Members richardmac Posted February 12, 2011 Members Share Posted February 12, 2011 Activision has pulled the plug on Guitar Hero - it's over. Sales tanked, so they killed it. Some folks (guitarists mostly) thought it was a joke and did more harm than good for music. Other folks pointed out that it increased music sales and paid royalties, and got kids interested in guitars, and therefore was a good thing. Are you happy or sad that Guitar Hero is now gone? And why? I'll go first. I'm happy. I'm happy when anything as "silly" as Guitar Hero goes away because it's annoying. I was happy when line dancing ("silly") went away, when the Macarena went away ("silly"), and now that adults will not "rock out" with plastic guitars any more, I for one am pleased. Now if only Karaoke would go away. And I use the word "silly" where in the past I would have used the word "gay", but I am now politically correct. Although I probably just messed that up by pointing it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted February 12, 2011 Moderators Share Posted February 12, 2011 Well, I have publicly stated often enough that the whole Rock Band/Guitar Hero thing was just a dumb game for people with no talent to pretend they were something they were not. What stunned me was the number of actual musicians who played it 'for fun'...hey, ok, you have time to do that great. Did it get kids interested in actually learning guitar? Maybe, for ten minutes...long enough to make poor mom and dad haul them over to best buy, $amA$h, GC and buy them a squier kit. What it really did was belittle the thing I love to do; cheapened it to where anybody could pretend to do what I spent decades learning to do...the musical equivalent of paint by numbers. Royalties got paid to legacy bands...great....it did not move the music business forward one iota. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BJH Posted February 12, 2011 Members Share Posted February 12, 2011 What stunned me was the number of actual musicians who played it 'for fun'...hey, ok, you have time to do that great. Gotta say, I've played Rock Band, and it was pretty fun. Admittedly, I'd never buy one myself, because I would probably get bored with it pretty quickly. As for the main thread question, I guess I am indifferent about the demise of Guitar Hero. Frankly, I really don't care what video games people play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tim_7string Posted February 12, 2011 Members Share Posted February 12, 2011 Overall, I guess I'm glad it's gone. It was a fad and now it's over. I did enjoy teaching the kids that played the video game. They often wanted to learn the songs for real that they were doing on the game. However, I did notice that during Guitar Hero/Rock Band's peak in 2007-2008, that's when I had my highest number of students. It's been a downward spiral ever since and I can't deny the parallels between those games and the people who stuck with learning guitar. Ironically enough, I just got Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock for Christmas. I liked it because it had a lot of my favorite classic songs, plus it included Soundgarden's new greatest hits CD and finally, it had a sequence involving Rush's classic 2112 suite narrated by the bandmembers themselves. But do I play it all the time? Nah, I get more fun out of practicing the real thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HighSpeedSpoon Posted February 12, 2011 Members Share Posted February 12, 2011 No skin in the game here. It tells me there's nothing like the real thing, but I knew that already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 3gstring Posted February 13, 2011 Members Share Posted February 13, 2011 I don't like it myself. Knowing how to play real guitar messed me up all the time. But I liked that everyone else was playing it. All these young kids were exposed to some of the best music from the 60s, 70s and 80s that they probably never would have gotten into otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted February 13, 2011 Moderators Share Posted February 13, 2011 which bribngs up something I was curious about...I saw the game played several times, and the music was either GNR, or classic rock...but as this was aimed at kids (I assume it was) where there 'modern rock' tracks available? Like Kings of Leon, Gov't Mule, etc? or was it all older material? I am not opposed to video games in general, btw, but some things I have seen I find offensive, like GTA, for one...why would you design a totally anarchic game like that? To teach kids to be criminals, to have no respect for the law? I fail to see the sense in that. I personally prefer games that challenge my intellect, rather than how fast I can move my thumbs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Poker99 Posted February 13, 2011 Members Share Posted February 13, 2011 But bloggers were telling me it would save the music bizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members richardmac Posted February 13, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 13, 2011 which bribngs up something I was curious about...I saw the game played several times, and the music was either GNR, or classic rock...but as this was aimed at kids (I assume it was) where there 'modern rock' tracks available? Like Kings of Leon, Gov't Mule, etc? or was it all older material? I am not opposed to video games in general, btw, but some things I have seen I find offensive, like GTA, for one...why would you design a totally anarchic game like that? To teach kids to be criminals, to have no respect for the law? I fail to see the sense in that. I personally prefer games that challenge my intellect, rather than how fast I can move my thumbs... I agree with you there, daddymack. I don't play many games, but I love playing Angry Birds. Which is a game you can pick up and play for 1 minute, or sit down and play for an hour. It doesn't require too much intelligence, but it does require you to estimate trajectory. Love that game. Guitar Hero did have never tracks also, as well as older tracks, BTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JohnMCA72 Posted February 13, 2011 Members Share Posted February 13, 2011 The demise of Guitar Hero may be a sample of things to come. One way to look at the whole GH phenomenon is that it was a way for non-musicians to "dabble" in music, without actually creating or producing anything. Something similar could be said for DJs, karaoke, sampling, & even DIY recording, marketing & distribution. In each case, technology has empowered a class of users who previously did not have access to what had been "professional" capabilities. All were considered (at least by some) to spell doom for actual musicians. I believe (or is it just desperate hope?) that at some point there will be a sort of consumer backlash against the mass quantities of mediocre (or worse) musical product flooding the market. Just because "anybody" can produce their own music for the world to listen to doesn't mean that they necessarily should. Guitar Hero has run its course. Other "enabling" technologies may very well do the same. I think (& hope) that someday music will regain its value, and no longer be a commodity. For that to happen, the music-consuming public will need to recognize that it's not all equal, and some is actually worth paying for in some way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted February 13, 2011 Members Share Posted February 13, 2011 Today's consumer isn't content to be a passive bystander anymore. They are the 'look at me' generation, and want more interactive experiences. Hence, games like GH and Rockband, movies and TV shows where viewers determine what happens in the end (or even episode to episode in some cases), American idol, karaoke, iphones wih a gazillion apps, social networking, and so on. I never had an issues with GH except when bars were dropping live music and having GHG tournaments on the big screen TV. Thankfully, it didn't last long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Visconti Posted February 13, 2011 Members Share Posted February 13, 2011 It's just a video game. How long was Pac-Man around? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted February 14, 2011 Moderators Share Posted February 14, 2011 longer than Pong...but not as long as Asteroids... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members richardmac Posted February 14, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 14, 2011 Pac Man is still around. But you can get it for free on your iPhone. So Pac Man will be forced to... wait for it... ...make money by touring. Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week. Be sure to tip your waitress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Knoxnihilist Posted February 15, 2011 Members Share Posted February 15, 2011 Rock Band is fun, but Guitar Hero is endorsement prostitution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dan Acheron Posted February 15, 2011 Members Share Posted February 15, 2011 I was never a fan of playing the game but it did have some good music on it that kids may not have heard otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members matt greeno Posted February 15, 2011 Members Share Posted February 15, 2011 I play bass/guitar, but am also a gamer of 20+ years. I tried GH, but didn't care for it. It was just awkward for me, and at that point, I'd rather play the real thing. I grew up with 3rd-5th-generation games, NES up until N64, where you had to use a little muscle and reflex to get the job done. For the Wii, I still prefer the Mario games. That's why the New Super Mario Bros. was fan-{censored}ing-tastic, it was a throwback to the side-scrolling difficulty of Mario Bros. 3. That being ranted, I didn't know GH was dead until I read this. Oh well, no skin off my ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members richardmac Posted February 15, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 15, 2011 Yeah, my all time fave Mario game is Super Mario 2, which wasn't originally even a Mario game, but has some great things about it - no time limit per level, great music, great bad guys, hard but not too hard. Mario 3 was a great game but it could be a bitch to get through some of those levels! But I'll still play it every once in a great while. Super Mario World for Super Nintendo was also a fantastic game and gave us Yoshi. And the new one for the Wii is very cool and you can play 4 player, which is fun. My kids have beaten it. I don't play it enough to get that far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Matximus Posted February 16, 2011 Members Share Posted February 16, 2011 I tellya - I {censored}ing hated going to a party in 2009 or whatever it was when this {censored} was taking off and having to pretend to to be interested & involved as that damn plastic guitar was passed around the room ... Oh my god, everybody went crazy for that stupid-ass thing. So from that end - happy. But, you know, that's my selfish perspective. It's too bad it's coming to an end for what it was doing to expose people to music, make money for some people in the process. Getting them engaged in an active way in popular song - I thought the idea of it was a cool throwback to how people used to enjoy music before records: Everyone would have a turn at the Piano, you know? Music largely became a passive thing when records came a long - I don't think that's much of a good thing. But guitar hero - to me - was like beating off - I.E.: a poor substitute for the real thing, you know? It's a video game. Are you sad nobody plays Kid Icarus on Atari anymore? Same damn thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Matximus Posted February 16, 2011 Members Share Posted February 16, 2011 The demise of Guitar Hero may be a sample of things to come. One way to look at the whole GH phenomenon is that it was a way for non-musicians to "dabble" in music, without actually creating or producing anything. Something similar could be said for DJs, karaoke, sampling, & even DIY recording, marketing & distribution. In each case, technology has empowered a class of users who previously did not have access to what had been "professional" capabilities. All were considered (at least by some) to spell doom for actual musicians.I believe (or is it just desperate hope?) that at some point there will be a sort of consumer backlash against the mass quantities of mediocre (or worse) musical product flooding the market. Just because "anybody" can produce their own music for the world to listen to doesn't mean that they necessarily should. Guitar Hero has run its course. Other "enabling" technologies may very well do the same. I think (& hope) that someday music will regain its value, and no longer be a commodity. For that to happen, the music-consuming public will need to recognize that it's not all equal, and some is actually worth paying for in some way. Nah - I think it's pretty clear Guitar Hero was a video game. It wasn't enabling technology - I don't think anybody thought they were actually making music when they played it. But it was more than just a regular video and something different than just playing a real guitar - which is one of the reasons it was so interesting to a lot of people. It was actually a new different thing. But it was also a fad. And if you're waiting for the masses to reject mediocrity... I mean, come, dude... have you ever heard music on... uhm... the radio? And what the hell is wrong with mediocrity - superiority is the problem, from my view. I.E.: Uncle Know-betters that want to put the genie back in the bottle saying - Now, now, people - you have no right to play in my sandbox... after all: You aren't qualified... I mean - you say you don't want music to be viewed as a commodity but everything your saying points to an old-school attitude that suggests otherwise: We're the musicians, now people. We're the ones who are supposed to be making music. You're hte ones who are supposed to pay us to do that, got it? The whole deal falls apart when you start making music yourself.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members richardmac Posted February 17, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 17, 2011 I.E.: Uncle Know-betters that want to put the genie back in the bottle saying - Now, now, people - you have no right to play in my sandbox... after all: You aren't qualified...I mean - you say you don't want music to be viewed as a commodity but everything your saying points to an old-school attitude that suggests otherwise: We're the musicians, now people. We're the ones who are supposed to be making music. You're hte ones who are supposed to pay us to do that, got it? The whole deal falls apart when you start making music yourself.... +100. Yup. And that's a somewhat common viewpoint here - that the amateurs should give up and stop making music so that the people who do it for a living can have a better shot. And as an amateur, my opinion is "deal with it." People aren't "selfish" or "spoiled" just because they no longer want to be brainless couch potato consumers of media... now they want to blog, animate, post, publish, and yes make their own remixes or even original songs, and I think it's great. My only problem is when they take themselves too seriously. If your music sucks, don't worry about YouTube traffic... worry about writing music that doesn't suck, for pete's sake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AliceinChains Posted February 17, 2011 Members Share Posted February 17, 2011 Great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fatusstratus Posted February 17, 2011 Members Share Posted February 17, 2011 I figure guitar hero and rock band have marketability problems because of the hardware overhead and the licensing problems that a lot of other games don't have. As far as good/bad...I really don't know if there's that big a connection. The closet potato guitar is a tradition video games or no. Does it waste time that could be spent learning "real guitar" maybe, but so does Call of Duty 4, I don't think that part is GH specific. I don't really think it belittles guitar playing, it actually sort of aggrandizes it ..."hero" with screaming fans and all. Sure it provides a fictionalized version of the experience because it's a game, not a simulator. I'm not worried about it one way or the other - it was basically a DDR variant with a guitar theme and I think that's really what it was, a game with a guitar theme - that's really about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xStonr Posted February 17, 2011 Members Share Posted February 17, 2011 the word was that buying the Beatles catalogue was what killed it. A lot of money was paid out for it and they didn't get the return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members selection7 Posted February 17, 2011 Members Share Posted February 17, 2011 the word was that buying the Beatles catalogue was what killed it. A lot of money was paid out for it and they didn't get the return. You're thinking of Rock Band, which is still going. Incidentally, the creators of Rock Band were the original creators of the first Guitar Hero (they sold their name and started a new franchise), so the original devs are still doing their thing. My pesonal opinion is that these games did an awful lot of catering towards non-modern music for a video game, though I know the video game audience aren't all youngsters anymore. Licensing should have been very cheap for modern acts because the labels all want their bands promoted to fresh ears as captive audiences. I know there was a lot of bickering about how the labels thought they should have been getting a bigger piece of the pie, but if they ended up being stubborn about it, they shot themselves in the foot. I play guitar, bass, piano, trumpet, drums, yet my best friend of 20 years had never played anything and he only liked country music. After the Guitar Hero/Rock Band effect, he now is a drummer with his own Roland TD-9, and appreciates a wide variety of music (though he still doesn't listen to music all that often just for fun). The before music games and after music games difference is crazy, and I assume his sort of tale isn't unique. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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