Why the "just play a real guitar" argument pisses me off…
Since the release of Guitar Hero many moons ago, the game has been the topic of some tension between fans and… those who are not fans. The argument tends to revolve around the fact that the game makes very simple use of a plastic guitar with buttons in order to simulate guitar playing — those against the games are usually guitar players themselves who quite vocally argue "why don’t you just play a real instrument?"
At face value, there seems to be some merit to the argument — the concept of the plastic guitar alone is embarrassing enough. And I’ve even gone as far as using the argument myself… But the more I think about it, the more I disagree.
To provide a little more detail, I’ll briefly describe a couple of variations on the argument. Most people go the very simple "play a real guitar” route — Even Jimmy Page had a go recently:
"You think of the drum part that John Bonham did on Led Zeppelin’s first track on the first album, Good Times Bad Times — How many drummers in the world can play that part, let alone on Christmas morning?"
Then there’s the "it’s sad that this is how kids are introduced to music these days" argument — Jack White (White Stripes) had the following to say:
"It’s depressing to have a label come and tell you that [Guitar Hero] is how kids are learning about music and experiencing music."
Now, before I go on and on — I understand where this argument is coming from. I even argued this way about Tony Hawk’s Ride when I first heard about it. I’m not disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing, and I’m not disagreeing because I’m more of a gamer at heart — I’m disagreeing because… well… it’s a bit silly, really.
I’ll look at the latter argument first. How can this be a problem? Seriously, when I was a kid, most other kids weren’t that interested in music — if this is getting kids into bands, then so be it! The more youngsters that can be swayed into listening to rock music the better, I say. Plus, many kids aren’t listening to the older stuff these days, so if this is introducing certain bands to a new generation, then it’s not all that bad.
I have to admit at this point that Guitar Hero has also introduced me to a lot of modern music. While some might consider this to be a sad state of affairs; to me — it’s great. I have little time to listen to the radio, and very little money to get out and buy music. If I can hear something new in a game, then that’s a wonderful thing. Look at our parents – there came a time when they seem to have just given up on new music and only listened to what they knew. As much as I don’t want this to happen to me, my lack of time and money is not going to help. So I say — thank you, Guitar Hero.
Now… the meat of the issue… The "real guitar" argument. And again, there’s only one thing I can say… What’s the problem?
You see, I love music, and I think guitars are cool, but I don’t have the time or the patience to learn to play guitar, and I certainly don’t think anyone that can play Guitar Hero well can compete with a real guitar player on a real guitar – to really believe that is plain stupid. It’s like saying that someone that plays World of Warcraft a lot could slay a dragon. Yeah — in their dreams, perhaps.
But I take a look at what Jimmy Page said, and I think this is where a lot of the argument comes from — he’s basically saying that the act of simplifying the music belittles the original achievement… But how is that so? If anything, providing the music for a simple idiot like me to enjoy is testament to the quality of the music in the first place. And as much as I feel awesome playing the drums on World Tour, I would in no way consider myself a drummer.
Of course, at this point I’d like to interrupt myself and point out that I do understand that someone who can play a real guitar might not see the point of the game… For themselves at least. They might not get excited by it, because it’s most likely more enjoyable to play the real thing. And I can respect that. But you can’t dismiss the game outright just because you can’t get behind the idea.
What do I really think though? Well… these games are allowing people the chance to do something that they otherwise wouldn’t do — in a similar way that books and movies do, but in a slightly more interactive way. Personally, I love singing, and I really get into the karaoke and guitar hero/Rock Band — but I’m no singer, and I don’t aspire to be. I love music, and I get into the drums and guitar in those games — but I have no desire to learn the instruments. And for that reason, I’m thankful for the music games, and it’s for that reason that I really don’t like the “just play a real guitar” argument.
/rant
Themocracy
One day I’m going to put down my acoustic guitar and get around to learning how to play guitar hero…(but it just looks so difficult! All dem buttons!)