2.5 million British children playing real instruments thanks to Guitar Hero, research shows
Dec 3, 2008
So much for the old adage that playing video games is just for couch potatoes.
British newspaper The Times reports this week that up to 2.5 million UK children have graduated from playing toy instruments in video games to playing real guitars and drums. The figures come from research conducted by one of the country's largest music charities.
The Guitar Hero and Rock Band series, the two major games at the heart of the musical revival, have recorded close to 30 million sales between them. Both allow players to join virtual bands, playing imitation guitars, drums, and singing into microphones to the strains of popular music.
Andrew Missingham, the report's author, told The Times: "We have long known that young people are encouraged to take an interest in music if it is presented to them in a compelling way. This research for the first time shows conclusively that young people are being inspired to make their own music by games that first piqued their interest."
It's good news for sellers of musical instruments, too: music store owners, music teachers, and Gibson, the manufacturer of some of the guitars imitated in the Guitar Hero games, have all seen rising revenues.
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