14 DAY TRIAL // The music games genre has quickly risen to dazzling heights in terms of sales, despite the fact that it has only been around for a relatively short amount of time. Thanks to iconic titles like Guitar Hero or Rock Band, people are getting more and more interested in music, making both the gaming and the recording industry register profit, which is important during these financially troubled times.
Rock Band is one of the titles that brought the biggest innovations in the music games genre, by giving gamers the chance to play other instruments except the guitar, like the drums or the vocals. Although some bands might not agree with such games, others endorse them and are happy because they make young people focus on music and spark their interest in forming a real band and playing real music.
Such a thing has been highlighted by Alex Rigopulos, one of Harmonix’s co-founders, responsible for the original Guitar Hero and the Rock Band franchise, who talked about these games with the New York Times. He discussed about the way games could help people learn how to play real life instruments, saying that although the vocals or the drums could be improved by playing Rock Band, the guitar is much more abstract, meaning that anyone who could play the plastic guitar really well, wouldn’t necessarily be as good on a real life one.
“We don’t see Rock Band as an educational tool for guitar so much as an inspirational tool. Most people who try to learn guitar quit soon after, because their initial experience is just frustratingly difficult. By giving people a taste of what lies on the other side, we’re inspiring them to invest themselves in learning the instrument for real. The game isn’t a substitute, it’s a stimulus. I’ve had many guitar instructors now tell me that their business has heated up over the past couple of years, and most of their new students got motivated by their experience playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero.”
Music games are getting more and more popular, but the decision to take up real life instruments is made only by people. Sure, bands may endorse games hoping that more and more kids start playing musical instruments, but it’s still up to regular people to decide whether they want to remain “couch rockers” or appear on a real stage.