So I guess these games tap into the same part of the primate brain that causes people to play air guitar. In this case, though, instead of doing nothing but jumping around looking like an idiot, you’re actually doing something. You’re not making music, but you’re doing something that feels a hell of a lot more like it than air guitar. Is that about right?
It is my understanding that in Rock Star, that’s exactly what happens. If you are playing well, and your bandmate flubs his notes, or throws his drumstick across the room, you can activate a special temporary mode called “Star Power” that makes up for that. But only if you’re doing well.
And of course, by having a group play mode, it becomes a whole other experience. As different as playing HALO on single player, as opposed to a room full of folks having a frag-fest.
Only a matter of time before someone figures out that they’ve already got the intrumentation and instruments, why not add in the ability to freestyle and record it. I guarantee this is coming.
Add me to the list of those who thought GH would be a complete waste of time…then played it (reluctantly at a friends house) and got addicted. I ended up buying my first game console since Intellivision just so I could play at home.
It’s fun to rock out, even if it’s pretend.
[QUOTE=acsenray]
Having actually played music, I’d say, no that’s not what playing music is like at all. Even a karaoke singer can experience making music. I don’t see how this simulates making music at all. Music isn’t about duplicating a sound recording. It’s about using your own body and perhaps an instrument to create something.
I was going to ask if you were a musician but by your attitude I pretty much already knew. For some reason, the only people I’ve ever heard complain about these types of games are “actual” musicians. It’s just a game but something about it threatens them. Like these kids in Best Buy are somehow diminishing their real guitar god glory. Nevertheless, everybody I know who has played it (real musicians included) admit it’s a lot fun once you give it a try. But definitely not the same as the real thing.
Actually, I remember reading a story in the WSJ (found it about how Guitar Hero is very popular among rock bands themselves. I think they specifically mentioned My Chemical Romance liked to play it on the road.
I don’t know, BlueSilver. I’m not a musician and it feels kind of weird to me. Pressing 4 buttons and a strum bar is such a dumbed down version of “playing an instrument” but you got guys putting their guitar hero videos on frigging youtube. I’m sorry, you ain’t impressing me until I see you doing that with a keytar. Of course, then I’ll not like you for different reasons. 
I’ll echo what’s been said before: It’s fun, try it. I’ve hardly played the game at all, but the little I did was fun. Of my friends who play, the ones who are best at it are actual musicians as well. it rewards musical ability without actually requiring any, if that makes sense.
Anyway, it’s a game. It’s not supposed to simulate playing an instrument any more than a shooting game is supposed to simulate actually blowing someone’s head off. like all video games it is all about controlling an input device to manipulate pixels on a screen. This one happens to make it fairly enjoyable.
I wonder if these might be good sight reading trainers. I’ve played the guitar and piano for years and I can read music, but I have never ever been able to come close at sight reading. Consequently, while my rhythm is perfect, I am usually reaching for the wrong note. I’m just as bad at Dance Revolution. They are fun games to play though. I want one.
[Comic Book Guy]
First of all, the game is Rock BAND, not Rock STAR. Please get it right in the future, thank you.
[/CBG]
As posted previously, I have heard of several musicians who enjoy the game. True, a lot of it is not like playing a real instrument. That doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable.
A little background for those who don’t know. Guitar Hero was the first game to hit the big time in this genre (although it has been pointed out the Harmonix has been making music games for a while). Guitar Hero is just a guitar (or two) where players follow the “notes” on the screen and attempt to hit the correct fret button and strum at the right time to play along. Guitar Hero II and III have since been released to a great deal of success, as with the first game.
Rock Band, which just came out last month, is generally considered to be the next generation of this type of game. It is (up to) two guitars, a microphone and a drum set. While the guitar play is nearly identical to the Guitar Hero series, the singing element requires you to match pitch and timing with the original singer, and it requires you to be pretty damn accurate, depending on which difficulty level you’re playing. I’m not sure how you could call that not making music, since you really do need to sing. This portion of the game is essentially the same as karaoke – you can control how loud the vocal track from the original singer is.
The drumming portion ranges from very simplified to being virtually identical to real drumming, again dependent upon what level of difficulty you’re playing. The game’s drum set includes pads that mimic a snare, toms, a cymbal and a bass drum. Again, real-life drummers have said that if you are able to play the drum portion of this game on “Expert” difficulty, you are essentially playing the drums for real.
While I think it’s fair to say that this game doesn’t allow for creating music, I like to think of it as playing as a cover band. 
I know of at least one person who has renewed his interest in learning to play a real guitar as a result of playing this game, and I’ve regained an interest in drum lessons for the same reason. I strongly disagree with anyone who thinks this type of game is detrimental to playing real music.
Whoops, didn’t notice that either. What’s worse, I was referring to “Guitar Hero,” not “Rock Band,” so I didn’t even come close!
The guitarist from Sleater-Kinney didn’t think it was that bad - and she’s in a real rock band!
Yep.
I’ve never owned a console…I never wanted one either, I could see why it could be fun, but the whole gaming thing just never really appealed to me. (I had Sims on my PC. That’s about it)
Then, I tried Guitar Hero at someone’s house - and for the next week, all I could think was “I need a PlayStation.” I haven’t picked one up yet, but I will be getting something (PS? Wii? I don’t know - that’s a major reason for the delay) for the sole purpose of playing Guitar Hero. And maybe Dance Dance Revolution.
I’m in a band; haven’t played it, though I understand it’s not exactly like playing music. I don’t really do games, anyway, so it’s not really a big deal. Just a game.
However, it might be cool to see what happens in future versions and as players get better. It will likely get more realistic and incorporate they types of things playing in a band with regular (real? A new distinction must be coined…) instrumentation is about. It also might get more people interested in music playing in general, and that’s definitely a good thing.
I think the analogy with DDR is apt, though. Rock Band/Guitar Hero are probably a bit more physical than just sitting there thumbing a controller.
Every musician I know who has played Guitar Hero thought it was hella fun. No one I know who plays it is under the illusion that it’s like playing a real guitar, or that it makes them a musician.
It’s fun. The game play, while incredibly simple, is difficult to master and entertaining, and variable enough to offer a lot of replayability. And, at the same time, the game creates just enough atmosphere to let you fantasize that you are, in fact, a guitar god.
I imagine Rock Band is similar, but with even more play along with your friends elements.
If you’ve never air conducted or air guitared or tapped your hands along with a favorite song, I suppose you might not get it. But I suspect all 9 of the people in the world for whom that’s true are in this thread right now, which is why these games are so incredibly popular – everyone else understands.
No? I admit, it’s not something I have experience with, but if you’re reading sheet music, and it says to play an F sharp, you’re supposed to play an F sharp, right? Obviously, real music allows room for interpretation, and your guitar isn’t going to stop working all of sudden if you play the wrong note too many times, but if you want to play a certain piece of music, to at least some extent, you have to play a certain set of notes in a certain order and speed, right? The idea behind the video game is to simulate that experience. Not to perfectly replicate it, but to make a simpler, more accesible version of the real experience. In that regard, I think these games succeed admirably. You aren’t truly creating anything, true, but it gives a surprisingly good verisimilitude of creation.
For what its worth, we’ve had a few Rock Band nights at work. The guys from the audio department (that is to say, people who play and create music for a living) love this game, and are generally way better at it than the rest of us.
No, that’s not really accurate. When you press the button, you are creating a sound. It’s not a one-to-one replication of a single musical note, but it’s quite a bit more sophisticated than merely switching a tape recorder on and off.
If you’re really curious about this, you really should just go back to Best Buy and try the game yourself. That seems to be the easiest way to answer your questions, no?
That’s a fair comparison.
I dunno; at times she seemed sorta down on it in the “Sigh, I’m a real musician” way. For example, the quote “And, really, if you are going to play the game with a group of friends for more than a night, shouldn’t you just form a real band? There is something sad about the thought of four teenagers getting Rock Band for Christmas and spending all of their after-school time pretending to know how to play.”
As Slacker said, you actually do make the music play by what you’re doing. If you don’t hit the note, you don’t hear the note, and if you hit the wrong note, you hear a wonky wrong note sound.
And you can have a singer, too, and their voice comes through the audio channel, which can be hilarious, depending on how horrible they are.
And it’s not just “pressing 4 buttons”. For one thing, there are 5 buttons, and pressing them isn’t what you do. You hit the notes by strumming the guitar. You have to be holding the correct button/buttons on the neck for the strum to register the proper note. So it takes coordination of both hands and so on. There is also a whammy bar that works.
The drums are my favorite, and they’re exactly like playing drums. You bang on drums with drumsticks, hit a drum pedal, etc. And there are lots of times where you get a “drum solo” section where you play whatever you want. That part’s fun!
On easy settings it’s somewhat challenging, on harder settings it really takes a good ear for rhythm and a feel for the music.
And CarnalK: we have 3 of the PS2 DDR games and a metal dance pad (my boyfriend’s, not mine) and it’s awesome. We also have the lame soft dance pad (mine) so we can play doubles.
I’m not a big video game person, but Rock Band and DDR are two games I love to play.
We own all the Guitar Hero games, and my husband has been a guitar player for 25 years. He loves it - it’s the first PS2 game that’s really captured his imagination. My eight year old son also loves it - so much so that he really wants to learn guitar for real (he’s already going to piano lessons).
We’re really looking forward to getting Rock Band (it’s not out here yet) - I might even have a go at it myself.
Well, as others have said, it’s FUN. That’s the appeal.
For luddites like me, whose hands don’t work right on a guitar, this game is the perfect way to “play along” with some good songs. I’ve tried playing a real guitar a couple times; my fingers just don’t bend the right way for it. I can set GH on “medium” (because I can’t go for “hard” or “expert” for the same reason as I can’t play a real guitar) and have an absolute blast.
Yup. It’s obviously much easier than playing a real guitar and definitely not as cool with those cheap looking plastic mini guitars, but it’s a game! It’s not a simulation, it just takes an idea and turns it into a competitive game.
I also concur with the people who thought it was stupid until they played it. It does look silly, but it’s fun!