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’ computer game, which allows players to play along with to band’s back catalogue.
“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
6 replies on “Bill Wyman criticises Guitar Heros™ style video games”
If Nick Mason (has kids? not grown kids?) wants his kids to stop he should parent. If Bill Wyman has a study showing that people are choosing Guitar Hero over an instrument who normally wouldn’t, cool. Everyone is always bitching about new technology and saying it’s the downfall of the world. The only time they were really right was the a-bomb.
Hear hear, Bill.
Well said!
An instrument requires talent and practice… guitar hero may have an element of practice, but certainly no talent.
Kids typically become bored with a video game after about 2-3 weeks, so I don’t think these games are gonna threaten the pool of developing musical talent. My kids, one a 17 year old bassist with 6 yrs experience, love Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but approach them for what they are – video games. In spite of the popularity of these games, I’ve never seen more kids into playing music as I have now – we literally have about a 100 fledgeling young bands in medium-sized prairie town. Cool!!
I think in some cases it opens kids up to bands that they otherwise wouldn’t learn more about. Maybe in other cases, kids only practice the game while never learning a real instrument.
It’s hard to say if this game helps or hurts in my opinion
I personally don’t think that playing guitar hero discourages kids to learn. It actually brings out the music in them.
But on the other hand, this is a video game that may give them less time to do school work.
If their parents can balance them both, it can only do them good.
Only time will tell.
Tal