14 DAY TRIAL // Music games are becoming more and more popular these days, with loads of gamers buying them for their very big entertainment value. With titles such as Guitar Hero or Rock Band, people can envision themselves along with family or friends as their favorite bands, rocking out in famous concert halls around the world.
One of the biggest positive aspects of these games is the fact that they offer a variety of songs, and thus attract almost anyone who fancies good music. Even if some tracks aren't in the original game, they can always be added via DLC. But despite the fact that a lot of artists have endorsed these games because they get people interested in music again, and can even make them take up real instruments, this doesn't mean that professionals are masters at titles like Rock Band.
Such was the case with Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, as he decided to go and test out a song he played hundreds of times during real-life concerts, In Bloom, and see if he could master it in Harmonix's Rock Band 2 title. He revealed his experience in an article written for the Seattle Weekly magazine, in which he praised video games, saying that “Rock has found new life with video games, and the phenomenon is leading to a revival of bands that have been around for a long time.”
“I know about Rock Band, because Nirvana has some songs on it. I had never tried the game before, so I gave it a go. I worked through the menu and found the song "In Bloom." I picked up the little guitar-shaped controller and hit the stage. I knew the bass line to the song, of course, but I couldn't quite master this new, different way of playing it. I tried to hit the notes cascading down the screen, but could barely keep up. Meanwhile, this kid was watching me fumble with the game. I became self-conscious and took the controller off. I handed it to him, and he proceeded to jam on the song—and was really good! He had no idea that I was the musician he was emulating on the game, and I didn't tell him.”
But despite the fact that a small kid had beaten him on his own song, the artist had only praises for video games at the end of the article. “Regardless of my first experience with the game as a player, I'm loving Rock Band. Instead of file sharing, people are actually buying music again! HA!!! Putting that issue aside, I like how the game makes the player focus on certain components of the music. When I listen to songs, I'll usually tune my ear to the bass line. With Rock Band, you can do that, but also see the procession of notes.”
It's really nice to see that real artists are beginning to play games like the rest of us, and despite not being extremely good at them, they can recognize their positive aspects and praise them for all of the good things they can bring to society.