Green – Orange
Green – Orange
Green – Orange
Red – Yellow
Yellow
Red – Yellow
Yellow
Yellow – Orange
Yellow
Red – Yellow
Tap tap tap, thwappa, thwappa, THUMP.
These are the sounds emanating from my basement the past few months. If you guessed what I’m talking about, then you too know the strange allure of music-based games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Since I added Rock Band to my list of games for the Wii last month, the “tap tap tap” sounds have been happening every night since I am just as addicted to the drums as I am the guitar.
These music-based games have somehow tapped a primal urge within me, probably stemming from a lifetime of air guitaring and air drumming, and a monster has been unleashed. I liken it to a pastor’s son who, after living a childhood full of repressed urges and unrealistic expectations, falls off the rails when he goes to college and partakes in every kind of vice you can name. He has traded in his hymnal and bible and Sunday School indoctrination for lines of coke, fistfuls of Ecstasy and giant bags of pot.
I had already gone off the deep end when Guitar Hero entered my house (which, BTW, I’m mastering the Hard level now). Then Rock Band finally came out for the Wii last month and not only do I have 63 more songs to master on guitar, I also now have drum skills I need to ramp up on. If I wanted to, I could also do bass and vocals but I don’t see having the time to do that since guitars and drums have really taken a dent out of my DVR and DVD time. My Netflix queue is temporarily moving about as fast as a house for sale in this current cruddy real estate market in an oversaturated area.
The two companies that make Rock Band and Guitar Hero aren’t doing anything to rein in my addiction either. Guitar Hero: World Tour comes out this fall and also comes with a drum set with cymbals. There’s also a Guitar Hero: Aerosmith version out and a track pack for Rock Band with a bunch more songs. Plus Rock Band 2 is coming out this fall too. The situation seems hopeless for me to pull out of this addiction and I simply don’t care to be “healed”. When Guitar Hero: Metallica comes out some time in 2009, expect me to drop off the face of the Earth for a short period of time.
I truly believe these kinds of game are going to be the future of karaoke parties. There really is a sense of satisfaction when you play with others and you’re all hitting your notes like a real band would. Obviously the skill set to actually play instruments is far superior than mastering a stupid game, but this really levels the playing field for those of us casual wanna-be musicians.