicate the music he or she is listening to note-for-note, or even interpretively, as often happens when one is figuring-out a song (especially when doing so by ear). Such occasional “human error” in listening allows the real-instrument player to play the song as he or she HEARS it. And the mere possibility of “mis”-hearing and “mis”-playing a song on a real instrument, which can often lead to greater instrumental facility, harmonic development, and creative problem-solving, is completely ABSENT in the Rock Band or Guitar Hero experience.
I mean, if you’re already a musician, if you already play a real instrument of some kind, then go nuts; play the shit out of Rock Band or Guitar Hero. But I have yet to meet anyone who dedicatedly plays an actual instrument, professionally or otherwise, who has any interest whatsoever in playing either of these video games.
Before it’s too late, do something real. Play something real. Make mistakes. Make some real noise. Live a real life, for the fuckkking love of God.
[Ed. note: Please be aware that Mr. Weeks is not a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist, nor any kind of behavioral expert or authority of any kind. He just hates these video games.]
Next Time: Commercials endorsing high-fructose corn-syrup from…the U.S. corn lobby? Wait a minute…
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Although your points are valid, I do have to argue that the existence of these games are exposing today’s youth to a wide variety of music that they would never listen to – much less enjoy – otherwise. In a world of Fall Out Boys and Fergies, I wonder if kids that aren’t playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero would ever find themselves listening and possibly even becoming fans of David Bowie, Deep Purple, Rolling Stones, and other classic artists featured in these games. It’s a boon for the artists, and a positive influence on the kids.
Of course, I’m not a licensed psychaitrist or behavioral expert. I just love the crap out of these games.
Although your points are valid, I do have to argue that the existence of these games are exposing today’s youth to a wide variety of music that they would never listen to – much less enjoy – otherwise. In a world of Fall Out Boys and Fergies, I wonder if kids that aren’t playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero would ever find themselves listening and possibly even becoming fans of David Bowie, Deep Purple, Rolling Stones, and other classic artists featured in these games. It’s a boon for the artists, and a positive influence on the kids.
Of course, I’m not a licensed psychaitrist or behavioral expert. I just love the crap out of these games.
I agree with Suzy’s points. I doubt that kids would still be listening to classic rock (a personal fave) if not for GH and Rockband.
But another defense that I wanted to point out for people like me. I tried to learn a couple of instruments when I was younger, and I just don’t have the capacity for it. Never could get beyond “On Top of Old Smokey” on the piano — and it took me FOREVER to learn that. So this is a good alternative for people who have no musical talent whatsoever — why should we be left out.
But I do see your point, and I’ll definitely make my future kids sign up for lessons BEFORE i get them Guitar Hero. And if they whine about it, I’ll send them to you, Jordan.
etc
I think the games are just a fun fad. I doubt my kids will even know what guitar hero is. I do agree with Suzy it does introduce music to new people
I think the games are just a fun fad. I doubt my kids will even know what guitar hero is. I do agree with Suzy it does introduce music to new people
Yeah. Well… I couldn’t more strongly disagree that kids “would never listen to – much less enjoy – otherwise” classic rock. If Guitar Hero and Rock Band never existed (O, the glory; would that it were…), kids would do just fine finding it.
Guitar Hero and Rock Band didn’t exist until a few years ago. Yet somehow, throughout the ’80’s and ’90’s kids still managed to discover Hendrix, Bowie, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Frank Zappa, Elton John, T. Rex, Cream, P-Funk… “But it must have been nearly IMPOSSIBLE!” Not at all. It was all totally possible. In fact, it was, and continues to be, inevitable.
One example: “The Led Zeppelin Phenomenon”
Every kid who has any involved interest in rock music seems to get into Led Zeppelin somewhere around 7th grade. Either Zeppelin or AC/DC, or both. I have no idea why (well – it probably has something to do with brain maturation and ability to process or find reward in such sonics, blah, blah, blah; and it’s the threshold between kidhood and teen-/adulthood…). That’s just how it is. It’s like headbanger manifest-destiny. It’s been that way for 30 years, with no “assistance” from Guitar Hero or Rock Band, and I’m sure it’ll be like that for eons to come.
If someone likes playing these games, then he or she likes playing them. Fine. Nobody has to justify having fun playing a video game. But there’s no good, plausible argument for their existence on any kind of social-benefit / musicology / music-history level.
Dinosaur Jr. just made a bunch of songs available on one of these games. And while I’m glad that this may lead to some more people discovering Dinosaur, and that J, Murph, and Lou are getting more richly deserved financial come-uppance, I still think it’s total bullshit, a bold smack in the face to music on a much larger level.
So…I don’t disagree that these games expose kids to bands previously unknown to them. But it’s absurd to suggest that without them kids would likely not ever discover or become dedicated fans of music from previous decades.
The absolute devastation and sloughing-off of sonic integrity and innovation of rock from the ’60’s, ’70’s, and ’80’s (a.k.a. musical cock-blocking) is a job best left to iTunes.
Peace.
Yeah. Well… I couldn’t more strongly disagree that kids “would never listen to – much less enjoy – otherwise” classic rock. If Guitar Hero and Rock Band never existed (O, the glory; would that it were…), kids would do just fine finding it.
Guitar Hero and Rock Band didn’t exist until a few years ago. Yet somehow, throughout the ’80’s and ’90’s kids still managed to discover Hendrix, Bowie, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Frank Zappa, Elton John, T. Rex, Cream, P-Funk… “But it must have been nearly IMPOSSIBLE!” Not at all. It was all totally possible. In fact, it was, and continues to be, inevitable.
One example: “The Led Zeppelin Phenomenon”
Every kid who has any involved interest in rock music seems to get into Led Zeppelin somewhere around 7th grade. Either Zeppelin or AC/DC, or both. I have no idea why (well – it probably has something to do with brain maturation and ability to process or find reward in such sonics, blah, blah, blah; and it’s the threshold between kidhood and teen-/adulthood…). That’s just how it is. It’s like headbanger manifest-destiny. It’s been that way for 30 years, with no “assistance” from Guitar Hero or Rock Band, and I’m sure it’ll be like that for eons to come.
If someone likes playing these games, then he or she likes playing them. Fine. Nobody has to justify having fun playing a video game. But there’s no good, plausible argument for their existence on any kind of social-benefit / musicology / music-history level.
Dinosaur Jr. just made a bunch of songs available on one of these games. And while I’m glad that this may lead to some more people discovering Dinosaur, and that J, Murph, and Lou are getting more richly deserved financial come-uppance, I still think it’s total bullshit, a bold smack in the face to music on a much larger level.
So…I don’t disagree that these games expose kids to bands previously unknown to them. But it’s absurd to suggest that without them kids would likely not ever discover or become dedicated fans of music from previous decades.
The absolute devastation and sloughing-off of sonic integrity and innovation of rock from the ’60’s, ’70’s, and ’80’s (a.k.a. musical cock-blocking) is a job best left to iTunes.
Peace.
I am a mother of four kids and I have to say that some of you seem to be taking this video game thing way to seriuosly. My kids play both of these games and they have a great time playing it. We sometimes will even have Rock Band night at our house and play together as a family. I have teens and I think anything we can do as a family together that they all enjoy is a great thing. We play, we laugh at our screw-ups and we have a great time. My kids certainly do not think they are actually playing an instrument when playing rock band they are just having a good time. My older kids play viola bass and saxaphone and maybe that makes a difference but I think most kids are intelegent enough to know the difference between video game playing and actual playing. Children are very smart! I would also like to say that I would much rather my kids play one of these games instead of something like grand theft auto or other games of that genre.
I am a mother of four kids and I have to say that some of you seem to be taking this video game thing way to seriuosly. My kids play both of these games and they have a great time playing it. We sometimes will even have Rock Band night at our house and play together as a family. I have teens and I think anything we can do as a family together that they all enjoy is a great thing. We play, we laugh at our screw-ups and we have a great time. My kids certainly do not think they are actually playing an instrument when playing rock band they are just having a good time. My older kids play viola bass and saxaphone and maybe that makes a difference but I think most kids are intelegent enough to know the difference between video game playing and actual playing. Children are very smart! I would also like to say that I would much rather my kids play one of these games instead of something like grand theft auto or other games of that genre.
RE: angela’s comments (October 24th, 2008):
Yeah – I don’t think at any point I suggest that kids don’t “know the difference between video game playing and actual playing” with regard to musical instruments and RockBand controllers. I would never make such a stupid suggestion. And, yes – most kids are smart as shit…then they learn what adults expect from them, and then they learn that they only have to be as smart as they need or want to be. Sometimes this is still as smart as shit; sometimes it’s not. But that’s neither here nor there.
Maybe I didn’t make myself clear with any of the 800 words I used in the original piece, or the 800-plus words that I used in my previous comments-reply post, but I’m talking about a whole batch of stuff, and that’s not in there anywhere. I’m suggesting, again, that kids who start playing these two horrible, shitty “games” at a very young age, or any age at which they have not begun to play a real instrument (which, obviously, not all kids do), it affects how they hear and listen to music, and that the way people who don’t play actual instruments but DO play Guitar Hero or Rock Band hear and listen to music actually DISSERVICES any interest or inclination that such game-only-playing people have with regard to playing a real instrument. That’s all.
Also, I know this is the internet and everything, but if you really want to tell everyone who’s reading this that your kids are “intelegent” enough to know the difference between the real world and a video-game (which I’m certainly not disputing), you might want to spell-check “intelegent”. Or you could just play some more Rock Band or Guitar Hero. Which is what I recommend.
Peace.
RE: angela’s comments (October 24th, 2008):
Yeah – I don’t think at any point I suggest that kids don’t “know the difference between video game playing and actual playing” with regard to musical instruments and RockBand controllers. I would never make such a stupid suggestion. And, yes – most kids are smart as shit…then they learn what adults expect from them, and then they learn that they only have to be as smart as they need or want to be. Sometimes this is still as smart as shit; sometimes it’s not. But that’s neither here nor there.
Maybe I didn’t make myself clear with any of the 800 words I used in the original piece, or the 800-plus words that I used in my previous comments-reply post, but I’m talking about a whole batch of stuff, and that’s not in there anywhere. I’m suggesting, again, that kids who start playing these two horrible, shitty “games” at a very young age, or any age at which they have not begun to play a real instrument (which, obviously, not all kids do), it affects how they hear and listen to music, and that the way people who don’t play actual instruments but DO play Guitar Hero or Rock Band hear and listen to music actually DISSERVICES any interest or inclination that such game-only-playing people have with regard to playing a real instrument. That’s all.
Also, I know this is the internet and everything, but if you really want to tell everyone who’s reading this that your kids are “intelegent” enough to know the difference between the real world and a video-game (which I’m certainly not disputing), you might want to spell-check “intelegent”. Or you could just play some more Rock Band or Guitar Hero. Which is what I recommend.
Peace.