"Well I Can Play A REAL Guitar"
Every time I read any blog posts or watch any youtube videos regarding the popular video game "Guitar Hero", I find a comment attached to it written by somebody who actually plays guitar. These people usually say something about how much Guitar Hero sucks and how everybody should just learn to play a real guitar instead. These people are usually assholes.
Does somebody with a pilot's license criticize people who play airplane video games? No. Do wrestlers criticize people who play wrestling video games? No. Do plumbers criticize people who play Super Mario Bros? No. Do hedgehogs criticize people who play Sonic The Hedgehog? I'm not sure, because I can't understand hedgehog-speak, but I'm assuming the answer is NO.
Why, then, must guitar players criticize people who play Guitar Hero? For the same reason they have mohawks and ride motorcycles: compensation.
People who play Guitar Hero know that it's nothing like playing a real guitar. They don't do it because they think it'll make them sexy to the ladies, or because they think it'll make them good at guitar playing. They do it because it's fun. The rebels with the small penises can criticize all they want, but these people will keep playing.
It doesn't take much to anonymously bother people on the internet, but it takes balls to keep doing your thing despite what everybody says instead of trying to fit in. To all the "people who can play a REAL guitar" that might be reading this, I leave you one message:
Grow a pair.
Does somebody with a pilot's license criticize people who play airplane video games? No. Do wrestlers criticize people who play wrestling video games? No. Do plumbers criticize people who play Super Mario Bros? No. Do hedgehogs criticize people who play Sonic The Hedgehog? I'm not sure, because I can't understand hedgehog-speak, but I'm assuming the answer is NO.
Why, then, must guitar players criticize people who play Guitar Hero? For the same reason they have mohawks and ride motorcycles: compensation.
People who play Guitar Hero know that it's nothing like playing a real guitar. They don't do it because they think it'll make them sexy to the ladies, or because they think it'll make them good at guitar playing. They do it because it's fun. The rebels with the small penises can criticize all they want, but these people will keep playing.
It doesn't take much to anonymously bother people on the internet, but it takes balls to keep doing your thing despite what everybody says instead of trying to fit in. To all the "people who can play a REAL guitar" that might be reading this, I leave you one message:
Grow a pair.
posted by Covarr at 10:25 AM
Permanent Link | Linking Blogs | 33 comments
33 Comments:
Most guitarists I know don't have mohawks or motorcycles.
This post isn't about all guitarists, it's about the nasty ones who always criticize anybody who plays guitar hero. Those ones ARE the same ones who are "rebels".
I asked the hedgehogs I have seen around lately, and they said they don't like Sonic's haircut, and they think Tails is the more realistic character, but that they didn't mind if you played.
So you have their blessing. Go for it. :)
Owl.
the difference is that flying real airplanes is expensive (and dangerous if you aren't good), wrestling is also dangerous, super mario has nothing to do with plumbing, and sonic has nothing to do with real hedgehogs. With Guitar Hero, you are doing the same thing you would be doing with a real guitar: sitting on your ass playing an instrument, but you are playing a fake 5-fret controller instead of a real sound producing version. I have guitar hero and I used to like it alot, but now I just feel stupid when I could be spending that time with a real guitar and learning something useful. I actually am interested in the "I can play guitar!" by mattel since it really teaches you frets with a simulated 6 string guitar, even though it is geared for kids. Hey, at least it has some OK songs that I can translate to a real guitar.
Okay so I agree that people that play real guitar need to chill but I can see where they're coming from a bit. I just rode the bus and the guy next to me had a guitar hero guitar strapped around his shoulder and kept talking about how awesome his "skills" were. I wanted to punch him and I don't even play guitar. Also, at least 3 of my friends no longer have a life because they sit around playing GH all day and think that the skill it takes to play the game is totally the same as learning to play a musical instrument well.
All I'm saying is...there's jerks on BOTH sides.
Oh and if the people playing airplane video games were going around saying "it's just like flying a real plane. I'm probably awesome at the real thing too!" I think I'd let the real pilots have a go at them.
jake
To the first anon, since when did playing an instrument become useful? Oh, right, it never did.
Lose the guitar and go learn something actually useful if that's what you're concerned about.
Oh, and I better not catch you EVER having any fun.
K I respect others opinions and guitar hero is okay in small doses, but there are kids who only play guitar hero and ignore their friends; there is an 8 year old living above me (apartment)who all I can see when i go upstairs is him playing guitar hero or a variation of it (guitar zero,frets on fire.)Now it builds his imagination which is good but at the same time he ignores his
friend(s), who are up there playing with him. As for the wrestler thing (i am one) of course I(we) dont mind people playing those games because it builds intrest in the sport.
If you want to talk back e-mail me please at:
jason.pynn@hotmail.com
I want to hear you opinions.
I dunno. Im a guitarist, I've definately tried guitar hero and had a good bit of fun with it. I think the only observation Ive ever made regarding this topic is how staggering the decline of doing actual activities has become. That probably sounds poorly worded and you can fault me for that. Being a pilot I think is on a complete different level than playing a guitar. Id play a flight simpulator because jumping into a plane and actually flying it is just impossible for me, for a variety of reasons. Picking up a guitar, though, is not.
I love video games, and guitar hero is very fun, but I would still encourage learning to play the real thing only because I personally believe it works the same coodrination skills as guitar hero...but it's well, real. =)
You can pick up a cheap, used guitar for less than the cost of Guitar Hero and the controller, let alone the price of the console itself. Besides the fact that anyone capable of playing a virtual guitar game is able to learn "to play the real thing", there is a creative element involved. Creativity, expression, social interaction between other musicians - all reasons I play the real thing. Sitting around playing a gimped fisher price version to someone else's playlist seems kind of unnecessary.
the real point of the argument is that any video game play is for losers.i am old enough to have been around when the first game of pong showed up at the local bars in the 70s,it was for losers to,just as all video games are.
I've been playing for 9 years (real guitar) and I guess Guitar hero is good for parties. But seriously if you practice and stuff...Get real.
It's sad.
WOW nerds. Seriously, playing a video-game makes you sexy.
Humans suck
Are you kidding me. We play real guitar for a living/hobby. "To all the "people who can play a REAL guitar" that might be reading this, I leave you one message:
Grow a pair."
WOW, you're probably 20 or so years old and pushing little colored buttons in front a screen. Right back at you,
Grow a pair. Or just get a life.
ye like wtf ppl play guitar hero for?
BECAUSE THEY SUCK AT PLAYING REAL GUITAR.
id rather play my fullsized strat rather than a childs toy with five frets...
I play real guitar and I don't mid people who play guitar hero. Heck I even play it. But what i hate is when people go "hey I can play this song on expert I'd rock on a real guitar" and thats so true right after i post this Im going to go wax the buttons on my real guitar... But if you just play it and don't act like a douche bag then I dont care. Another thing that bugs me tho is how popular classic rock music has become, people used to think my music sucked and now that guitar hero came out they are listening to it.
I play real guitar, and I do think Guitar Hero is fun/sucks in a kind of way.
Guitar Hero is fun because it's a little challenging for someone who plays Metal. Plus there's less strings.
It sucks because all our favorite songs are constantly being played OVER AND OVER again by kids who have no idea that they're ruining our music. My friendconstantly plays My name is Jonas by Weezer, If I hear that song one more time I'm going to kill a kitten. Not literally I love animals
You try spending hours attempting to learn a Nirvana solo and then being upstaged by some moron who can "Beat through the fire and flames on EXPERT, n00b!"
A cheap toy that makes people think they're Gods gets irritating fast.
And I'm a girl, so growing a pair could pose some problems.
Beating "Through the Fire and Flames" on expert takes genuine skill. It also isn't the same as being able to to play a real guitar. As I said in my original post, most GH players know this. They only brag about their achievement to other guitar hero players who aren't as good.
the reason real guitarists (like me) hate guitar hero and are assholes about it, is because most people that play guitar hero are assholes to US about how "Oh, i just beat Throught the fire and flames on expert! im amazing at life!" thats why we get so pissed off at that game and the people who play it. THEY criticize US because we actually take the time to learn how to play and WE actually have that little thing called TALENT. that game takes no skill, talent, or anything like that. what it takes is aa loser who has nothing better to do in his life, then to sit infront of a TV all day and tap little buttons and make believe that they are producing some sort of sound. THAT is why we, as real guitar players, dont like guitar hero.
A pilot does not critisize because he used simluators to train himself up. i.e. video games. Guitar hero helps no guitarist with the issue of playing guitar...
Everybody misses the point on why real guitarists get pissed off about guitar hero. The reason they get pissed off is because of the people who say guitar hero is harder than real guitar. I have played guitar for 12 years now and can play mostly anything. Within 10 minutes of playing guitar hero I was beating it on hard. It took me atleast 10 years of dedicated PRACTICE to get to the point where I could play basically anything. I dare someone with no actual guitar skill to sit down for 10 minutes and learn a difficult song. They would be lucky to learn how to press down the strings hard enough for it not to sound like shit when they pick the strings. Guitar is so much harder than guitar hero, I can’t believe people are ignorant enough to even compare the two. Real guitar is like chess, guitar hero is like checkers…..no wonder every country hates us.
Check out
www.arealguitar.com
Basically, it is helping people get a guitar instead of a game for christmas. pretty funny.
Keith
www.arealguitar.com is awesome thanks... I just sent one to my rich grandma even though I already have a real guitar... you can never have too many.
And BTW... I have a great pair and I do both and don't hate anyone... well... except maybe my ex-wife:)
"ye like wtf ppl play guitar hero for?
BECAUSE THEY SUCK AT PLAYING REAL GUITAR.
id rather play my fullsized strat rather than a childs toy with five frets..."
True. But when making an argument, grammar skills tend to help sway people to your side.
So yeah....
I agree with a lot of you guys. This is a big problem though. All these little kids and wannabes are using Guitar Hero to destroy pretty good songs. I am not against guitar hero, but I'm against those dudes that say they like rock all of a sudden because they listen to the worn out,cliche, Guitar Hero music ( and think they are cool for it).
In school, i had a kid come up to me. Here is how the conversation went.
Kid: So.. Do you play guitar?
Me: Yeah.
Kid: Do you play guitar HERO?
Me: No.. I suck at that game
Kid: Oh, so you must suck at real guitar then too.
I've run into so many people like this, that i frown upon the people who play with this stupid little plastic thing and think they're a 'guitar god'. PS: I do not have a motorcycle, or a mohawk. I also already have a pair.
the makers of gh never said it was like real guitar, but its just the fools who think they can play because of it who are the idiots. i mean, 5 frets, 1 string... and have you seen the whammy?
GH is a way to make money, simple. Break free from the crap from the media and the producers that it helps kids with guitar or any such thought. The only thing i see from GH is a promotional aspect to the fake and cheesy life of a "Rock Star". This game just helps builds people's (some people) fantasties on how "easy" the guitar is ,and most importantly THAT ANYONE CAN PLAY IT. This game builds upon the fantasies that ANYONE can play and rock out, with NO EFFORT and NO DISCIPLINE. Wake up and smell the finger tapping, not everone has talent ( I mean I can't knit to save my life) in certain skills, and what GH is doing is making young people have false ideologies on music. What really sickens me is that great artist such as Joe Satriani and Metallica are allowing GH to take their songs for the average gamer, and wearing the songs thin just for points for the player, its no longer about music .For guys who like it as a game i can respect that, afterall thats what GH is, just a game.
Gabs-Some guitar player
Yo, I agree with you (not fully), I've been commenting to GH players that they need to play guitar because their wasting their time. I did this because one of my friends has GH 3 and plays it a lot.
So after some days I showed him some of my solo's (Playing guitar for half a year) and he was like ''OMGWTF You suck, go away I don't need to hear such time wasting noise'' after that I kindly said to him, that he needed to chill out, and again he was like ''Me chill out!? You're the one who sucks and makes such bad music'' after that I never spoke to him.
Actually the commenters (the one's who keep telling to play real guitar, I stopped with this after he said such things to me)are from 2 different sides,
1. The one's who just argue and get angry because there are too many people play GH
2. The one's who experienced some weird doohicky situation and try to convince people to actually put efford into a real instrument.
And of course there are still those GH people who negatively comment to other movies/ video's because they ''suck ballz'' at playing guitar.
Conclusion : Guitar-playing people comment negatively to GH players, because/ or GH players comment negatively to Guitar-playing people. Wow... a small sized media diplomatic war... ''Over meningen valt niet te twisten'' or what I just want to say is Carpe Diem and don't be negative too other people.
P.S. This was just my point of view, so it could be that I'm totally wrong.
All the best and so long -- Shadowmover
Let me guess- You voted for Obama too?
If people want to spend hundreds of dollars on equipment, spend hours of their valuable time practicing, and try to get over the agony of nerves before performing in a bar or at a party, then you might as well pick up a real instrument. What bothers me as a musician is all the youtube videos of people showing off their "mad skillz" on a video game. Ridiculous.
Playing guitar hero is fun and all, but I don't get the people who spend hours practicing so they can play some song on the expert level perfectly. Why not just pick up a real guitar and spend the hours playing it for real? Seems a lot more satisfying to me.
I played Guitar Hero pretty hardcore for about 2 years (as in I would easily get five stars on Expert songs the first time I played them), but I ended up feeling limited by the song choice.
At that point, I decided to pick up a real guitar. I've been playing for about 2 years now, and I can say that Guitar Hero definitely helped when I was starting out with things like basic coordination and speed picking.
I don't play Guitar Hero anymore, but I can say that I have thoroughly enjoyed both.
Post a Comment
<< Home