Naturally, we could point to player's new familiarity with songs and hope that they will download the tracks or rush out and buy the CDs, but in the long term those effects are not as pivotal as other potential issues, namely players ability to actually play guitar. It seems to me, and I am sure this point has been brought up before, but if these players can only perform the instrument as a series of buttons that represent notes, what future does the music industry hold in terms of new artists further down the line, not to mention creativity?
These sentiments may be simplistic due to the rationale that there are many young and new guitarists not playing the video game, but the sales figures are staggering and I can guarantee you that it is not just gamers playing the controller-guitars. I for one am neither a gamer nor a guitar player, but I am enamored with both products, especially after I played the newest version with the Muse song "Knights of Cydonia." The difference for me seems to be the acknowledgment that I will never truly learn guitar, much less try to become famous for playing guitar.
But what about those kids who can play the Guitar Hero game in "expert" mode while lacking the ability to actually play the instrument? Unfortunately, this problem may be of little concern for music industry representatives as the game provides nice royalty and publishing deals no doubt that further add to the coffers of the industry, the publishing companies, the labels, and the artists. Surely the artists whose songs are involved with the game can see the potential side effects of the game. Then again, how cool would it be to see your song translated into the game? Okay, maybe not that cool, but it could still mean something. At least it isn't relegated to the past and is introduced to new listeners.
Putting aside these opinions, the game still has the possibility of benefiting the music industry. If those same kids can take the enjoyment they have with the game and translate it into playing guitar, then the music industry will not be affected by any loss of potential. Competing with Guitar Hero, Viacom, Inc. (NYSE: VIA)'s Rock Band game offers gamers the chance to play a similarly designed guitar or the drums, which certainly adds a new dimension but it also adds players the ability to more closely play an instrument. Then again, there seems to always be a plethora of drummers.
In the long term it is difficult to ascertain if the music industry will face any problems due to adverse affects by either the Guitar Hero or the Rock Band games. (Especially considering the problems the music industry has simply trying to manage physical sales and digital sales.) No matter, we should hope that it merely introduces new players to the instrument and they can do the rest and write the next song to be included in a Guitar Hero game. Of course, the player who has perfected the "expert" stage of the game, only has one level left: Hero; and that's not included with the game.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-20-2007 @ 1:59AM
Tom said...
This won't hurt music anymore than it will hurt basketball or any other viedo game where you push buttons. What a waste of an article.
11-20-2007 @ 10:03AM
traderdad said...
The music instrument industry is also looking at the impact of Guitar Hero on guitar sales. Some progressive stores have held Guitar Hero contests in their guitar stores. Its still too early to say definitively how this may affect future sales. But most people believe that the guitar sales will hold up well against this threat, as they have held up well against the threat of other video games, DVDs and all the other entertainment options available to children (and that require much less effort to learn). In that sense, the future of guitar players ripe to be exploited by the music industry remains strong.
11-20-2007 @ 10:47AM
Sturt said...
So what's the point? Ban Guitar Hero? Require players to take real guitar lessons?
11-21-2007 @ 1:17PM
Malkyne said...
Given the enthusiasm with which Guitar Center sells Guitar Hero, I can only assume that the game is good for guitar sales. It could even have a somewhat protective effect in a slumping entry-level guitar market, in years when hip hop and other non-guitar-centric music is dominant in the critical 12-24 year old age bracket.
As for drummers, well, we can use all the drummers we can get, down here in Austin. This here is a guitar city.
11-23-2007 @ 9:55AM
Bob G said...
There is a kernel of potential here - that people might stop playing real instruments because GH makes it easy for them to get a similar experience.
But the huge missed - and I believe more likely - scneario is that GH is getting people excited about playing music at a time when fewer and fewer people have the patience to pick up the skill.
Further, GH does more than any other tool to help you take a baby step toward learning the guitar. It helps you learn rhythm and finger dexterity. It gives you a taste of the fun of playing guitar. And it leaves you thinking, hey, maybe I could do this for real.
The future of music education lies in games like GH. The designers of the game have crafted an amazing education experience. It starts you off with Easy, and adds speed/button/song complexity over time. Imagine 10 years from now GH will be a training tool/game with a real guitar and real notes.
12-22-2007 @ 7:47PM
Maxpower said...
Well said Bob G I also see this game as having a positive and not negative effect on the music industry as a whole, In addition to getting people who would otherwise never pick up a guitar interested in playing, It also exposes a whole generation of younger people to something other than the hiphop / R&B and pop that dominates music today. I think this game could kick off something of a rock rennaisance in a few years.