Response to Reality Is Broken: Music Gaming

I wanted to do my response on the section of chapter 4 dealing with how failure in gaming helps with optimism and the details surrounding music based games. I have been very influenced by games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band and they have shaped my gaming experience in a big way. I want to take this time to point out some ideas that were mentioned in the book in regards to what music based games do to us as players. The one part that I found most interesting was the part that brought up the fact that very few players partake in playing games like Rock Band alone. I am one of those players who has spent the majority of my time playing these games on my own. I can say with full certainty that I cannot live without my iPod and my music at all points of the day and I think that has part to do with how I experienced music based games. I am the oldest of 3 brothers who also play video games, but I found myself playing the first Guitar Hero in my basement alone then either with or in the company of my brothers. It wasn't really until Rock Band came out that my time playing that game at first was within a group of my friends. That also may had to do with the fact that I didn't own the game or my own drum set at that point and could only play it at my friend's house. Once I got my own plastic drum set, I would play the campaign of the game on my own for hours on end trying to get better at the drums. Now one could argue that I practiced as much as I did because I wanted to impress my friends and to excel when I play in public. I won't deny that was what is was at first, but things changed with Rock Band 2. In Rock Band, to get the band related achievements, you needed to play in a band of no less then 2 people. Rock Band 2 gave you the option to play through all the features and access to most of the achievements in single player. I'm not against playing games with multiple people, it was just frustrating for me that I am missing so many Rock Band 1 achievements because my brothers and friends wouldn't play the game as extensively as I did. Along with Rock Band 2 being able to play the whole game alone, also was paired with me getting an ION Drum Rocker. It is a higher quality drum set that with the right module can be used as an electric drum set. I had the 4 drums, 3 cymbals, and drum pedal. The only module I had was strictly for Rock Band, and that began my serious obsession. I would play, no lie, at least 3 hours a day after school replaying a lot of the same songs trying to improve my score. As they started to release DLC, I would buy songs of my favorite bands each week they would release content. My library is over 600 songs to this date. This was what I would do from sophomore year until senior year in high school. After coming to SHIP, I didn't play it much. I wasn't able to bring my set to school and I slowly lost my obsession. It wasn't until sophomore year of college that I met my friend Andrew who to this day is the only other person I know that has as many Rock Band songs as I do (and more). He had all the instruments, in plastic form, and my obsession was sparked once again. Everyday, Andrew, our friend Jayson, and I would have what we called "Band Practice" and we would cycle through a couple of the same songs along with throwing in different ones. We enjoyed playing each day and it was probably the best times I have had at college. It is something that I miss very dearly as Jayson now lives in Texas and Andrew transferred schools. This game provided me with thousands upon thousands of hours of entertainment in both a single and multiplayer atmosphere. I have acquired a real drum module and have begun to really try and play my set in the "real" sense. I have been told by a bunch of people that I am at a skill level in rock band that could mimic actual drum skills that I could use in real life. It is one of very few games that will have replay value for me on an endless state, as many games I play I only go through once and I get my fill of it. It has been a very big influence on my gaming experience and how I experience music in my everyday life. I listen to music and picture how I would play the drum parts in rock band on my set and with the skills that I have, I can go out and experiment with that.