Guitar Hero: Helping Music or Killing The Art?

Figures don’t lie. Guitar Hero is one of the most successful videogame franchises of our time. Through genius or pure luck, Activision have managed to take the popular hobby of air-guitar and transform it into a virtual reality for everyone.

The success and fanfare which has followed has been unprecedented, leading to huge financial returns, numerous accolades and clones of the game. More importantly, it has also received a majority of thumbs up from music teachers and parents who feel the series has reignited children’s interest in picking up a musical instrument – which had been a huge issue for the past decade or so and subsequently resulted in a steady decline of musical talent (See: Nickelback).

From industry professionals to the average videogame fan, the Guitar Hero series has been praised for various reasons. Some of the positives mentioned have been:

• Increased sales
  Artists and labels have discovered an increase in digital sales after their tracks have been featured in the game series. Ars Technica researched SoundScan’s statistics and used Slipknot’s ‘Before I Forget’ as one example. The week of Guitar Hero III’s release, the song jumped up 75 percent in sales, and the following week a massive 140 percent. Coincidence? We think not.
• Marketing tool
  The fact that Activision have secured licences from major record companies and official likenesses of big name artists, such as Slash, Metallica, Aerosmith, Van Halen, and Tom Morello, proves that Guitar Hero is now seen as a fundamental and powerful marketing tool for the music industry.
• Revival of classical rock
  Since radio became Satan’s abortion, it has become incredibly difficult for younger fans to discover the golden oldies. Through Guitar Hero, more and more kids are uncovering great music from the past and not just a conglomeration of commercial crap. Suddenly, rock has become cool again and people are expanding their iTunes playlists with a lot of bands they never knew about. Even lesser recognised groups, such as Foghat, are now enjoying a revival and receiving the attention they deserve, when only a few years ago they were doomed to reside in the shadows of the better known bands of their era.

So, if Guitar Hero is ‘oh so great’, why would anyone doubt its legitimacy or appeal? Let’s have a look at some of the cons:

• Too simple
  Two of the biggest detractors of the Guitar Hero series have been legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist, Jimmy Page, and White Stripes mastermind, Jack White – both of whom believe it’s not the ideal way for people to be exposed to their music. Jack White was quoted as saying, “It’s depressing to have a label come and tell you that [Guitar Hero] is how kids are learning about music and experiencing music.” Call them cynical, but White and Page do have a point. The game does oversimplify the art of playing an instrument. The mastering of musical instruments requires much skill and practice to perfect – not just an ability to smash buttons in sequence.
• Commercialism
  It’s bound to happen – some might say it has happened already – record companies will give huge incentives (bribes) to Activision to include their chosen singles or artists. At the end of the day, money talks and we may even be subjected to Guitar Hero: Daughtry *shudders*.
• Mockery of legacies
  Ex-Nirvana members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic condemned Activision for their inclusion of Kurt Cobain’s avatar. They felt that the likeness of Cobain being present in the game’s commercial songs – which are not Nirvana’s – is completely against everything their lead singer stood for, and fought vehemently for the removal of his avatar. Look, to see a character with the likeness of King Diamond performing a Fall Out Boy song is a bit ridiculous and so not rock ’n roll, but let’s not forget it is just a game after all. It’s not like the artist in question is actually selling out for real.

In an era where videogames are dominated by an extreme abundance of violence and adult-related themes, it’s actually refreshing to find a fun, musically-orientated alternative. While Guitar Hero may not improve musical skill or ability, there is still no denying that it’s tremendously fun and addictive. Perhaps, it’s best to view it for what it is – a game.

Related Posts:
Review of Guitar Hero: Metallica
A Guitarist’s Review of Guitar Hero

What are your views? Please leave your opinion in the comments box below.

- Sergio Pereira
sergio@musicreview.co.za
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