Rock Band

This one's courtesy of Kris... a hilarious review of the much-anticipated Rock Band. My favorite parts:

It turns out that the more you know about music, the less qualified you are to sell Rock Band. I get that now. Rock Band isn't about music or about being in a band, it's about pretending.

It's interesting, isn't it? It's so much more a video game than a legit rock experience. Real-life guitarist Brownstein nails it here... it's about pretending. I don't have the drive to learn a real instrument, but my gaming skills translate and these games fulfill whatever slight musical inclination I have.

I quickly discovered, as other real guitarists have, that knowing how to play guitar in no way qualifies you to play Rock Band (or Guitar Hero). It's the same way that being a doctor doesn't make you good at the game Operation.

I've heard this from a ton of guitar-playing friends. Most of them want little to do with Guitar Hero or the like.

And, really, if you are going to play the game with a group of friends for more than a night, shouldn't you just form a real band? There is something sad about the thought of four teenagers getting Rock Band for Christmas and spending all of their after-school time pretending to know how to play.

Eek. I feel chastened.