I’m sure everybody reading this knows about the ever so popular Guitar Hero video game series (If not, you have probably been living under a rock). With a toy guitar in hand, you play covers of some of the most well known rock songs of all time as you try and get the highest score, so you can fill an empty void in your life and/or brag to all of your fellow addicts.

Some people play the game religiously, cramming as much free time as possible into the game, and some play it at parties with their friends. Some countdown the days until the new sequel is released, yet others have played it a few times yet decided it was “cool”. Some purchase and play it on every system it is available for, but a small group of people (Myself included) find the game to be an absolute ridiculous concept, a waste of time, and frown upon the things it has done for music.

I’ve played guitar for years. It’s one of my favorite things in the world, and take great pride in it. Real guitar VS Guitar Hero is a rather odd comparison; The two play nothing alike (Despite Guitar Hero being called, well… GUITAR Hero), considering most guitars have roughly 22 frets and the GH guitar controller has 5 multicolored buttons that act as the frets. You tap a particular button as it appears on the screen. And…. that’s it. You don’t play chords. You don’t even really “solo” in the technical sense. You merely tap colored buttons when you’re suppose to. I find it hard to play the game because it’s nothing like real guitar at all and I approach it as playing real guitar.

Hence my main point: Why would somebody rather spend so much time playing Guitar Hero, than learning/playing real guitar? GH is a game, nothing more, nothing less. Real guitar is real music, allowing you to create your own and even *GASP* learn the songs in Guitar Hero games and play them as they were meant to be played: On a real guitar. I even know some guitarists who have played longer than I have and have given up on guitar all together, rather opting to jam to Guitar Hero.  Why is this? Do they really find it to be that more fun, simply following a pattern on the screen to play a game that takes no skill what so ever? So what if you get a high score? Isn’t it vastly more impressive to be good at playing real-life guitar? (Now I should point out another argument all together for a GH off-shoot game called Rock Band, in which there is not only guitar, but a vocalist, a bass guitarist, and a drummer as well. Some too play that game way too much, as opposed to actually forming a real band instead of a “Rock Band”.)

I know I shouldn’t tell others what they can and can’t enjoy, but what really annoys me is how some think that if they are so good at Guitar Hero, than they’d be great at playing real guitar. Again: THEY ARE NOTHING ALIKE AT ALL. I honestly wonder why so many would give up the chance to play real music, something that will cherish you the rest of your life, and instead press the blue button and the red button together as it shows on the screen to play a rousing performance of “Free Bird”.