[Dean]

Originally Posted by M3n2c3

On Guitar Hero and Rock Band, this very topic came up on Friday's Penny Arcade text:



The argument is a good one. Even if I enjoyed football, I would not likely go out to play it. I prefer my limbs and spine intact, thank you. An appropriate substitute would be a video game, especially since the alternative - merely watching football - leaves one essentially inactive, requiring little input.

The same could be said for instruments. Perhaps I like music but do not care to learn an instrument, or know how to play an instrument other than guitar. In either case, I will not be learning how to play guitar, but my love for music can be enough to prompt me to play Guitar Hero, and enjoy the excitement of interacting with the audio.

There is sometimes a financial aspect to consider as well. If one is interested in motorsports, but is too young to compete, or finds the cost of preparing a car and getting it out to RFR to be too restrictive, an XB360 and a copy of Forza 2 can provide a satisfactory surrogate.

If you are actually creating original music on a video game, or if it is even creating "covers", great, but mashing buttons in synch to 'nSync is not the same as creating or playing music in any way.