All I can do is stare and shake my head.

My son has friends that love Guitar Hero...I have to bite my tongue 'til blood runs freely in my mouth. I just don't understand, especially when you compare new game system prices to starter guitar pack prices. Buy the real thing, and make sounds all YOUR OWN, not just follow-the-dots silliness on some plastic paddle!

I guess it's cute in a way...it reminds those of us doing it for real how many folks dream of performing on stage...but it's still creepy.

I have a problem. My kids couldn't care less about a guitar. My wife says that it is my responsibility to get them interested and teach them. If this will do it, I will buy it. The only problem now is that one of my kids is a lefty.

Interesting perspective you bring to the conversation. Perhaps the title should read "Guitar Hero" the last resort when your kid won't play the guitar :) I've noticed having my son watch some of these kids his age or younger ripping it on youtube, sparked some interest. What really worked was when I taped his eyelids open (watered them frequently) and made him watch Jimi Hendrix videos over and over again. He really seemed into it after that.

I guess you can approach this game as a way to train your hands without sounding terrible...

Guitar Hero is what got me into playing real guitar, its fun but besides helping your pinky learn to move it doesn't really help you with real guitar.

I'm letting my son decide on his own if he wants to play guitar or not. He's just a bit younger than I was when I picked it up for real, and I encourage him to find his own interests as much as possible. So far, he's kinda neutral on the whole subject.

Guitar Hero...man, what a double-edged sword it's becoming. While it doesn't teach anything about real guitar, it sure reminds us how many people wish they did what we do!

My seven year old son kicks my butt on the thing and I have been playing guitar for 30 years, Yes I am old. The good thing about it is that he comes in to my home studio with his guitar now and asks me to teach him new chords and licks. Old Dad is now cool because he can play some of the Guitar Hero game tunes for real. Sparking an interest in a young kid to play is well worth the cost of a video game.

From what I have seen of "Guitar Hero" it appears to have some pretty classic tunes involved. It is good to give the younger generation exposure to this music that they may not have heard otherwise. Also, if it does encourage and motivate kids (or adults) to pick up a real guitar and give it a go, it doesn't neccessarily seem like a bad thing. Realistically, not everyone will get their chance to perform in front of a crowd on stage, and if they get enjoyment out of a game, then good for them.

That entire article upsets me. Guitar is being made easier and more likable for the lazy and the ignorant youth. The best way to get your kids into guitar is have them listen to the music. Simply that. That's why I became a guitar player; it's all about the music. I've seen first hand how "great" guitar hero is. My cousin is 11 years old, and he is addicted to guitar hero. He plays it instead of spending time with family. I asked him, he has no interest in real guitar.

The light up fretboard? That is about the laziest thing I've heard of. Someone so lazy that they don't want to learn tablature, and would rather be shown directly... It just doesn't seem right...

Guitar Hero, make kids to know and learn more on songs that we all loved.
Which 12 years old listen to Jimi Hendrix? They listen to stuffs in the tv and radio.
Which are the trendy and popular kind.
But for me, Guitar hero series really light up a lot of kids in my country on Playing the guitar.
Coz i get more students nowadays and they all said b'coz of Guitar Hero.
I play them too.

I listened to Hendrix at 12.

I have yet to see anyone who plays guitar hero start to learn the real thing. In fact most of the people I know who play it were guitarists beforehand and they still suck XD

I understand the introducing classic rock, but shouldn't that be for the parents to do (expose them to the kickass musics...)

That brings me to my next observation, videogames are a way for parents to escape their normal duties; if the kid is in front of the tv, he can't do anything stupid. This leads to weight problems, temper problems, inability to communicate well with others, lack of patience (ie. to sit down and learn guitar) and even ADD. [/END_RANT]