Bill Wyman, the former bassist of the Rolling Stones, has claimed that Guitar Hero, Rock Band and other music games discourage children from learning real instruments.
His criticism comes on the eve of the release of  ‘The Beatles Rock Band’
“It encourages kids not to learn, that’s the trouble. It makes less and less people dedicated to really get down and learn an instrument,†Wyman told BBC News. “I think it’s a pity so I’m not really keen on that sort of stuff.â€
Nick Mason of Pink Floyd supported Wyman’s comments, saying, “It irritates me having watched my kids do it. If they spent as much time practising the guitar as learning how to press the buttons they’d be damn good by now.â€
However, he also confessed he wouldn’t mind his band’s tracks being used on such games as they provide a new audience for their songs, adding, “I think everyone’s looking at new ways of selling the music because the business of selling records has almost disappearedâ€.
Alex Rigopulos, one of the co-founders of the company that creates the Rock Band games, defended his product and claimed, “We’re hearing from fans who were inspired by Rock Band to start studying a real instrumentâ€.
The Guitar Hero series alone has sold more than 25 million games globally collecting revenues of $2 billion and can claim Simon Cowell among its celebrity fans.
Telegraph.co.uk