I remember a close friend of mine first talking to me about
Guitar Hero, as it was the first of these games to come out. I chose to talk about this topic, based on
something my friend said. He told me, “I’m
glad I can learn how to play guitar while playing a video game.” As a gamer, I felt excited that a game has
been created where an individual can have a good time, as well as learn. Well, I checked out Guitar Hero, and while very
entertaining, I personally didn’t find any merit to learning guitar by playing
this game. Unfortunately, my buddy found
this out rather quickly, as well. I
played it for a little bit, but I think because I was expecting the game to
have some form of instruction, I set the game up to fail. Then, shortly after, the new faze came about,
which was Rockband. Now, for those of
you who may not know, Guitar Hero uses a plastic guitar, also used as the controller
for the game, and you press the button and strum in conjunction with the
displayed “chords” on the screen of the included songs. I was personally excited for Rockband, but
understanding that the game will just be a game. The premise of Rockband is the same as Guitar
Hero, with the exception that Rockband added a drum set and the ability to sing
along with the included songs. Here’s what’s interesting…although I play the
guitar, I found myself playing the drums more than the guitar or singing
(thankfully). I did find a love of the
drums by playing this game, and I still maintain that same interest to this
day. However, Rockband, like Guitar
Hero, was just an entertaining game.
This now brings us to the latest in interactive gaming product,
Rocksmith, and, and my personal winner of the match. My same friend who tried
guitar Hero actually purchased Rocksmith and told me about it. He said he finally found what he was hoping
Guitar Hero would’ve turned out to be. I
ended up buying the game, and I have to say, I agree with my friend. Rocksmith, in my opinion, is what actual
musicians may have expected Guitar Hero, and possibly Rockband to be. The beauty of Rocksmith is you are not
playing a plastic guitar, and pressing buttons.
You actually plug a real electric guitar into your preferred
console. Rocksmith will then follow your
movements through this guitar. Guitar Hero
and Rockband will increase their difficulties levels as you progress through
the game, but this difficulty only involves pressing more buttons in a faster
environment. Rocksmith, however, will
not let you progress until you have performed specific parts of a song with little
personal difficulty, if that makes sense.
Now that we have gone over the differences, and the
situation that pertained to my topic, I’d like to close by giving my opinion on
the utilization of these games. I feel
if you’re looking to “rock out” without having to worry about playing a real
guitar, Guitar Hero and Rockband are both perfect. I’m more of a fan of Rockband than Guitar
Hero, but they are both very entertaining.
They are also great games to play with a group of people, small or large. If you’ve ever been around a group of people
playing one of these games, it’s hard not to get involved and give it a
shot. I would like to also say, although
I don’t see a way for someone to learn to play the guitar with one of these two
games, they certainly can inspire a person to want to learn. These games are also good for improving
eye-hand coordination to help your playing, whether you’re an expert or just
starting out. If you are looking for a game
that you can enjoy playing, while learning to play the guitar, Rocksmith is
your best bet. The only thing with
Rocksmith is, a guitar is not provided.
You would have to either buy a guitar, or use a friend’s. Let’s be honest though…I would think if
someone were to go out and buy Rocksmith; they more than likely have already
done their research and plan to buy a guitar, or already have one. Hey, if you’re going to learn to play guitar,
either way, you have to have the guitar right?!
What do you guys think? Or, am I
incorrect in the validity of Guitar Hero and Rockband, in which case, I would
love to hear how it helped you, or someone you know. The learning curve that I think is involved
with learning guitar through one of two games seems pretty high, so if you were
able to get around that, I sincerely applaud you; and I think it’s a story that
needs to be told because that would serve as excellent inspiration for beginning
guitar players. Stay tuned, as I will be
giving some advice on playing guitar (or any instrument, really) while
singing.
Oh, and don’t worry…I will not be singing, as I don’t want
to contribute to any bleeding ears, or subsequent and likely hearing
impairment!
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