http://www.powergig.com/
My nephew showed me this today and is insisting that it is the coolest thing he has ever seen and wants It for Christmas, his reasoning being "This isn't just a game it's a real guitar that you can actually play along with being a video game controller" so I said to him that I would just get him an actual full sized guitar for Christmas and give him lessons and really take the time to bond with him and he just seemed absolutely against the idea even after I offered to give him a real Fender Telecaster just like the one I have and he still was adamant about how cool the guitar controller is for this game and how much fun it would be to play the game with it. This got me thinking, are todays kids really that addicted to the idiot boxes that they would rather play a toy guitar with a videogame than the real thing I mean hell when I was his age I was playing 4 nights a week with my band and making a lot of money doing it I just don't get the appeal of playing a guitar "simulator" when you could just pick up the real thing and make your own music. That all being said, what do I do here he really is a good kid and doesn't have many nice things seeing as my brother (his father) got laid off from his job of 10 years recently, do I just cave and get it for him or do I get him a real guitar?

hahahaha. since I got my guitars I have never played a music videogame, don't feel like playing them and never will play them again; I still play videogames but I play guitar a lot more.

That's terrific.. back to his nephew:

For starters, how old is your nephew? If he's just a kid I can understand his wanting to just play video games.

I don't think you can quite force playing guitar on someone. Has your nephew actually seen you play real guitar (I'm assuming he has)? If so, how did he react? If he seemed somewhat interested.. maybe he'll develop an interest on his own after having played the game for a while. I dont know, I'm no parent

I agree that these games are getting more and more out of hand, though. Unfortunately for this case we're in an age of ever-evolving electronics, and it doesn't look like it'll end anytime soon

Get him Rock Band 3 and the Squier Controller (It's a real guitar)

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Music's the only thing that makes sense anymore, man. Play it loud enough, it keeps the demons at bay.

he's 16 years old, and yes he has seen me play guitar and is just fascinated with the instrument but I just find it odd that he would rather have a toy guitar

Come to think of it, Christmas is a long way from now. I'd say odds are he'll have lost interest in this new game by then.

He doesn't know how large an oportunity he has here - a private teacher who'd take genuine interest in his development (that's a rare thing), not to mention the potential for a hobby for life.

My vote goes to the real guitar, and I'm not just saying that because it'll put some hair on his chest One day he'll thank you for it.

I do understand the other aspect that he doesn't have a lot of nice things, so 'why not do something nice this once'? In the end, it's your call sir.

Yeah i'll try to talk him into wanting the real guitar instead but like you said, he'll more than likely lose interest

it looks like an iphone game... in fact, it probably deserving of a fail whale...

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Favorite bands:

Melvins
The Jesus Lizard
Cows
Big Business
R***man
Minutemen
Flight
Minor Threat
Big Black
Shellac
Karp
Scratch Acid
Wipers
Pixies

Looks cheesy.

But it is better than the Guitar Hero/Rock Band style controller.

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It wasn't Willy-Nilly, it was at crows.

i can relate to this sad tale guys , i have 1 daughter (eldest) and 1 son , anyhow the girl has always had an artistic flair , art and music wise , the boy never seemed to bothered unless it was the music for the wwf wrestlers , or super bloody mario , to cut a long story short the girl studied bass guitar at high school (she had one before she started , she also had my marshall and strat and yammy apx) and became quite proficient on bass and not too shabby on guitar either , the boy on the other hand was more into video games , still is , but every now and then he asks to be shown how to play guitar , i sit him down , give him a sweet guitar (epi) and show him a few chords , he lasts about 30mins then heads upstairs , i head up a few hours later and he's playing guitar hero and the sg is lying on the bed untouched since earlier , it's to hard and my fingers hurt he says , i give him encouragement telling him he was showing promiss , which he was and tell him the sore fingers will pass but that it takes a while to learn an instrument and the more he practices the better he will get , then about an hour later he brings the guitar back down and says i can't be bothered and go's back to guitar hero or one of the shoot em ups , thats my sad tale , back to yours mate.
i would wait till nearer christmas and ask his parents , but keep planting the seed now and then , maybe ask him over and show him a few things on the guitar , maybe even pick up a 2nd hand guitar for him to play with at home , if he shows interest then your good to go hth
Alan

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My little guy was 11 at the time and he wanted Guitar Hero, I really blew a cork and felt just like you do. I told him you have a house that has a nice herd of the real thing and you want to waste your time playing a game when you could be learning the real thing. Anyway I caved in and bought it for Christmas 08. When I would come home I will admit I heard some great music blasting through the house and then would go to his room watching him play that stupid game. Both my sons are left handed which is strange as neither any of my sibblings or my wifes are as well as our parents. I tried to get him playing at 9 and bought and restrung a little electric lefty for him but he lost interest. Well back to GH, after about 6 months of playing the game he comes to me and says he wants to play the real thing, which made me very happy. Also he played the game righty and now plays guitar righty. So to be honest my view of the game has changed.

It's just about epidemic proportions these days where kids have become almost totally"techno-reliant"-if I may coin a phrase-kids are becoming lazy thinkers and depend on computers to solve the simplest math problems or spell check even the most basic words.This morning they interviewed on the radio a teenage girl who stated that she spent 3-4 hours a day texting or conversing with friends on the computer and estimated that she often sent 1,000 text messages a day-no exaggeration she stated.It only goes to show- that when a kid would rather interact with a video than a real person to learn guitar-how insidious the computer dependance has become.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

+1,000,000 and an Amen

this about sums it up for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X64BqeTwA7M

On that note... maybe you should get him a fishing pole and get the young lad outside for some fresh air and a nice view.

There will always be lots more people that are moved by music, but are not inclined to be real musicians. It has always been that way. Take my 16-year-old daughter ... because of Guitar Hero, she knows who Ritchie Blackmore and Steve Vai are. As she is Justin Timberlake fan, this never would have occured without Guitar Hero. Therefore ... why is this a bad thing?

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

For me, epic fail. (never used that term before....old gal using epic fail )

The graphics are terrible, the lead singer is bad, and it's just bad. Maybe I'm just a purist. I guess a game is fine to hang around friends, but I've tried guitar hero and just didn't like it. Real thing is way better because it's not all about instant gratification. It's about making real music. It's about taking a song you like and making it your own (or even creating music).

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"While My Guitar Gently Weeps."

My dad said, "I'm going to miss you."
I said, "Well, now that I broke that sight off your rifle..." (Emo Philips)