Nick Carpenter Dr. Erin Dietel-Mclaughlin WR 13300 14 November 2011 Real Guitar Heroes Or Guitar Hero ?

Videogames these days are in the position to take over kids lives. There are so many of them that are so addicting, that kids almost dont stand a chance. Theyre all addicting and kids cant get away from them. They get stuck in front of the TV or in a dark room playing all day long. This cant be good. Some research says that there are possibilities that videogames increase the IQ of kids that play; but new research says that although this may be true, it also may come at the cost of important social skills, and that kids that play them frequently have a harder time finding friends and getting along with other kids. Even the learning and fitness games arent good. People jump on the Wii thinking its ok because youre getting exercise at the same time when its really not enough exercise to make a difference. Theyll still get sucked in for hours, and really not get a significant amount exercise. Then theres those learning or cultural games as well. Games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band that seem like they could be good because theyre trying to teach people something or at least get them interested in a topic that could potentially lead them somewhere or be somewhat productive, but they really do nothing of the sort. These games should be rejected because they give such a false portrayal of the actual community they are trying to display. These guitar games show such a small area of the entire guitar universe that they shouldnt be accepted by the guitar society. Right from the start in 1971, videogames were popular. Ataris Pong came out in 1972, and was immediately a hit. In his article, How Video Game Systems Work, Jeff Tyson has a

Carpenter 2 subsection called The History of Video Games. In it, he talks about the early beginnings of video games, and one thing he says is, Pong was a great hit when it came out (3). Right off the bat the video game industry was able to pull people in. All this game involved was moving a little paddle type object up and down on the screen and hitting a little ball that would then bounce off and go to the other side, get hit by a paddle on the other side, and then come back to you. It would get faster as it went along so that it got harder to not let the little ball by your paddle, but it wasnt exactly the greatest game in the world. And yet there was some kind of addictive property to it. People played it, and loved it. This game was simply a time waster or maybe a source of some competition if you had someone to play with, but games have only gotten worse from here. This progressed to games like Super Mario, which was definitely addictive, I know from experience considering I decided I wanted to find it on the Nintendo 64 two years ago. Games like this werent really any worse than Pong, they were just there to pass the time and enjoy playing a story. They still had that addictive quality though, and lots of time was spent playing them. Not only that, but if you got a video game like this, you were likely to get another one, it was a declining cycle. Nowadays, there a lot of violent games like Halo, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, or Assassins Creed. Many people are worried that games like these affect aggression levels in children who play them. Research has been done, and does show that there are some effects, but a study done by Purdue Universitys John Sherry suggest[s] there is a smaller effect of violent video games on aggression than has been found with television violence on aggression (1). So theres not as much affect as people thought, but there are definitely still effects. The study also says that the affects are negatively related to time playing video games, and since many of these games, like the others, prove to be at least somewhat addictive, the

Carpenter 3 aggression is increased. So games have only been getting worse and worse, and who knows whats going to come next. Whats worse is that since these games can affect aggression levels in kids, theyre most likely affecting bigger things as well, possibly even their entire identities. An article in Time Magazine titled Are Video Games Really So Bad? spoke of a study that showed that kids who spend a lot of time playing video games might find a rise in IQ comes at the expense of potentially more important social skills It's unfortunate that in our society we are more concerned with raising IQ than with people having a social intelligence and responsibility. So, video games do in fact affect ones identity. Kids that sit there and play video games all day may be smarter than the other kids, but if they cant communicate effectively with the other kids, what does it matter? One very popular video game in which identity is effected is World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft is a widely popular game played across the globe. It is an online game in a producer created world where people from all over can interact, come together, act solo, or do just about anything. The purpose of the game is to earn experience and improve your character. This is done by going on quests, killing creatures, and basically just by playing the game. I can say from experience that it is highly addictive, and that it is very easy to let your identity mix with that of your character. Ragnhild Tronstad, in his chapter Character Identification in World of Warcraft: The Relationship between Capacity and Appearance of the book, Digital Culture, Play, and Identity, writes Identification with the character has little to do with the characters appearance. Instead he connects it to the way the character functions and fulfills its tasks in the game (249). So while players may not physically look like their characters, they connect with them on a deeper level, on what their characters perform and how this reflects themselves. This matter of connection only deepens video games hold on people.

Carpenter 4 They already have an addictive quality, and now players can connect with their characters in a game. This can only lead to more time playing because without their character, they are missing a piece of themselves. I personally had friends in high school that would play this game countless hours a week. I honestly dont know where they found the time what with sports and homework, but every Monday morning in AP Computer Science, Andrew would tell me how he was up until two last night playing WOW (WOW is short for World of Warcraft). I couldnt understand why he would subject himself to this, but once you start, you cant stop. These games take over your life. All these effects of these broad video games also occur in more specific cases, like in the case of guitar games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Video games are bad influences on children. They teach them false things, like that aggression is ok, or wasting countless hours is equally acceptable. Guitar games are no exception to these accusations. Guitar Hero, a game that is played with a toy guitar with little buttons on the frets and a bar that allows you to strum the individual notes, has just as much of an addictive quality as Halo or Call of Duty, and it is equally as influencing. One can play just as many hours on it trying to master a song on expert difficulty as playing Call of Duty online against opponents. There are achievements that you can unlock by beating songs on the expert difficulty, but this can be very challenging because the number of notes and the speed at which you have to play them can become nearly impossible. The way the game displays its characters is also misleading and fallacious. They are displayed as big, hard core rockers; creepy punk rockers (that could easily be on drugs); or even groupie looking women. Theyre displayed like this as if these are the only types of guitarists out there, and how should kids out there playing the game know any better? Most of them are just kids, how could they have experienced much of the guitar community unless their parents are particularly cultured. The game also only plays

Carpenter 5 really hard rock songs. I realize it is a Rock n Roll game, but the way it comes off is that this is the only, or at least the best kind of music out there. As if every guitarist shreds like the players of the songs on the game do. The guitar community is just so large it seems a shame to display such a small portion of it without any form of the others represented. There are so many different dynamics to the guitar community, to only show rock n roll is a shame. Just to start off, there are at least three different types of guitars: electric, acoustic, and classic, not to mention the bass guitar. Then, there are too many genres to even count: jazz, rock, R&B, classic rock, punk rock, grunge, classical, etc. The variety is so wide, you could listen to any guitar music in any mood you were in and be satisfied. Jazz is smooth and relaxing; rock n roll is, well rock n roll; punk rock is hard core with the singer screaming his lungs out; classical is like listening to an orchestra play, it might put some people to sleep, but it sounds fantastic when played well. Classical guitar for instance, is nothing like rock n roll. The guitar in itself is way different in this style of music. Rock n roll uses the solid body, steel string electric guitar and an amplifier that plugs right into the guitar. A classical guitar is a hollow body, nylon string guitar. These in themselves are nothing alike. The sound from an electric guitar can be amplified, distorted, and changed into almost anything you could want it to be. A classical guitar, on the other hand, has a very pure sound, very peaceful and whole, and the only way it can be changed is by amplifying it with a microphone. The styles of play too are very different. Classical guitar is either played in a group of classical guitarists, like a quartet, or with an orchestra; while rock n roll is played loud and with an entire band: singer, drummer, bassist, maybe even a keyboard. These are so different, its hard to believe its still the same instrument. The players of each are very different as well.

Carpenter 6 Not only is there a wide variety of music, but the range of people that play, and where they play is very diverse as well. Classical players tend to be those people who went to rich kid school and could afford the lessons and whose parents were very sophisticated and wouldnt accept anything else. The rock n roll-ers, the people who picked up an electric guitar and just loved playing around with the sounds it could make. The punk rockers, the emo bands that no one understands unless youre also an emo. Literally anyone can play the guitar, which makes for a very large range of people who do. The venues at which they play are also extremely different. Classical guitarists get dressed up in suits or tuxedos and play as a group in front of an audience, or perform a solo act up on a stage in front of a group of people who have come just for that. Rock players normally play at concerts with hundreds or thousands of people attending; but there are normally multiple bands playing throughout the night, so most of the people might come for a certain band, but just get to watch the other ones as well. Jazz players get kind of dressed up, but much more casually than the classical players, and theyll play either in a big jazz band performing at a concert, or even in a small group at a smaller venue like the Fair. Essentially, there are so many different people out there that play the guitar in so many different ways, that it seems ridiculous to show such a small portion of the community in such a stereotypical way in one of these games. Guitar Hero and Rock Band portray the rock n roll genre, but even within this genre there is a range of different styles. There are those classic rock n roll bands, like Queen or AC/DC, that are like the essential rock band, but then there are also those bands that focus on the guitarist because he is so good, like Eric Clapton or Jimi Hendrix. I dont think it is right to have a game about rock n roll without including Hendrix, and yet hes not included whatsoever. This game, titled Guitar Hero, doesnt even include some of the

Carpenter 7 essential heroes, like these men, or Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. There is such a small intersect between the games portrayal of the guitar community and the real thing that its just wrong. In an article in the New York Times, A Guitar Hero Wont Play the Game, Larry Rhoter talks about Jeff Beck, a true guitar hero that is just a little less well known than some of the others like Clapton or Page. He talks a lot about what Beck is doing and what he is up to lately because he has been on the down low for a while, but the more important part of the article to me was when Rhoter wrote about how Beck, a true hero on the guitar, refuses to play the game or even be a part of it. The creators of Guitar Hero invited Mr. Beck to be an avatar in the game, but he declined. Who wants to be in a kids game, like a toy shop? he asked dismissively during an interview the day before the Grammys. It talked about how he was asked to be a part of it, if they could use songs and if they could use him as an avatar in the game, but he refused. What does this say about the game if an actual guitar hero doesnt want to be included? Its childish, he said so himself. What adult wants to be a part of a childrens game? Beck is even a major rock n roll player, and thats all Guitar Hero music is, but still Beck wants no part of it and its oversimplification of the real guitar. This is a respectable decision, especially because he is not an extremely well known guitarist, and this game could possibly increase his renown and popularity. There are people that definitely think that this game would give him good publicity and popularity, and there are also people that believe that Guitar Hero is saving rock n roll. Denise Quan is the senior producer of entertainment for CNN. She wrote an article titled Is Guitar Hero Saving Rock n Roll? where she talked to Lars Ulrich, the lead guitarist for Metallica, about his thoughts on Guitar Hero and its effects on rock n roll. Ulrich loves Black Sabbath and Deep Purple -- and so does his 10-year-old son. Ulrich may have played songs from

Carpenter 8 those old rock bands around the house on his stereo, but he gives credit for his son's excitement to another source: video games. Its definitely not only the video games. The fact that his dad is himself a guitar hero, and that he probably plays those songs all the time, and that sons naturally look up to their fathers and admire them, especially when theyre young, must contribute to his son liking bands like Deep Purple. The son grew up listening to that type of music because thats what his parents listen to all the time, how could he like anything else if he hasnt been exposed to anything else. He is only ten, so his friends probably dont listen to a lot of music either, so they arent going to have much of an effect on him. Maybe the video games do have some effect on his musical likings, but then again, there really arent any music video games that arent rock n roll themed; so again he is lacking any exposure. This article makes Guitar Hero sound so good, its saving rock n roll. But really it may not be actually having the effect it is made out to have. It probably does have some effect; but it is only increasing popularity for rock n roll music, no other genre is benefitting, so the guitar community as a whole really isnt gaining anything. I found another article on CNET that had a similar argument to this one.

CNET is a tech media website that was founded in 1994. It publishes news articles, blogs, and podcasts on consumer electronics and technology. In the article, titled Is Tomorrows Clapton Playing Guitar Hero?, two guitar teachers talk about the positive impact that Guitar Hero is having on their businesses. San Francisco Guitar teacher Jay Skyler says that Guitar Hero has definitely been a good thing for his business because, Basically, it's getting more kids into guitar. So if you're a guitar teacher, or a band, you have to love it. They'll play with the toy for a while, but after awhile, they'll want the real thing (1). This is probably true that more kids are interested in playing the guitar because of the game, and therefore more are

Carpenter 9 interested in taking lessons, but once they realize that playing a real guitar is not nearly as easy as the game and that it actually takes work, how many will stick with it? This is also what bass instructor David Hilton says on the next page of the article, It's going to kill music. It seems to me that as long as (Guitar Hero fans) can get really, really good playing this console, (and) it's not really easy to play (a real) instrument, that the guitar is dead (2). Anyone can play the game, but it takes will power and work to play the real thing. How many kids, after being deceived by the simplicity of the game are going to have the determination to play for real? So essentially, some people think that Guitar Hero is beneficial and that its increasing the number of people that want to play the guitar, but others in the same business say that its a killer. Dan Emery, one of the supporters of Guitar Hero says at the end of the article, "The thing that drives guitar playing is not the same thing that drives violin playing (or) piano playing. It is the desire to connect with the spirit of rock 'n' roll, and anything that builds the spirit of rock 'n' roll is going to build the spirit of guitar." But weve already seen that there is much more to the guitar than just rock n roll. The spirit of rock n roll and the spirit of guitar are not one and the same. I would agree that games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band build the spirit of rock n roll, but not necessarily that theyre building the spirit of the guitar. Video games do have some beneficial factors to them; theyre increasing the IQs of kids who play all the time, even if its at the cost of social skills, and maybe even bringing them a little culture. Theyre acceptable to the general population; no one is looking down on anybody else for playing a video game, but the universal community of guitarists knows better than to believe that guitar video games are benefitting them in all ways. Perhaps they increase the popularity of playing the guitar and of few guitarists, but the scope of the games is so limited that it cannot give an accurate portrayal of the guitar community. These games should be rejected by

Carpenter 10 guitarists, and already are by several, because they oversimplify everything about the guitar. The guitar community is so broad; there are so many styles of guitar in so many genres with thousands of players that each has a different flavor to them that to display this would be nearly impossible. Games like Guitar Hero tried, and failed because not only is theyre scope extremely limited, they didnt even accurately portray those in which they chose to look at. In the end, players like Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, true guitar heroes, have already chosen the right path in staying away from the games and not being involved with them whatsoever.

Carpenter 11 Works Cited

Cnn, Denise Quan. "Is 'Guitar Hero' Saving Rock 'n' Roll? - CNN." Featured Articles from CNN. 20 Aug. 2008. Web. 03 Nov. 2011. <http://articles.cnn.com/2008-0820/entertainment/videol.games.music_1_guitar-hero-rock-band-rockmusic?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ>. Corneliussen, Hilde, and Jill Walker. Rettberg. Digital Culture, Play, and Identity: a World of Warcraft Reader. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2008. Print. Rohter, Larry. "A Guitar Hero Won't Play the Game." New York TImes 14 Feb. 2010: 22. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. Sherry, John L. "The Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggression. - Sherry - 2006 - Human Communication Research." Wiley Online Library. 10 Jan. 2006. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2001.tb00787.x/pdf>. Terdiman, Daniel. "Is Tomorrow's Clapton Playing 'Guitar Hero'? - CNET News." Technology News - CNET News. 28 Nov. 2007. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://news.cnet.com/Istomorrows-Clapton-playing-Guitar-Hero---page-2/2100-1043_3-62203982.html?tag=mncol>. Tyson, Jeff. "HowStuffWorks "The History of Video Games"" HowStuffWorks "Electronics" Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/video-game2.htm>. Quittner, Joshua, Maryanne M. Buechner, Jay Ehrlich, Wendy Cole, John F. Dickerson, Nancy Harbert, Michael Krantz, and Jacqueline Savaiano. "ARE VIDEO GAMES REALLY SO BAD?" Time Magazine 10 May 1999: 50. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.