Complete Control

[pasithea]

Meh. I've already done a round of pissing people off this week. Why not go for broke and alienate all my friends.

elfs linked to this article, and honestly, it's one I couldn't agree with more. http://www.roughtype.com/archives/2009/01/complete_contro_1.php Guitar Hero is one of those things that really just totally baffles me. If I'm going to learn to 'play' music, I may as well grab a real guitar and learn to play that. (And in fact, I do practice guitar, flute, and keyboard) Sure, each of these are FAR more complex and difficult to learn than mashing keys in a video game, and certainly I can never look forward to being 'the absolute best' at any of them. In fact, I'm not even at a level where I'm keen to torture my friends with my playing. BUT learning stuff is fun and well... As the article said... For me, it's all about opening possibilities.


Sorry if I'm really down on this whole creator vs consumer thing lately. Perhaps I should spend less time blithering away on LJ and more time creating stuff myself.

Comments

[cargoweasel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, all those people playing Counterstrike should go pick up a gun and do it for real! I mean, seriously. And those people playing Burnout should go drive a race car for real.

Incidentally, playing the drums in Rockband is very much like playing the drums for real.

[dv-girl.livejournal.com]

So you're saying rock music is just like stealing cars and killing people? I have heard that viewpoint espoused before but not generally by people I respect.

This game is Klaxx without the randomization. Shut off the music and it's a freakin' boring game. Dance Dance Revolution is far more compelling in that at least it gets you some exercise. The gist of this article was that this game is taking songs about living outside the establishment and stripping them of their meaning.

The two times I've been convinced to play it, I've played the drums for that very reason.

[cargoweasel.livejournal.com]

Okay, people playing Madden should go play football in the NFL?

[prickvixen.livejournal.com]

No, idiot! They should become John Madden! BOOM!

[captpackrat.livejournal.com]

I did take up golf in RL partly due to Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09.

Lately I've been playing Animal Crossing....

[flaredragon.livejournal.com]

I'm still waiting them to release Keyboardmania stateside, and tell all the GH/RB flunkies to go try that. I'm not so sure some of these dudes would pass Beatmania, for that matter.

[yetanotherbob.livejournal.com]

No, he's saying that the game of guitar hero is heavily abstracted, distilled, and watered down the same way that other games are heavily abstracted, distilled, and watered down versions of the things they represent. But that's the point of many games, as the watering down lowers risk, be it physical, monetary, or both.

You don't play Street Fighter to learn how to kick-box. You play it because it's fun, has low risk, and can be easily started or stopped. I only play rock band with the wife's family because it's a social thing that doesn't require years of training and hundreds of dollars.

Yeah, so it's not realistic and isn't like the real thing. That's why it's a game, not a simulator.

[maradydd.livejournal.com]

+1 on the drums thing. I have a friend who enjoyed drums in Rock Band so much, and got so good at them, that he decided to buy a real drum set. Now he practices by playing real drums along with RB, as well as playing with other songs he likes.

[zeeth_kyrah]

Just so. Also, I like drumming more than I like strumming, specifically because I learned to play the bass viol, and I keep wanting sheet music instead of onrushing color blocks.