Next Big Game?

Garrett has a way of predicting the next big thing. Of course, if he was really conscious of it, he wouldn't have the right touch. At some point I've lost count of the things I had no clue about, thought were unappealing when he told me about them, and then turned out to be the next big thing for people his age. Not that he's ever said, "Dad, this is going to be BIG!" mind you. So, when he came home with the Guitar Hero video game the other day, I thought I should at least let Keith know. And here I am, suburban rock star.

As Garrett explained, the vendor of this game came into the store to show it off. Everyone thought it was a bit stupid, and besides, this wasn't some big name video game company. Later on they tried it and decided it was completely addicting.

It's basically like Dance Dance Revolution (the flammable version of which I talked about before. As a song plays, color coded blocks move down the screen. As they cross a certain line in time with the song, you have to play the guitar by holding down the colored fret on the neck near my left hand while "strumming" the lever below my right thumb. There is an extra bar hanging off to make exotic noises and get extra points. If you hold the guitar vertically at the right time, you score more, which enhances the illusion of actually playing. Hit the notes correctly, you get points. Miss them, you lose points and eventually "fail" the song. The action takes place in smoky bars or other venues, and your adoring fans cheer you when you do well. If you look closely at the picture, you'll see one of my shy groupies in the lower right hand of the picture.

Keith, you and Dan might want to check this one out. Of course, the guitar controller makes it even more expensive than the usually exhorbitantly priced games. The music ranges from oldies but goodies like Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple to things Garrett is into, like Franz Ferdinand and Queens of the Stone Age.