A new kind of virtual reality has taken the gaming world by storm in the past few years. Long a staple of Japanese arcades, music performance games have become extremely popular stateside. Opinions about the prevalence of these games, such as "Guitar Hero" (2005), "Rock Band" (2007) and the newly released "DJ Hero" (2009), seem to be extremely polarized. Many old-guard musicians lament the growing popularity of these games and see them as affording youth the pleasure of musical performance without actually challenging them to learn a real instrument. Others praise the games, believing they will expose a new generation to classic tunes and spark the excitement of rock ‘n' roll for future members of garage bands.
I feel rather ambivalent about the whole thing. I have had mixed experiences with these games. The first and only time I played "Guitar Hero," much later than most, was about two years ago. I began to struggle through an "Easy" rendition of Alice Cooper's "School's Out" (1972). As a guitar player, I thought that I would immediately pick it up. When the controller behaved nothing like a real guitar, however, I became frustrated and gave up. Instead, I smugly picked up a real guitar, played the guitar riff and felt pretty good about myself.
The only other time I played a music game was at a friend's graduation party. We played several hours of "Rock Band." I switched off between vocals and drums. This time, I genuinely enjoyed the experience; I felt like I was really playing an instrument.
Despite my limited experience with these games, I feel I've seen the good and bad of them. While playing "Rock Band," I sort of got it. I did feel a little bit like I was performing in a real band.
Playing "Guitar Hero," though, I realized that, save perhaps improving your hand-eye coordination, the game does nothing to put you in the realm of the people you are supposedly emulating. I know that video games aren't meant to be a means of self-improvement, but I've always thought that they were supposed to afford us some escapism, the chance to do things we can't do in real life — like drag-race, steal cars or kill ninjas with six-foot swords.
So why don't kids instead just pick up a guitar and really learn to play? Well, because it's a lot harder. It might take hours to master Van Halen's "Eruption" (1978) on "Expert" mode, but it takes years to learn to shred it on a real guitar.
I know that not every kid who plays "Guitar Hero" would otherwise feel compelled to pick up an instrument, but I worry about the kids who play to indulge their curiosity, their desire to really rock. Some kids may be inspired by the games to start bands. Still, I worry that too many kids, satisfied with the easier thrill, won't ever feel the need to step outside to the garage and learn to really play.
I see another major problem with these games: Much controversy was raised when a likeness of the late Kurt Cobain appeared in "Guitar Hero 5" (2009), allowing players to use the grunge icon to perform the songs of artists like Bon Jovi. Similarly, vocal opposition was also raised following the release of "The Beatles: Rock Band" (2009). While Paul and Ringo were instrumental in the creation of this game, one wonders what the silent members of the group would have thought. I cannot help but find the exploitation of some of our most cherished musical icons in such a format to be beyond perverse. These musicians stood for something and they should be survived by their own work, not by video game caricatures.
So, are these games good or bad for the future of music? Ultimately, they probably will not have a great impact one way or another. I do, however, feel they trivialize the artistry behind the music they supposedly advance.
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Charles Laubacher is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at Charles.Laubacher@tufts.edu.
