What do you say to the haters?

[monstrado]

Okay, so there are a lot of people that say the whole

"dude, join a real band to play music. Your so lame for playing on fake instruments"


this really burns me up, how do you guys handle these creeps?

[shenanigans]

i say ' i can't very well play in a real band, just like you cant defend the earth from aliens. you enjoy your games and i'll enjoy mine.'

[Oxyplox]

Well, the only time I'd hear that is if I'd be playing with my full offline band.
In the case of someone coming up to us and being like that, we'd just laugh really hard at them until they'd go away.

[Keebler]

I say a number of things:

"I don't value the opinion of someone who can be such a snob simply because they CAN play an instrument and think they are automatically better than everyone."

"If I had the thousands of dollars and many, many years to invest in becoming a competent musician, I might do it. But the point is, I don't wanna dick around for years and years with poor results. I wanna play a game that allows me to live that fantasy out of the box."

"It's a game. Just like Halo 3 is a game that emulates being a shooter. Does Halo 3 try to make itself out to be training for real shooting? Does Halo 3 trying to make itself out as a replacement for real shooting? NO! IT'S A GAME MEANT FOR FUN.

[Patch_]

What do I say ?

Online http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/3162/4641871mu6.jpg

Offline ? Sometimes I'll say what's printed on that comic or I'll use the oh yeah, instead of playing [name of FPS] you should join the army.

I love that damn comic.

[TheRocker]

Online "Its just a game"
Offline "Why dont you go join the Army"

[MundaneSoul]

Love that comic. :D

[rockst01]

Usually if I'm asked "why dont you buy a real guitar?" I reply with the good ole "I HAVE a real guitar, want to see it?" Works every time.

[Thrashdragon]

Usually if I'm asked "why dont you buy a real guitar?" I reply with the good ole "I HAVE a real guitar, want to see it?" Works every time.

Heh, I use that one too.

I will admit to somewhat seeing their point about people that actually play Practice Mode over and over again in order to 100% Jordan or whatever. That is kinda silly to me. But to each their own, I don't see any reason to slam on people for doing things I don't happen to agree with.

[SmokaCola]

Some of my Runescape friends say that about Guitar Hero, I tell them to shut the **** up and go throw on real armour and go fight other knights. Or you could say "How about you go take out 20 terrorist and go defuse the ****ing bomb in real life instead of on counter-strike you ******. Or since I do play the guitar and they're actually near me i'll just pick up my good ol' kramer ( my gibson needs strings :( ) and play a few tunes for them and then they shut up =)

[bumbousdude25]

I say a number of things:

"I don't value the opinion of someone who can be such a snob simply because they CAN play an instrument and think they are automatically better than everyone."

"If I had the thousands of dollars and many, many years to invest in becoming a competent musician, I might do it. But the point is, I don't wanna dick around for years and years with poor results. I wanna play a game that allows me to live that fantasy out of the box."

"It's a game. Just like Halo 3 is a game that emulates being a shooter. Does Halo 3 try to make itself out to be training for real shooting? Does Halo 3 trying to make itself out as a replacement for real shooting? NO! IT'S A GAME MEANT FOR FUN.




I liked these. And the comic, too, of course. Now I just have to remember all that stuff the next time someone says that to me.


Btw, your pic really cracked me up Patch. :p

[cmg4894]

I normally walk over to get one of my 'real' guitars. Nicely bring it to them, and....smash them over the head with it. Then I yell at them for making it go out of tune.

[JackBNimble]

Okay, so there are a lot of people that say the whole

"dude, join a real band to play music. Your so lame for playing on fake instruments"


this really burns me up, how do you guys handle these creeps?

I love this one.Do they play games....like racing...hey why dont you just race a real car ,hockey...go join a pro hockey team,golf .go join the PGA tour *******!It's a freaken game no ones going on tour here ,it's about having fun, RIGHT .....IT'S A GAME............GEZZZZ!!! mostly I think it's because they would love to play but are to enbarrassed. sorry drinken cant spell any more.

[JackBNimble]

What do I say ?

Online http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/3162/4641871mu6.jpg

Offline ? Sometimes I'll say what's printed on that comic or I'll use the oh yeah, instead of playing [name of FPS] you should join the army.

I love that damn comic.

That is freaken AWSOME DUDE hehehehe!!!

[Goldfoot]

I'd probably just make a comment on how the game exists to give people that aren't musically inclined the chance to have a good feeling while playing music. I don't confuse strumming one button with 6 strings. I'm not very good with the guitar I do own, but I'm not going to let someone make me feel bad because I find other ways get the feeling of playing music. I generally don't even pay attention to anyone who tries to belittle me for the things that give me enjoyment.

[DoctorSpaghetti]

Some of my Runescape friends

Do your parents know you're playing teen rated games like guitar hero?

[Mushroom]

Usually if I'm asked "why dont you buy a real guitar?" I reply with the good ole "I HAVE a real guitar, want to see it?" Works every time.

Yep, I do that too. Sometimes I play them a GH/RB song, just to rub it in :D

[MaineDrummer]

"I love Halo 3 it's wicked cool"
"Why don't you just go buy a real gun and shoot the neighbors then"?

I play drums in RL. Have played for many years, done shows at local venues, and generally have a ton of fun doing it.

However, I can't get drunk, have my wife play bass, my son play guitar, or rock on any time of day or night in a real band.

Or play alone and have this much fun for that matter.

[icantwaitforrockband]

yeah, almost everyone one in my Rock Band band, was in my REAL band....so...we all play intruments. This are people that have probably never tried the game themselves.

When I first saw GH as a Best Buy demo, I thought it looked like the stupidest game ever.
I watched a few kids play for a while, and thought ok, maybe I'll try, but they wouldn't stop. I walked around Best Buy for a while shopping for other stuff when I realized the kids were gone. When I made it back to the demo, some 40 yr. old dude in his suit was playing it, and he was having a blast. That's when I decided to buy it without even trying it!

...the rest is history..


I usually tell them to sign a multi-million dollar deal with a pro sports team!

[HPLabonte]

yeah, almost everyone one in my Rock Band band, was in my REAL band....so...we all play intruments. This are people that have probably never tried the game themselves.

When I first saw GH as a Best Buy demo, I thought it looked like the stupidest game ever.
I watched a few kids play for a while, and thought ok, maybe I'll try, but they wouldn't stop. I walked around Best Buy for a while shopping for other stuff when I realized the kids were gone. When I made it back to the demo, some 40 yr. old dude in his suit was playing it, and he was having a blast. That's when I decided to buy it without even trying it!


Well, you are me, sir.

[MartyMcFly]

As most everyone said, it's as easy as this:

- Ask that person their favorite game
- Tell them to go do it in real life

They may say RB and GH are being fake and make people think they're real musicians. These games are just giving you that feeling of rocking out.

Much like Halo gives you the feeling of blasting an alien's head off. Or an MLB game where you create a player and you hit a walk-off homerun. Or even to be a knight in medieval times and slay a dragon.

Rock Band and Guitar Hero are just video games designed to give you a fun experience, no different than anything else.

[Jack_Harvard]

First off, I'm in agreement with pretty much everything that's been said so far.

Secondly, I find it funny how this game evokes such a reaction from musicians. Not all mind you, just some. It's as if with this game only, some people have a hard time separating the game activity from the real life activity. Just weird.

[FranciscoZappa]

I play guitar and drums. I also live in a small boston apartment. I would love to pound away on the drums anytime of day and crank my amp up and weedle-lee-weedle-lee-wee all night. Unfortunately my neighbors would not. At least i can still get that feeling with RB. Screw the snobs.

[nicko68]

I find it funny how this game evokes such a reaction from musicians. Not all mind you, just some. It's as if with this game only, some people have a hard time separating the game activity from the real life activity. Just weird.

I wonder if they are insulted because they think that we are getting the same kind of feelings playing GH/RB as they do when they are really playing? Or if that they think that we think playing a real life instrument is not much harder than playing GH/RB (which is ridiculous). They feel like GH/RB is "trivializing" the experience of playing real music.

[Frederf]

Logic and reasoning to not apply to these people. The more words you use, the more likely you are to confuse such persons. There is only one way to respond to this sort of harassment.

Follow my patented three-step method:

1. Tilt your head 13.7° to the left.
2. Squint your right eye 87% closed.
3. Say very slowly: "You don't... get games... do you?"

P.S. First post.

[MaineDrummer]

Logic and reasoning to not apply to these people. The more words you use, the more likely you are to confuse such persons. There is only one way to respond to this sort of harassment.

Follow my patented three-step method:

1. Tilt your head 13.7° to the left.
2. Squint your right eye 87% closed.
3. Say very slowly: "You don't... get games... do you?"

P.S. First post.

That's awesome! Welcome aboard.

[DShiz1029]

Okay, so there are a lot of people that say the whole

"dude, join a real band to play music. Your so lame for playing on fake instruments"


this really burns me up, how do you guys handle these creeps?

Tell them you're not into alcohol problems and coke addictions.

[sonicbrew]

In my case I have had several real bands over my 33 years of guitar playing. Although games like this never replace the real passion and feel of me plugging into my massive onslaught of equipment and guitars, there fun and enjoyable. I actually thought the same way as many you describe up until this year when my daughter brought here PS2 and GHII down on a visit.
I thought, what the hell do I want to play that silly ass game for when I can go to my music room and plug into an array of goodies and play the real thing? 3 hours later they could not pry that plastic piece of crap from my hands and I was just taken away.

I have been a gamer as long as I have been playing music. In the scope of gaming, these games are new and refeshing change to a muddied down genre of same old rehash crap. In the end it's just a game to me and I enjoy it.

[Axel32]

I just say I play guitar, Bass, piano, and the drums and would like to play a friggen video game.

Or I just say go join the Army.

[Bakkster]

Secondly, I find it funny how this game evokes such a reaction from musicians. Not all mind you, just some. It's as if with this game only, some people have a hard time separating the game activity from the real life activity. Just weird.

I think that part of the problem is the kiddies who play GH competitively and think that makes them somehow equal to a real musician.

I agree, it's like this genre is the only one where people get confused. I don't see anyone claiming they can bowl instead of Wii Bowling, nor saying they should go to the bowling alley instead. I wonder what it is about plastic guitars that makes everyone go dumb?

[seafisch]

It could be that the controllers used to play GH/RB are (reasonably) close approximations of the real instruments. If shooters required to use a gun shaped controller, wear motion/hit detection pads, and dodge around in your living room, or if racing games required you to use a steering wheel, pedals, and a racing seat, the argument might carry over to those sorts of games. Or if GH/RB used the standard controllers, and not guitar/drum controllers, they might not draw as much hate from the snobs. Of course, they wouldn't be as much fun either.

[Jack_Harvard]

I think that part of the problem is the kiddies who play GH competitively and think that makes them somehow equal to a real musician.

Yeah, that's what I've been thinking. As if being able to 5* "Freebird" on Expert is equivalent to plugging in a real guitar and actually playing.

[Bakkster]

Yeah, that's what I've been thinking. As if being able to 5* "Freebird" on Expert is equivalent to plugging in a real guitar and actually playing.

I think there was an interview with Les Claypool about GH2 where he talked about this. He says he doesn't let his son play video games, but he will probably let him play GH2 because it will teach him elements of rhythm and how to isolate different instruments.

It may not be making music, but it certainly trains your ear to listen to this kind of stuff. If only the kiddies knew that...

[Jack_Harvard]

Personally, I've found that GH has actually helped loosen up my fingers. I sometimes have a hard time playing faster sections of music on my guitar, and GH is actually a pretty fun way to get those muscles working. Still no substitute for real practice, though.

However, if rumors about the RB drumset are true, then that could have an impact on musical ability.

And I hadn't read that about Les Claypool... interesting.

[Frederf]

Has anyone met a person that thought they were somehow validated on the "real" activity by playing the video game counter part? I haven't. When it comes to Guitar Hero this fanaticism against "pretend musicians" seems to be complete baseless.

Now expand that question to include racing games, shooting games, etc.

I believe that racing games have made me a more capable driver. Without playing any of them, I don't think I would have performed the same when I actually took my car to the track. Likewise playing flight simulator helped me be familiar with things when getting a pilot's license. I don't think combat games prepare for combat in the details but possibly in the tactical thinking area.