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Slash: Games turn kids into "zombies"

Ex-Gun N Roses man says games promote lethargy in kids. A bit like pumping themselves full of drugs, eh Slash?
Lead Guns N Roses axe man Slash (originally from sunny Stoke) has been talking to the US Guitar World mag about his involvement in the massive Guitar Hero franchise.

Besides actually admitting to knowing what Activision is, he spoke about how the game could get kids into music they wouldn't otherwise listen to and even pick up a real guitar. Maybe...

"The thing about video games is that they do promote this sort of lethargy in kids," he said. "They turn into gaming zombies. So I understand the concern that people who play Guitar Hero would never pick up a real guitar. But I think it's the opposite effect."

But learning the guitar for real is a totally different thing. "It takes some work, and maybe it's not quite as exciting or instantly gratifying. But what turned me on to guitar when I was kid was that all you have to do is play that one chord that hits you straight in the heart. And that's pretty simple to do. Plus, kids are being exposed to all this killer rock and roll that's programmed into the game that they would not otherwise hear."

There's been a lot of talk about artists keeping their music alive and reaching new audiences through the likes of Guitar Hero and Rock band. Something Mr. Slash believes is very true.

"A lot of people have been asking 'Is this the new wave of how people are going to be exposed to music?' I though that was sort of like a joke question when I first heard it, but I'm starting to realise that, given the current state of the music business, it might be. Because the kids are into it, and the possibilities are endless in terms of what you can expose them to through this medium."

Steady on Slash.

computerandvideogames.com
// Interactive
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The artcile title is misleading,again!
NG_21 on 27 May '08
Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaainsss ...
G00N3R on 27 May '08
Yeah well games have been the new rock n roll for years now. At one time it was Alice cooper, Ozzy, GnR etc that bore the wrath of the do gooders now it's games.

Oh and CVG nice headline I nearly got ready to tear slash a new A-hole through the power of my words until I read the whole article, buggers making me read and all. Razz
lonewolf2002 on 27 May '08
This message is not being displayed because the poster is banned.
a3HeadedMonkey on 27 May '08
*takes out pack of smokes, wheezes*
$$johnman$$ on 27 May '08
(BRAG ALERT!!!) I play guitar, piano, saxophone and computer games.

It's hard learning to play an instrument well, took me years for all of them.

It's also hard to learn how to play computer games well. It takes years for the best players out there to get good at games. I know I'm not one of them.

Maybe my band should make the next album about video games, to stimulate more kids to play them. Cool

I think Slash sounds and plays like an old fart whose best days are in ancient history! He should have learned to evolve, like games did in the past 15 years since GnR fell apart.
Shocked
shimrod on 27 May '08
Sounds like Slash reached the Gene Simmons age, where they throw their thoughts around that they actually are somebody. You're a guitarist, not the next messiah. Please STFU slash.
distant2nd on 27 May '08
This message is not being displayed because the poster is banned.
BRUTALGAMER on 27 May '08
CVG, you're turning into the Daily Mail with these bonkers headlines. There's enough anti-gaming media to rant about as it is. No need to make something out of nothing.
JoWoo on 27 May '08
Yeah and crazy hair a fag and a bottle of Jack D makes people a rock legend. Laughing
gogo65uk on 27 May '08
blap blap, hold tigt slasher keep doin them tings. nothin worng witho gettin f**kd up on meth then goin out stabbin up some kids f**k it blame it on this s**t guitar game or that other crap with the drum kit and all that b******s, this game is bad infuance on kids why would u wanna be so sik and tri to get them to become a drummer or guitarist makes me sik. this game should have 18 on it coz its completly disgusting and me mate jack thompson aint happy he said if it ontinues hes gunna start f**king bottom and cutting off diks.

why not give your kid a gun game for xmas and turn them into real us marine iraqi killing machine. snort 2 lines in the morning snort 2 lines off ya dead nan. my hoby is speed ballin mix coak and heroin 2 gether and its brillinat u nearly die every time wat a rush tho i sugest gettin your kids on it right away, hold tight the austrian who f**ked his daughter in the basement my love gose out to ya. i hered the daughter of the basement rapist hold tight, is coming to england with her kids makes me sick f**k off come over here taking our money we ern, we give the government tax and we dont want it going to theserape victims if i see them down my street il stick them right in the f**king loft and sort them out il cut out there woumb and fill it with curry flavor pot noodle c**ts. we want our tax money to go on more weapons for our lads in a meaningless war in iraq so we can kill mor kids and inocent women yea f**k the po lice, also i like wat there doing with the price of fule makes me realy happy i like it wen they take more of my money, im living on the edge of a knife ready to flip but im going the the biggest game in the history of football 2morrow night England v USA FRIENDLY so im holding in my energy andy gray told me to say hold tight all the CVG mandem watch out here comes the highland mandem so get ya warriors ready there coming down the heartless c**ts there getting off at kings cross and they said in a official state ment we dont care if we die this is for the freedom of gordon freeman the playmaker in scotish whisky distilaries all over the world.

ahhhh im off 2 jake up now look after your selfs.

....What the deuce?

Where did that drivel come from?

Put the skag away before you do yourself some harm Shocked
MonkayMan on 27 May '08
I think anything that turns kids into zombies is a good idea.

That will then allow me to dismember the annoying little bast+rds, head first, and get away scott free.
philgreaaaaaaaat on 28 May '08
Of course Slash is a world reknowned genius who knows everything about everything, yeah??
wudragon on 28 May '08
Sounds like Slash reached the Gene Simmons age, where they throw their thoughts around that they actually are somebody. You're a guitarist, not the next messiah. Please STFU slash.

You should read the whole article and not just the headline before you start Rolling Eyes THe main point of the article is about how the Guitar Hero games might encourage kids to listen to new music and possibley pick up a real guitar.

CVG often leaves misleading headlines. They're just as bad as 'The Sun' these days.
Squall5005 on 28 May '08
blap blap, hold tigt slasher keep doin them tings. nothin worng witho gettin f**kd up on meth then goin out stabbin up some kids f**k it blame it on this s**t guitar game or that other crap with the drum kit and all that b******s, this game is bad infuance on kids why would u wanna be so sik and tri to get them to become a drummer or guitarist makes me sik. this game should have 18 on it coz its completly disgusting and me mate jack thompson aint happy he said if it ontinues hes gunna start f**king bottom and cutting off diks.

why not give your kid a gun game for xmas and turn them into real us marine iraqi killing machine. snort 2 lines in the morning snort 2 lines off ya dead nan. my hoby is speed ballin mix coak and heroin 2 gether and its brillinat u nearly die every time wat a rush tho i sugest gettin your kids on it right away, hold tight the austrian who f**ked his daughter in the basement my love gose out to ya. i hered the daughter of the basement rapist hold tight, is coming to england with her kids makes me sick f**k off come over here taking our money we ern, we give the government tax and we dont want it going to theserape victims if i see them down my street il stick them right in the f**king loft and sort them out il cut out there woumb and fill it with curry flavor pot noodle c**ts. we want our tax money to go on more weapons for our lads in a meaningless war in iraq so we can kill mor kids and inocent women yea f**k the po lice, also i like wat there doing with the price of fule makes me realy happy i like it wen they take more of my money, im living on the edge of a knife ready to flip but im going the the biggest game in the history of football 2morrow night England v USA FRIENDLY so im holding in my energy andy gray told me to say hold tight all the CVG mandem watch out here comes the highland mandem so get ya warriors ready there coming down the heartless c**ts there getting off at kings cross and they said in a official state ment we dont care if we die this is for the freedom of gordon freeman the playmaker in scotish whisky distilaries all over the world.

ahhhh im off 2 jake up now look after your selfs.

What a lot to say
icyhats on 28 May '08
I don't think Slash said anything wrong, he's right many kids do turn into zombies if all they do is play video games, it's important for parents to ensure they have other interests.

Anyway the CVG headline is certainly shown out of context.
funkyjack on 28 May '08
I normally look the other way when this happens, but really CVG, these headlines lately are starting to fall into two catagories: fanboy baiting or downright misleading.

We get enough sensationalism surrounding our hobby in the national media without our own kind adding fuel to the fire.
MisterBedo on 28 May '08
Sounds like Slash reached the Gene Simmons age, where they throw their thoughts around that they actually are somebody. You're a guitarist, not the next messiah. Please STFU slash.

Come on - actually read the article....he isn't telling anyone what to do, nor is he trying to put the World to rights - in fact, if you've ever seen him interviewed, it's the last thing he'd do....the guys as laid-back as a rug on valium

Smile
ParmaViolet on 28 May '08
This post made me register to the forum

Guitar Hero III made me buy a real guitar, 5 months later i have 3 guitars and can lay down some f**king sick rifts, if i didnt buy and play GH on my 360, i would never have picked up a real guitar.

It was Slash's battle rift in GH that made me pick up a real guitar, so i say thank you to Slash for introducing me to such awesome possibility's
Raikkonen on 28 May '08
What Slash actually said is a good point. It hopefully will encourage some kids to get into real music and maybe even learn an instrument, because it's giving them that exposure that they wouldn't have necessarily had before.
mooksam22 on 28 May '08
It's called a Riff not Rift. a RIFF Rolling Eyes

Anyway, good on you for picking up the guitar as a result of playing GH3 - you bought 3 guitars in 5 months?!!
I've been playing guitar for about 13 years now and play in a band (not a covers band - not that there's anything wrong with covers bands) - I've played a bit of Guitar hero and thought it was fun, but whenever I play it, it feels a bit pointless, as I get much more satisfaciton from actualy learning the tunes on a real guitar (or writing my own tunes)
I am enjoying playing dums on ROCK BAND though!Smile

Also, to all the people slating Slash; he does sound a bit out of touch with gamers;but he has more musical talent than all of you put together and has written,recorded and gigged great songs for years - and he STILL has the skill and talent (some VR tunes are a bit average to be honest though, as were some of the G'N'R tunes) - he deserves a lot of respect.
Go to youTube and type "Slash Godfather" for an example of slash at his best - then weep as you sit with your plastic Les pauls - clicketey Click! - have you seen the South Park ep "guitar Queero"? - classic!
MrEmpire on 28 May '08
It's called a Riff not Rift. a RIFF Rolling Eyes

Anyway, good on you for picking up the guitar as a result of playing GH3 - you bought 3 guitars in 5 months?!!
I've been playing guitar for about 13 years now and play in a band (not a covers band - not that there's anything wrong with covers bands) - I've played a bit of Guitar hero and thought it was fun, but whenever I play it, it feels a bit pointless, as I get much more satisfaciton from actualy learning the tunes on a real guitar (or writing my own tunes)
I am enjoying playing dums on ROCK BAND though!Smile

Also, to all the people slating Slash; he does sound a bit out of touch with gamers;but he has more musical talent than all of you put together and has written,recorded and gigged great songs for years - and he STILL has the skill and talent (some VR tunes are a bit average to be honest though, as were some of the G'N'R tunes) - he deserves a lot of respect.
Go to youTube and type "Slash Godfather" for an example of slash at his best - then weep as you sit with your plastic Les pauls - clicketey Click! - have you seen the South Park ep "guitar Queero"? - classic!

It's odd - I've been playing for years at a good level, but I really don't see too many similarities between playing GH and playing a real guitar...GH reminds me more of playing Parappa the Rapper!

I think GH is just a fun game - it won't really teach you an awful lot that you'll find handy when picking up a real guitar (maybe loosen your fingers a little), but there are plenty of my friends that love it and wouldn't even consider learning the basic chords....it's great if it does actually get people into it, though - and that's the point that Slash made in the article.

As for Slashs' Godfather Solo - I saw him do that at Wembley Stadium (the old one) sitting on Axls' piano....ahhh - memories

Smile
ParmaViolet on 28 May '08
It's called a Riff not Rift. a RIFF Rolling Eyes

Anyway, good on you for picking up the guitar as a result of playing GH3 - you bought 3 guitars in 5 months?!!
I've been playing guitar for about 13 years now and play in a band (not a covers band - not that there's anything wrong with covers bands) - I've played a bit of Guitar hero and thought it was fun, but whenever I play it, it feels a bit pointless, as I get much more satisfaciton from actualy learning the tunes on a real guitar (or writing my own tunes)
I am enjoying playing dums on ROCK BAND though!Smile

Also, to all the people slating Slash; he does sound a bit out of touch with gamers;but he has more musical talent than all of you put together and has written,recorded and gigged great songs for years - and he STILL has the skill and talent (some VR tunes are a bit average to be honest though, as were some of the G'N'R tunes) - he deserves a lot of respect.
Go to youTube and type "Slash Godfather" for an example of slash at his best - then weep as you sit with your plastic Les pauls - clicketey Click! - have you seen the South Park ep "guitar Queero"? - classic!

It's odd - I've been playing for years at a good level, but I really don't see too many similarities between playing GH and playing a real guitar...GH reminds me more of playing Parappa the Rapper!

I think GH is just a fun game - it won't really teach you an awful lot that you'll find handy when picking up a real guitar (maybe loosen your fingers a little), but there are plenty of my friends that love it and wouldn't even consider learning the basic chords....it's great if it does actually get people into it, though - and that's the point that Slash made in the article.

As for Slashs' Godfather Solo - I saw him do that at Wembley Stadium (the old one) sitting on Axls' piano....ahhh - memories

Smile

Very Happy apart from all the guitar players which have sprung up over recent years - the ones whith real 80's throw back guitar styles - I think Slash and Zakk Wylde are the only well known guitarists which play which some style and emotion these days (and as being a huge Zakk fan I am sad to say that he has gone down hill over the past 6 years - in my humble opinion - all speed and no groove)
MrEmpire on 28 May '08
It's called a Riff not Rift. a RIFF Rolling Eyes

Anyway, good on you for picking up the guitar as a result of playing GH3 - you bought 3 guitars in 5 months?!!
I've been playing guitar for about 13 years now and play in a band (not a covers band - not that there's anything wrong with covers bands) - I've played a bit of Guitar hero and thought it was fun, but whenever I play it, it feels a bit pointless, as I get much more satisfaciton from actualy learning the tunes on a real guitar (or writing my own tunes)
I am enjoying playing dums on ROCK BAND though!Smile

Also, to all the people slating Slash; he does sound a bit out of touch with gamers;but he has more musical talent than all of you put together and has written,recorded and gigged great songs for years - and he STILL has the skill and talent (some VR tunes are a bit average to be honest though, as were some of the G'N'R tunes) - he deserves a lot of respect.
Go to youTube and type "Slash Godfather" for an example of slash at his best - then weep as you sit with your plastic Les pauls - clicketey Click! - have you seen the South Park ep "guitar Queero"? - classic!

They're called DRUMS not "dums" Wink
PeteTheFeet on 28 May '08
Zombies?!

My love of fps may be turning me into a twitching sociopath, but a zombie...pah!
English Shmuppet on 28 May '08
It's called a Riff not Rift. a RIFF Rolling Eyes

Anyway, good on you for picking up the guitar as a result of playing GH3 - you bought 3 guitars in 5 months?!!
I've been playing guitar for about 13 years now and play in a band (not a covers band - not that there's anything wrong with covers bands) - I've played a bit of Guitar hero and thought it was fun, but whenever I play it, it feels a bit pointless, as I get much more satisfaciton from actualy learning the tunes on a real guitar (or writing my own tunes)
I am enjoying playing dums on ROCK BAND though!Smile

Also, to all the people slating Slash; he does sound a bit out of touch with gamers;but he has more musical talent than all of you put together and has written,recorded and gigged great songs for years - and he STILL has the skill and talent (some VR tunes are a bit average to be honest though, as were some of the G'N'R tunes) - he deserves a lot of respect.
Go to youTube and type "Slash Godfather" for an example of slash at his best - then weep as you sit with your plastic Les pauls - clicketey Click! - have you seen the South Park ep "guitar Queero"? - classic!

They're called DRUMS not "dums" Wink

It's not my fault that I can't pronounce my R's.. Surprised
MrEmpire on 28 May '08
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