Not just for kids From businessmen to professionals, Guitar Hero game continues to strike a chord with adults
Posted on Sunday, January 11, 2009
CHARLES FOWLER Benton County Daily Record Rachel Simco, left, and Melissa Elkins played 'Welcome to the Jungle' on Guitar Hero in the lounge of the aloft Hotel in Rogers on Wednesday night.
There was a day when everyone - at one point or another - stood behind a closed door, rocking out on air guitar in front of the mirror. Admit it; you were one of them.
But who needs air guitar anymore when there's Guitar Hero?
Guitar Hero is the video game phenomenon that just keeps rocking. Since its release in 2005, it has sold a staggering 14 million copies in North America alone. Ask kids, and they will tell you they've rocked along with AC/DC, Aerosmith, Megadeth, Jimi Hendrix and the like. But as the game continues to build momentum, it's become obvious it's not just for kids.
Take, for example, the new aloft Hotel in Rogers, where businessmen and women raise the roof every Wednesday night, when Guitar Hero is hooked up to the four flat-screen monitors plastered across the wall in the swank lounge.
"There are Wednesday nights when people will jam on Guitar Hero until we announce last call," aloft Hotel bartender Dustin Ramey said. "These are business people. We've had people 60 years old trying to play. Everyone has a really good time with it. I get out from behind the bar and take the guitar myself once in a while. Mixing work and rock guitar at the same time - it's all good."
For the next month or so, make a point to take a peek at the Wal-Mart aisle where the Guitar Hero demo is set up. You're bound to catch an adult flailing away on the ax, and probably on more than one occasion.
Even Mike Johnson, who works in the music profession as band director at Gravette High School, admits he's caught Guitar Hero fever.
"I'm 50 years old, and I've played Guitar Hero - a lot, actually," said Johnson, who also plays bass in a local jazz band. "My nephew has it, so that's how I got into it. The first time I played, it was difficult for me because you have to respond visually rather than by ear like I'm used to. The kids got a kick out of it, that they could do it better than the band director, but once I got used to it, it's a lot of fun."
Becky Gale, band director at Bentonville High School, hasn't yet wielded the plastic Guitar Hero ax, but she, like Johnson, has been convinced there are benefits to exposure to the game.
"I do know that many of our band students love playing Guitar Hero," Gale said. "It seems to be more popular with boys than girls, but our all-state-level musicians really like it. Our son, who is a senior French-horn performance major at the University of North Texas, got into it last summer. He says he can see that it helps with keeping a steady tempo and rhythm. He is a very serious music student, ... so when he tells me that Guitar Hero is fun and somewhat beneficial, I believe him."
Meanwhile, the rocking continues at aLoft Hotel and other such venues across the country. There have even been reports of organized Guitar Hero tournaments - many of them dominated by, well, adults.
"It's fun seeing how crazy it's become," Ramey said. "Anyone can do it. Age isn't a factor. Once you try it, you're hooked. I don't know that it's going to turn anyone into a great musician, but it's a blast, and that's what people are looking for."
Since stumbling across Guitar Hero, Johnson has sought out and found a few similar video games that have surfaced as a result of the Guitar Hero phenomenon. One such game is Wii Music, for the Wii video-game system, which he recently purchased for his own home and actually plans to take into his classes with beginner, junior-high and high-school students in Gravette.
"The bottom line is Guitar Hero and these other games have gotten kids interested in music - many of them that may never have been interested otherwise," Johnson said. "More people are wanting to take guitar lessons, and I can see why. I'm an adult, and I think it's great.
"I'm going to put the Wii Music game on a projector at school," Johnson said. "It's a fantastic program that actually has an ear-training component to it. It teaches you how to hear chords. Make no mistake; there's no substitute for playing the real instrument, but you can learn a whole lot from it and have fun. And at midnight, you're not going to wake up the neighborhood. I love it, but I think it can be a vehicle to motivate kids."
Johnson isn't sure if he'll find himself center stage at a Guitar Hero night at aloft Hotel anytime soon, but you're sure to catch the 50-year-old jamming in front of the television in the comfort of his own home. He's just thankful playing it doesn't rattle his neighbor's windows when he decides to strap on the plastic Guitar Hero console late at night.
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