Music Games Turn Into Music Reality

December 1st, 2008

I’ve been a more-than-avid gamer ever since I first laid hands on an Atari, but I’ve also had to put up with hearing from teachers and education professionals who proclaimed that video games would rot your brain and turn you into a couch potato. That’s why I was glad to see a little bit of news to the contrary, today.

According to Youth Music, one of biggest music charities in Great Britain, music-oriented game titles like Guitar Hero and Rock Band may be responsible for sparking children’s and teen’s interests in music. Using data collected from 12 million youth — aged 3 to 18 — Youth Music found that six million of them played music games, and a fifth of that number decided to learn how to play an instrument as a result.

That means that approximately 1.2 million of children and teens in Great Britain have had a musical world of opportunity open up to them thanks to picking up a game controller. And it doesn’t stop there either. Becoming a musician, or even a composer, is a legitimate career that’s in demand in practically every industry — from movies and TV, to CDs and games.

In fact, in recognition of the major role music has always played in the world, traditional colleges and universities regularly devote space and faculty, and sometimes entire programs to helping students prepare for musical careers. It’s worth looking into whether you’re regular virtuoso or simply a first-time guitar player inspired by Guitar Hero’s rockin’ chords.

– Genevieve M. Blaber

Entry Filed under: General, News, Pop culture & college