Led Zeppelin, White Stripes Call Music Games Phenomenon 'Depressing'

Hey Mr. White, you know what's "sad?" That you can't recognize the importance of music video games to the music industry. People are actually buying music from all eras after playing tracks in RB and GH. And sure, playing a plastic guitar is nothing like the real thing, but if it's encouraging people to get involved and start learning a real instrument, that's a good thing.

I love and respect both these bands but unfortunately these guys just don't get it. Less heroine... more video games! :)

@ Tommy Tallarico: Video games is my drug, and Tobasco sauce. Been clean of that stuff now for two months so far, so proud of myself! :)

Recognizing the importance of video games to the ongoing ability of musical acts to remain relevant and commercially viable while also decrying that state of affairs are not mutually exclusive positions. I work for a video game publisher that has a direct stake in a musical performance game, and I have played guitar since I was 10. Page and White are bang on the money. I find myself unable to so much as even touch the 'guitar' controller in Guitar Hero, much less actually play the game. And frankly there's a large part of me that regards the popularity of these games as almost offensive... gamers jumping up and down like utter tools when they get a '50-note streak' or engage 'rock power', or whatever it is. Meh. It's posers doing their poser thing. Play "Battery" slinging a real axe, then talk to me about your rock godliness.

@Matthew Snyder: If the only point of musical performance is to show your 'rock godliness' then your point is valid. Page and White seem to take the same tack.

You're all wrong, because there's much more to music than a dick-waving contest. I'm sure you're very proud of your hard-earned guitar competency, but more important than mastery is the process of enjoying and involving yourself with the music.

I started playing real instruments only after Guitar Hero (no experience as a kid, high-school, et c.) and have found it incredibly rewarding. Not because I can melt faces with solos, but because the process itself is rewarding.

I do finger-style guitar (mostly classical) and have just started on keys, so I'm not just aping the motions I learned from GH/Rock Band.

Harmonix has known exactly what they're doing since Frequency; it's a shame a lot of others don't get it.

Not much to say here other than I completely agree with David Radd, Brightman and TT.

I guess some people really don't get it, but why? It's basic common sense. You either get more recognition from being included in a video game or you get no recognition because the people playing the video game wouldn't have ever picked up any of your cds otherwise. Also, is that the real Tommy Tallarico?

@ Matthew Snyder: The reality is that "real" musical instrument sales have gone up 20% - 30% since the popularity of Guitar Hero & Rock Band. The biggest distributor of instruments in the U.S. (Guitar Center) says this is directly due to video games (because their salesman come across it constantly). They even have Guitar Hero kiosks in Guitar Centers now. They understand the importance.

I think the whole mindset of Mr. Page & Mr. White are derived from an unrealistic understanding of the medium and a little too much "rock-n-roll" ego. I guess my dream of Guitar Hero: Led Zepplin will be put on hold for a few years. That's okay, I have Van Halen & Beatle Rock Band to hold me over. I'll just need to wait until their strung out again and need the money. :)

And one last note... I wouldn't worry too much about video games corrupting our youth when devil worshiping = bad. ;)

Let me make one thing perfectly clear to the respondents who have followed me: I cannot actually play "Battery", and if I were a recording artist I would make damn sure my music got into Guitar Hero.

I don't doubt any of the things wrt increases in sales of instruments and the music embodied in the games. In fact, I know for certain that UMG in particular is a big supporter of these games. But my point is not about playing the guitar to be a rock god, rather the opposite. My point was that it seems the people playing the games think there's some legitimate connection between being good at the game and being a rock star. That's what grind my gears. It's a phenomenon I don't really notice with other games. I really liked Assassin's Creed, but I don't run around dressed in white-hooded robes with a retractable stabby knife thing attached to my left wrist.

The sales lift for music in the games is clear. What remains to be seen will take time to unfurl. I will wager that most people who are picking up an instrument because of playing GH or whatever will not be playing that instrument in five, six years, likely even shorter... once they realize there are more than four or five 'buttons' on a fretboard. And if that proves to be the case, then I would argue that no, it really never was about the discovery process of music for those gamers.

Musicians - welcome to the world of gaming. Its a fun way to enjoy activities you no longer can engage in for whatever reason. Have you noticed that most people playing Madden are not in the NFL or those folks hitting 10 under par with Tiger are not on the PGA. Why does a music game have to make you good at playing music? I think that would be a music leasson and as I remember those were not much fun but worth it if being a musician is your passion.

It fun, it opens peoples ears to new (and Old) music - that they then buy. Remember, that was what Radio used to do for artist in the 70's. When was the last time someone heard Led Zeppelin on the radio and said they needed to go out and buy that song. I find the backlash from revolutionary artist of the 60's and 70's ironic since they created their music in a time of revolt from what was established, tired and true methods of their era. Now they sound like the old establishement that will not embrace change.