According to Guitar Center's findings,
67 percent of rhythm gamers responded that they're likely to pick up an actual instrument within the next two years. On top of that,
81 percent of players said that Rock Band or Guitar Hero had motivated them to ask their loved ones for a musical instrument as a gift this holiday season. Naturally pleased with this year's
26.9 percent jump in sales to first-timers, Guitar Center's executive vice president Norman Hajjar remarked,
"This spike of interest in playing actual instruments stemming from a video game is an unprecedented phenomenon," adding, "Most video games sell fantasy, but Guitar Hero and Rock Band are selling a dream that can be realized. These games plant an achievable goal in the heart of the player and that, in turn, drives our business."
Dr. Larry Livingston -- music director at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California -- sees rhythm games as an excellent primer for getting into music: "These games are a painless and fantastically seductive entrée to playing music. They engage your mind, body and soul, creating a whole sense of the movement of music. Having tasted the experience, players may want to move from the simulated to the real. Therefore, it's no surprise that these games have whetted the appetite for the real deal."
Gamers aren't the only ones benefiting from the influence of plastic guitars, however;
Guitar Center's survey goes on to suggest that 72 percent of musicians who also play Guitar Hero or Rock Band spend more time with their real-world instruments as a result. Even former Guns & Roses axe-slinger Slash -- who appeared in
Guitar Hero III -- seems to appreciate the positive effects of games on the music industry, saying, "At first I was apprehensive... But anything that exposes people to music new or old is a positive thing. Then I came to find out that a lot of the kids who are playing these video games aspire to pick up a real guitar which, I think, is a bonus."
