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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!

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.

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.

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.

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…

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.

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