Are Videogames Turning Teens Into Real Rock Stars?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably rocked out to Guitar Hero. The popular music videogame has become such a cultural phenomenon that even your parents and teachers have likely played it. In fact, in January 2008, Activision Inc. announced that the Guitar Hero franchise set an industry record, surpassing $1 billion in North American retail sales in just 26 months.

Never played Guitar Hero? It’s simple. The game involves a guitar-shaped controller (with buttons rather than strings), and players must follow along to colour-coded notes that scroll down a virtual fret board. The interactive element is thrilling. Your Guitar Hero alter ego appears on a virtual stage in front of a live audience. If you don’t keep up, you get booed off the stage; if you’re great, the crowd goes wild – just like in real life!

Since the original Guitar Hero was released in 2005, the franchise has expanded to include Guitar Heroes II, III and Guitar Hero Encore. This summer, the brand also released an on-tour and Aerosmith version of the game. Since Guitar Hero has become such a huge success, other music games such as SingStar (basically a karaoke videogame) and Rock Band have caught on to the craze. Rock Band, which has also become extremely popular, utilizes the same style of guitar controller as Guitar Hero (two if you want a bass player), as well as a drum kit and microphone – so you and your friends get to play as an entire band! And, in a typical game of industry catch-up, Guitar Hero will be releasing Guitar Hero World Tour (Guitar Hero 4) this fall, incorporating drums and a microphone in addition to the guitar.

Beyond keeping teens busy, games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band are truly having an effect on our culture. There are Guitar Hero bar nights and Rock Band competitions for people who are serious about showing off their skills.

Recently, Tom Lee Music held a Rock Band competition at their downtown Vancouver location. As expected, most of the participants were either teens or young adults. Richard Howland, market development and community relations manager at Tom Lee, who organized the competition, explains how he got the idea: “I got inspired by a music [trade] show in Los Angeles so we decided to do it here in Vancouver because we love making new musicians. Our mission at Tom Lee is to inspire new musicians and get everyone involved. We’re investing in the future of all these musicians and we want to make their dreams come true.”

So is what Richard saying true? Are videogames really turning teens into musicians?

Meet Brendan Walsh, a grade 11 student at Rockridge Secondary in West Vancouver. A huge fan of Rock Band, Brendan decided to take up drums after playing the game. “It made me realize how good I would be at it,” explains Walsh. “I would have never known I had a talent for drums if it were not for Rock Band. When you’re playing drums [in the game], it’s almost like you’re playing real drums with a band.” In fact, Brendan even claims Rock Band has made him a better drummer: “It helps separate your limbs so it makes it easier to do tricky beats.”

Brendan isn’t the only teen to be influenced by these videogames. Dan Parry, music instructor and owner of Granville Island Music School in Vancouver, feels Guitar Hero and Rock Band are getting many kids excited about music. “I would say the majority of our students own one or both of these games,” says Parry. “My guess is these games spark a bit of interest in young people to actually become a rock star, in a manner of speaking.” He also agrees that the games can be beneficial to a student’s music skills. “I personally think these games are amazing for young kids’ musicality and some dexterity on an instrument.”

Although parents are quick to encourage their kids not to spend too much time playing videogames, it seems as though Guitar Hero and Rock Band can actually be beneficial to a teen’s development. ZP Theart, lead singer of DragonForce, whose band’s song Through the Fire and Flames appears on Guitar Hero III, agrees: “For a lot of kids, playing the game and having the feeling of accomplishing something might turn them on to trying the real thing.”

So the next time your parents get mad at you for spending too much time playing videogames, just tell them you’re working on your music career. After all, videogames could be turning the virtual musicians of today into the rock stars of tomorrow.