Guitar Hero

I haven't actually witnessed one of these yet, but everywhere I go I hear adults talking about playing the game Guitar Hero on Nintendo Wii. Now, from what I gather there's a joystick with buttons and you can actually move your hands around like you're playing a real guitar and on the screen it tells you how close you got to rockin' an actual solo. Sounds like it might be a good time...when I was thirteen and amused more by bright lights flashing on a screen and wracking up points than acquiring actual life skills and having real experiences. Here's what baffles me about this; for someone to get good at this game I would assume that they have to play it for hours on end, probably everyday. Like with most video games I played as a kid there are probably levels and you get to reach higher scores the better you get. But it's a guitar on a TV. So, why not spend half as much money, buy an ACTUAL guitar and practice that for hours on end everyday. Then, when friends come over to hang out you could have them bring their ACTUAL guitar and you could play ACTUAL music that everyone could enjoy and be gaining greater levels of talent and skill rather than VIRTUAL talent and skill on a goddamn TV screen!! Aah! Am I insane? Honestly, if a teenager just learning an instrument spent the same amount of time playing a guitar as they do playing Guitar Hero, he or she might actually be capable of becoming a REAL musician and getting paid to play Actual instruments in front of ACTUAL people and be an ACTUAL rock star. Is this what our dreaming has come to? We think our kids, nay, even our adults, have such little ability as human beings that they would rather gain talent at useless, expensive games in their living rooms instead of learning to exist in the real world and share their ACTUAL talent (I cannot emphasize enough this distinction between reality and virtual reality--huge difference). Anyway, there it is. Playing a real guitar is pretty fun by and by. There's always a more challenging level and something new to learn, it engages the brain on a creative level we often lack in adulthood and often serves as a great stress reliever. Try it or any other instrument for your health's sake and the sake of our society. Create art. Kill your video games!