Have you ever considered that playing video games might help you improve real world skills? You might be thinking “Yeah, right. GTA does not a driver make”, and you’d be right. Flight Simulator does not qualify you to be a pilot, Guitar Hero does not qualify you to be a musician, and Goat Simulator sure does not qualify you to be a goat. This does not mean that these games offer no value. Studies have shown that any kind of video game can help improve reaction time and dexterity. Whether you’re battling evil, renovating your grandpa’s old farm, or terrorizing your villagers with a bug net, any kind of game can help you in these categories. No matter what controller or keyboard you may be using, these games can help give a bit of an edge in other aspects of your life.
How does this apply to the musical world? Improved dexterity can help with better finger placement. This is a huge factor when it comes to interacting with most instruments. Improved reflexes can help you adapt better when things don’t go as planned or when working with another musician and adjusting to playing alongside them. “So then, what if I use a Guitar Hero guitar?” I hear you asking, “Can that replace my music lessons?” No. Nothing can truly replace your lessons and practice sessions as working directly with an experienced instructor to guide you and putting in the time to learn and perfect your techniques are the most effective ways to
learn to play your instrument well and safely. That doesn’t mean that a Guitar Hero or Rockband jam sesh can’t be a supplemental way to hone your skills and have a fun time doing it.
So is playing a guitar shaped game controller the same as playing a guitar? Absolutely not, have you ever seen a real guitar with buttons and no strings? (one that actually works for any smart alecs out there) Even just comparing the weight of a real guitar vs a gaming guitar, you can feel a major difference. The guitar shape of the controller, however, may help students. Especially newer students that are not yet comfortable with their instruments, get used to holding a guitar-shaped object while multi-tasking. The gaming drums actually come with a set of real drumsticks. While the rubberized drum set may not be true to life, this is a great way to get used to using the sticks and to build up a tolerance to the chafing that tends to come along with doing so. The piano keyboard allows you to get used to feeling the piano keys. Then works on finger placement to reach the correct keys within their simplified 5-key version of a keyboard. The microphone may not be the best quality and the pitch guide may not have anything on a vocal instructor. It does still allow you to gauge how well you’re able to stay in pitch. While there’s no mechanism in the game for it, you can also use the microphone as an opportunity to challenge yourself and focus on important techniques such as breath support and annunciation. Unfortunately at this point, there does not seem to be any similar options for woodwind instruments. The good news is, using any of these gaming instruments can still be
extremely helpful with developing your ability to stay in rhythm. Rhythm is by far the biggest overlap between gaming instruments and real ones: the goal is to stay in rhythm and hit the right “notes” at the right time.
For guitar players, they even have a more advanced option. Power Gig came out with a six string guitar that was compatible with both guitar hero and Rockband. It can even be plugged into an amp and utilized like a standard electric guitar. Power Gig did also come out with their “AirStrike” drum set. This unfortunately does not model a real drumset the way their guitar does. Its main focus was to be less bulky than other gaming drum options. As well as to provide a more immersive drumming experience that better mimicked realistic drumming movements. Unfortunately the AirStrike drum received rather mixed reviews with many complaining that it was unresponsive or inaccurate which could make it more of an aggravation than its worth. The guitar also receives mixed reviews. The biggest issues people seem to have are that they do not like the game that came with said guitar. The fingering for the game is still not the same as it would be when learning to play actual guitar. The good news is, as I mentioned previously, the Power Gig guitar is also compatible with Guitar Hero and Rockband so you don’t necessarily have to play the game the guitar was intended for. As for finger placement: sure, it’s not the same as actually playing guitar, but neither are colorful plastic buttons. This at least provides an opportunity for those interested in learning guitar to get used to strumming real guitar strings and feel actual strings under their fingertips.
Along the same lines is the You Rock Guitar which is very similar to Power Gig’s guitar but offers more practical abilities for those with interest in pursuing real guitar experience. Included in the list of things that give the You Rock Guitar a leg up is the fact that it comes with a teaching mode option that can help new players get a handle on the instrument before jumping right into song. Users also report better overall functionality on the You Rock guitar. Another exciting option is the Rocksmith guitar. Not only is the guitar controller more realistic in feel and play than the other options mentioned, you can actually use your personal electric guitar to play the Rocksmith game if you prefer. The gameplay translates much better to actual guitar usage and there are some additional functions that make the game a bit more educational and effective than others. For example, before you play a song, the game goes through a tuning exercise to make sure the instrument is in tune and there are simpler mini games available for those just starting out or for young kids who aren’t quite ready to jump into full gameplay. Most notably for me is that if the player makes mistakes during a song, the game adjusts the difficulty allowing them to catch back up. This is very different from other instrumental games that focus on the players score and will boot them out mid-song if they mess up too often. It’s important to note when you make mistakes, but just like when playing a real instrument, the show must go on. This
gives you the opportunity to continue your playing without being stopped at the same point each time.
We can only hope that technology will continue to improve allowing us more advanced and varietal options. But for now, a gaming rock sesh with the fam or some friends is a great way to have fun while still improving skills that will help your music making overall.
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