Does Rock Band make kids smarter?

[macdaddy3598]

A lot of recent news stories are focusing on FPS games making kids smarter and more intuitive. What about Rock Band?

Here's my take...With Rock Band:
1. Fine motor skills are strengthened. It's more than button mashing.
2. Hand-eye coordination development. The game forces all players to have (or learn) rhythm.
3. Eclectic music introduction. Decades of music are introduced to younger generations.
4. Problem solving. Select any expert song, and there's a problem to solve.

Thoughts?

[Hungryfreak]

I think it can go either way depending on how open-minded people are willing to be.

[LZ_69]

Only reading and studying makes you smarter son......games are just that, games!

unless it's a game of math or something like that.

[HMXDave]

I think Rock Band might make you more coordinated. Perhaps improve your rhythm/hand-eye coordination/reflexes. But that does not equate to intelligence in any way.

Playing Rock Band will not improve your SAT score.

[HappyCat]

honestly

Rock band makes you appreciate music, helps you get yourself in time and independent limbs

and more social :)

[sphere]

I disagree with problem solving, playing a harder songs is more about mental organization coupled with rhythmic sense - either to know what's going on on every 'layer' of drum, or to know what combo to hit on the pads and the timing of it. Your first three points I agree with though.

Anything involving playing music, even in a watered down simulation like Rock Band, helps indirectly with your mental capacity, if not technically your 'intelligence.' Playing music forces you to learn to keep a rhythm, which has been directly linked to better comprehension of math... which is what you were starting to get at there.

[schmeankman]

Ehh.. the musical introduction is not that great. At my school, it just make kids posers, saying they... "Love that Mountain band" because they have heard Mississippi Queen.

[AlliterationAmy]

Okay, so Rock Band may make kids smarter.... but can the opposite be said for Guitar Hero?

[Sgt Pepper]

Judging by some of the posts we see over in the Rock Band section, certainly not...

[nashphx13z]

Okay, so Rock Band may make kids smarter.... but can the opposite be said for Guitar Hero?

Probably.

Mother of Guitar Hero-playing son: Timmy! Get off that machine of yours! You've been playing Guitar Legend or whatever it is for 6 hours straight! You need to do your homework!
Son: No, mom! I've been working on beating TtFaF (he says it like "teefaf") for that entire 6 hours! Actually, it was only 4!!!!
M: What in the sam hill is teefaf???!!?!!?
S: Shut up , mom! I wanna play more! I just know I can beat it!
M: *queue *****-slap*
S: Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!! I just beat it and you tripped over my PS3/360 cord! Now I gotta do it all over again!

In the end, the son forgets to do his Biology project and ends up failing the class. He never shows up to summer school and gets expelled because of it. He is granted parental approval to drop out. Eventually, he turns 40...

Timmy: Well, mom, it was worth it. I'm the coolest dad ever, aren't I? I play expert on Guitar Hero 27. All my son's friends think that's awesome. Plus, I can get them all free burgers at Burger King.


END to the sad story of GH dumbing people down. I was bored...deal with it.

[That's What She Said]

I think it can go either way depending on how open-minded people are willing to be.

Like a person's gender! :cool:

[Jokermaggot]

Rock Band could equal improved intelligence. But could also lower because of massive jamming and the injuries that somtimes come with it including brain damgae because of head banging.

[topperharley]

If it makes them say "wow, this music is so much better than that Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers ****", then I would say yes.

[Wolfee360]

Well I'm not sure if it makes them smarter or anything, but my son can sing about 9 songs on easy and score 100% on them he is almost 6 and just started school.
I don't think he can read yet but he sure can learn or memories the lyric’s, so I guess it does teach them something.

[HMXDave]

It definitely makes them cooler.

[mizmary89]

Yay! so by playing more rock band we CAN get smarter. that's a good thing. so maybe I can use this as an excuse over my homework when my mom asks if I've done my homework yet. LOL

[zack10house]

Yay! so by playing more rock band we CAN get smarter. that's a good thing. so maybe I can use this as an excuse over my homework when my mom asks if I've done my homework yet. LOL

wouldn't recommend that

[BigMonkE]

It's made me smarter musically LOL.

[seamjessjosh]

Probably.

Mother of Guitar Hero-playing son: Timmy! Get off that machine of yours! You've been playing Guitar Legend or whatever it is for 6 hours straight! You need to do your homework!
Son: No, mom! I've been working on beating TtFaF (he says it like "teefaf") for that entire 6 hours! Actually, it was only 4!!!!
M: What in the sam hill is teefaf???!!?!!?
S: Shut up , mom! I wanna play more! I just know I can beat it!
M: *queue *****-slap*
S: Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!! I just beat it and you tripped over my PS3/360 cord! Now I gotta do it all over again!

In the end, the son forgets to do his Biology project and ends up failing the class. He never shows up to summer school and gets expelled because of it. He is granted parental approval to drop out. Eventually, he turns 40...

Timmy: Well, mom, it was worth it. I'm the coolest dad ever, aren't I? I play expert on Guitar Hero 27. All my son's friends think that's awesome. Plus, I can get them all free burgers at Burger King.


END to the sad story of GH dumbing people down. I was bored...deal with it.


That..... was aweome! I like how he works at Burger King because you have to have a high school diploma (or equivalent) to work at McDonald's.

[ExpertDrummer]

Rock Band makes kids smarter!

Guitar Hero makes kids ignorant!...oh wait, that already applied to them.
Oh well,no effect playing GH.

LOL

[Aragha]

Does Rock Band make kids smarter?!

Well just take a gander at me!!!

;)

[Inpheksion]

Childhood involvement in music has been linked to less illegal use of drugs, as well as increased scores on standardized tests

VERSUS, those children who were not exposed to musical experienced

[instantdeath999]

Only reading and studying makes you smarter son......games are just that, games!

unless it's a game of math or something like that.

How exactly does math make you smarter? It's really no different from most tedious puzzles.

Oh, crap, my sarcasm detector is going off.

[sphere]

That..... was aweome! I like how he works at Burger King because you have to have a high school diploma (or equivalent) to work at McDonald's.

Damn, son, that's a prestigious Mcdicks you got there... all the ones up here take kids young as 14