Get real musical instrument, not game

Whatever happened to my generation's video games?

One day I'm guiding Mario over a few bottomless pits with the press of a button, the next day I'm expected to bowl by flailing a wand-shaped remote through the air. Who decided a cardio workout should be part of getting a plumber to save a princess?

The main reason I play video games is so I don't have to do any physical activity, but game producers seem to have something else in mind these days. If I was in great shape or had superb hand-eye coordination you can bet I'd be outside shooting hoops instead of solving puzzles through an elf named Link.

I've brought all this up because of the new video game craze in the form of games like "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band." Apparently, while I was in college the original "Guitar Hero" (there are now multiple sequels out) came out and took over the gaming world. Now "Rock Band" appears to be this Christmas' hot commodity.

As an actual guitar player and fan of video games, I was intrigued at first. To those of you that haven't seen "Guitar Hero," let me explain. Instead of using a simple controller or joystick, players hold a model guitar with a switch placed at the body of the guitar that is flicked to simulate picking of strings and has colored buttons on the neck to act as frets.

The player then follows along with a graphic on screen that basically lays out colored dots that match with those on the guitar in an order that represents notes to be played. You then choose a popular song to play along to and when the song is over you are rated on the accuracy of hitting buttons in time with the blips.

After a few attempts, I was quickly disappointed and bored to death. The game amounts to nothing more than staring at a sequence of colored dots and following along. You walk away from this game with no sense of accomplishment and a false belief that you can play a musical instrument. The next evolution of this game is the before mentioned "Rock Band." With this title, not only do you to play fake guitar, but also a simplified version of a drum set and you have a microphone so you can sing along too.

Sure this type of game is pointless at the end of the day, but hours of boredom come with a steep price as well. The prices vary from system to system, but the game alone costs at least $50 (without any instrument controllers) and the package can go above $270 for the whole setup. Now I don't know about everyone else, but where I come from $270 would take up more than my Christmas and birthday gifts combined.

Many defend these games with the idea that it lets people live out a rock star dream. Is this what we really want children to think? If playing guitar is too hard, why don't we dash their dreams by giving them a mind-dulling game instead of a real guitar to let them practice?

To the parents out there: If you have a child wanting these types of games, take them back and get them a guitar with an amp and accessories for less than $100. Let kids attempt to chase their dreams as a musician instead of acting like one in front of a television. At the end of the day they will have a real talent or at least know they tried to accomplish something.

If people want to play games for entertainment let them, but don't sway them from playing music because watching dots on a screen is easier.

Now where's my copy of "Tetris"?

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Nick Miller is a content editor for The Sun. E-mail nmiller@yumasun.com or phone 539-6865.