I'm not a huge gamer. I have a Playstation 2, but it has spent most of its life serving as a second DVD player. I enjoy high quality driving games like Gran Turismo 4, but am utterly pathetic at first person shooter games.
In real life, I'm a bit of a musician. I sing in an organized choir every week, and every other week or so I sing with a group of about six people, on microphones with a full band. I play some guitar, and a little piano (more lately, since I figured out how to play songs according to the chords rather than worry about all those annoying notes that a splattered all over the page).
Can these worlds co-exist, especially for someone who no longer fits the flannel-wearing, hair-in-the-eyes moody-mumbler demographic? With Guitar Hero, the answer is a resounding yes.
Andy posted an excellent review a while back. It is all true. Moreover, as someone who is involved in music regularly and plays guitar, unlike Andy, I have to admit that it is possible to feel the rush of accomplishment when jamming through a tough solo, when the music crescendos suddenly as the crowd roars, or when finishing a song with a flourish. It's goofy, because you are not really playing music, but the game does an excellent job of drawing the player into the musical experience. It helps to have a basic sense of rhythm and good hand-eye coordination, but the game comes with some effective tutorials, and a little practice is all it takes to get through the songs on the easiest level. Proof: Kelly is about halfway through the easy level in career mode.
As a musician, I have felt the high that comes from those moments when a band is really connecting within itself and with the audience; Guitar Hero does a laudable job of helping non-musicians tap into that feeling. Plus, the game is still great fun for sort-of musicians like me because the song selections are so good.
And sight of Kelly, the sweet little 9-year-old honors student, grimacing her way (successfully) through Black Sabbath's Iron Man is, well, without parallel in this world or, likely, any other.
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2 comments:
Your characterization of the quintesseantial rocker, "flannel-wearing, hair-in-the-eyes moody-mumbler" is a great interpritation of the way rockers should still be, but sadly they are not like that anymore.
In the 1980s there was a Nintendo game that taught you to play the piano. The game was $100 and came with a keyboard. My brother's friend learned from that game and can still play.
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