In Defense of Rock Band and Guitar Hero

My friend Ryan is a bit of a stereotype -- the consummate musician. He was in a few bands in college, and now he plays bass for a blues quartet in the Chicagoland area. He's worn a soul patch on his face for the past decade, and he's equally inseparable from his Kangol-style beret. Whenever a song comes on that he's performed before, he nods his head with the rhythm section and absent-mindedly taps out intricate percussion beats on the console.

And he hates the fact that I play Rock Band.

When I mentioned to him that I was going to buy the game for my Nintendo Wii, a shadow passed across his face -- I recognized it because I pull the same expression almost daily at work. It's the look of someone who just swallowed a snort of derision. He shook his head slightly and said, "I don't understand how people can play games like that and Guitar Hero. Why wouldn't you just buy an actual guitar and learn how to play for real?" Ryan's not the only one who thinks I'm a fool for spending hours with this game.

I've taken a few music lessons in my day. Most were from my father, who has an amazing gift for playing stringed instruments. Unfortunately, this skill was in no way passed down to me -- I guess I'm sort of like Jakob Dylan compared to Bob. So while it took me (literally) a couple of weeks to learn to play something as simple as "Froggy Went A-Courtin'" on an actual acoustic guitar, I was able to jam out with friends on an Aerosmith song within five minutes of grabbing the Guitar Hero axe. Even if I had the time to learn to play a real instrument, the cost is prohibitive. A used copy of Guitar Hero with the guitar sells for about $70.00 at my local mall, and it's unlikely that I'll ever need to replace anything other than the batteries. By the time I buy a guitar, sit through several lessons, and perform regular maintenance, you're talking about an investment of (at least) hundreds of dollars.

Another criticism that I frequently hear is "You people who play Guitar Hero think what you're doing is impressive. It's actually kind of pathetic." I can't speak for everyone, of course, but I am careful to never make any sort of assertion that my ability at this video game translates to reality. First and foremost, nearly all video games are supposed to be a form of escapism. I have the utmost respect for what Dave Grohl does, and I don't harbor any illusions that my ability to keep time on a tiny plastic drum kit is in any way analogous to performing on stage with Nirvana. At the same time, I would never criticize my friends who play Madden football because their video game doesn't improve their 40 yard dash time. Neither would I yell at those who play Metal Gear for not taking marksmanship classes at the local firing range. Rock Band is an extremely simplified simulation of reality, and I am fully aware of this. That's part of what makes it fun.

Best of all, novices like me can actually learn something playing this game. Obviously both games force you to pay attention to rhythm and timing. Thanks to Rock Band, I also feel like I have a better understanding of how a song comes together -- how the bass line and lead guitar and drums are all creating different layers of music that come together as a single sound. And I'll certainly never be considered a great singer, but the vocal meters in Rock Band have taught me a few lessons about pitch and breathing techniques that will make me sound slightly less horrifying the next time I go to a karaoke bar. And there is a small segment of gamers who enjoyed Guitar Hero and Rock Band so much that they have decided to start playing the real instruments. The designers of both games have latched onto that, and it seems likely that we'll see an improved training section to help players "transition from Expert (difficulty) to real instruments." [http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/885/885168p3.html]

Somehow, my home became a gathering place this weekend. It was a mixed-gender group with a pretty wide age range (30 to 11), so it was difficult to find a single activity that all of us wanted to do. Luckily, I had a copy of Rock Band in my living room. The real beauty of the game was that everybody could be at different ability levels, but still all play together. One girl had played percussion in their high school marching band, so she was comfortable playing the drums on the Expert difficulty level. Her little brother was a Guitar Hero fanatic, and liked playing the lead guitar on Hard. I've done some karaoke in the past, so I grabbed the microphone and set my level to Medium. My ex-roommate has less rhythm than Elaine from Seinfeld, so she went with the bass on Easy. We picked some songs we all recognized and had a blast, playing the game for hours without even realizing how much time had gone by.

So for those out there who continue to criticize games like this, all I can say is, "You don't know what you're missing."