CyberInferno's Blog

In almost every rhythm-based game news thread on this site, people drop in to rant that the gamers who invest so much time on plastic instruments could be a lot more productive by getting the real ones. Why are rhythm gamers held to a different standard than every other genre? Madden gamers are not told to go throw a football. Though I play tennis, I certainly would not make fun of someone for playing Wii Tennis instead. Ultimately, I pose one question: does the world really need more mediocre musicians? 

Consider that these people made a decision to buy a game rather than learn to play actual instruments. So either they're not truly interested in learning music and are just looking for a game to have some fun with, or they are not serious enough about their interest in music to invest the money in a cheap guitar/bass or practice pad. Lessons are expensive, but there is enough information on the internet through videos and written lessons that a person could at least learn the basics without being out of pocket too much money.

While I respect people who have an interest in learning a music instrument without higher aspirations, I cannot imagine the level of frustrations true musicians must go through when they hear people who have learned two or three simple songs on a guitar claiming that they can play. I see the transition from a rhythm game to a real instrument as a sign. The real instrument will be fun for a little while, but ultimately it will get shoved in a closet. For the most part, I think people interested in Rock Band and Guitar Hero are not musician types. They may dream of being rock stars but are not committed to truly become musicians.

Also consider that these people are doing some service to an ailing music industry. The convenience of music piracy has truly hurt music sales. I know there have been numerous studies that indicate a download is not the same as a lost sale, but I know quite a few people who have stopped buying music. At the very least, people buying rhythm games and the DLC associated with the games are supporting artists and labels (more labels than artists to be fair). While the counterpoint about supporting instrument makers and instrument stores is understandable, these companies have a steady base of musicians that do not have the option of downloading new equipment. And let's face it, anyone who is going from Rock Band to a music instrument is shopping at Guitar Center not Joe's Music Store.

The irony of this blog entry is that I play Rock Band 2 on expert and am fairly proficient at it. My scorehero pageis not entirely up to date, but what I have posted now indicates that I have achieved gold stars on 33 of the 84 songs in Rock Band 2 and 60 songs overall (I haven't spent much time with the RB1 songs on RB2). I have long contemplated actually playing drums but believe I would probably take a few lessons, have a little fun, then find myself with a large drum set for decoration.