This thread is inspired by a comment that Tails_155 made in the Rock Band topic:
I'll be frank, blunt, brutally honest, whatever you want to call it
It'd make more sense to practice a REAL instrument than to be like the kids at my school who think they're amazing musicians because they can hit one to four of five buttons at a time and flick a switch, while drums is a bit better as a gaming thing, it's still not true drum practice.
heh, remember I'm the rude reviewer I tend to give my opinion, I don't euphemize, and sometimes I just generalize however, I honestly think we'd have a lot more good bands if these people would learn how to do the real thing instead of dedicating themselves to playing simplified versions of songs already made.
Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Karaoke Revolution...just to name a few: music games have been in the industry for a good decade now (Dance Dance Revolution appeared on the scene in 1998. I'm not sure about any music games prior to this). Tails brings up a good point. Are music games a bad idea? Do they encourage potential musicians to get lazy and play the game instead? Are they a Good idea, enabling those who couldn't (or don't want to) afford or dedicate the time to playing a real instrument to get a glimpse of the music performance world while kicking back with friends?
Here's a real-life scenario, using DDR as my example. I have a friend who is..in not the best shape. He recently received DDR controllers as an early Christmas present, years after we used to play DDR back in my old house. My friend isnt' the type of person to want to go out and exercise, nor is he musically inclined to any extent. He's not the type who would just go dancing with friends at a hall or club, yet DDR has proven to be strangely attractive to him (and me
). This simple music game got me into the best shape of my life back when I had it in my house, and it's getting my friend off his feet significantly more than he did when he spent all of his free time at his computer playing games. I definitely see DDR as a positive influence. My friend and I don't have a particular interest in traditional dancing nor the club environment yet DDR gives us an amusing gaming experience, a great social setting and all at the cost of the DDR controllers, as opposed to having to take transit or a car to go to a club, pay a cover charge, get drunk, get hit on my random people and all the other...peculiar things that may or may not happen at a public dance. Plus, we get full control of the music we want to dance to and the privacy of our own home to make fools of ourselves in. DDR pays for itself in a matter of months (money saved from not going out) and it becomes effectively free as a result.
For the sake of this discussion though, DDR is probably a poor example. This isn't so much about music games as a whole, as it is about games that attempt to emulate the playing of a real musical instrument. I actually approve of the games that simulate live playing, for the most part. The problem I'm seeing here is that starting off on a *real* musical instrument can be very expensive, especially if we're talking the sort of instruments demanded by a rock band. Electric guitars, complete with amplifiers and distortion hardware, compressors, etc. can easily be in the many hundreds, if not over $1,000. A drum set? In the hundreds for sure. A good microphone will be minimum $100. Software and hardware to record and mix everyone onto a CD? Minimum $40, $200+ if you want any real control. Computers to do the audio mixing? At least $500 plus the cost of the audio interface (sound card) (at least $350 to $400 for a decent one with enough inputs for a rock band). Speakers/monitors, another $500 at least if you want any success mixing...not to mention, mixing talent, playing ability, at least a few friends who are just as dedicated...you see my point.
Let's look at Guitar hero. I have played a guitar a little bit prior to playing, but I'm not good at all on the guitar. I was able to pick up Guitar Hero and beat a Medium song on my first try, with a score somewhere in the 80% range. I played with about 6 people, all of whom were at least able to beat a song on Easy. Guitar Hero is a *game* designed with the intention to create an arcade-style game which is both accessible and challenging.
I'd almost say that you're comparing apples to oranges, Tails. Guitar Hero is a music *game* with the intention of being a *game*, not a simulation of playing a real guitar. If they were designing a simulation, it would have been more realistic, there wouldn't be "star power", there would be a sort of expression detection system (loud playing, soft playing, effects, legato, plucks, strums, fret slides, etc. etc. etc.) and the timing system would be more strict. There also wouldn't be "easy mode", which barely intertwines with the music at all because so much detail is missing. Why didn't they do this?
1) It would have been too expensive for most consumers.
2) It would have been a simulation, more useful for learning guitar, as opposed to a *game*.
The people you refer to, Tails, seem to think of Guitar Hero as more than a game, similarily to how DDR can be compared to dancing. These games have little to do with the original activity that they are inspired by. Instead, a company sees something that could be twisted and programmed in such a way to make it into an entertaining game that the public can enjoy. Music games aren't specifically targetting musicians. Why? Musicians don't like them! If I were a professional guitar player, I'd probably hate Guitar hero because it feels so clunky and unrealistic. Likewise for DDR. These games aren't intended to be appealing to the pros of the field they are inspired by. They are intended to entertain the public and be accessible, yet still expose these people to the general atmosphere created by doing the activity without perfectly mimicing the activity itself. If Guitar Hero mimiced playing a real guitar, it wouldn't have nearly as many followers because the engine would be too picky and scores would be dreadful. It wouldn't be as accessible because it takes months or years to get good enough on a guitar to play *anything* well.
Also, going back to cost. How many people would be willing to buy Guitar Hero, either for themselves or as a gift, compared to those willing to go out and buy a guitar, the gear, lesson books, and be willing to dedicate the time to be able to play something that they want to hear? Playing a real instrument is a full-time job and a significant time/energy investment. Also, consider the fact that many people don't want to just listen to the guitar part, or the drum part, to a song. They want to hear and be a part of the entire song? Well, how many people have a group of friends *who are fully equipped, gear-wise* to form a band with? I know I've wanted to do this for years but I just don't know anyone with the same level of interest and dedication. With a game like Rock Band, you and a few friends can mess around for a few hours a week (or more, or less) and enjoy the excitement for a tiny fraction of the time and effort. I don't have friends who are willing to spend 20 hours per week practicing, and willing (or able) to spend hundreds of dollars on equipment...nor do we have a location where we could even play. Nobody has enough space in their house and the only computer in my group equipped for audio mixing/editting is mine...and I'm not hauling this beast anywhere!
I completely agree that it's not the same as being in a real band, playing your own songs...but honestly, songwriting is an art that many people aren't overly familiar with, yet the vast majority of people enjoy and listen to music. If you can listen to music and pick up a controller, you can mess around in Rock Band or Guitar Hero and have a blast..and that's the entire point...of a *game*. Music games and playing live music are completely different beasts, for different audiences, for different purposes.
