My Non-Gaming Heterosexuals Are Rock Stars, Are Yours?
Rock Band is pretty much the opposite of the Wii or DS in terms of being non-gamer friendly and luring new blood to the gaming world - or so I figured. Last night I found myself stepping off the plane at SFO and into a small crowd of highschool friends who've since relocated to the City by the Bay. Now in our early 30s, we've all pretty much established who we are: lawyers, teachers, technocrats & me, the only gamer.
So when over wheat beer and scotch I heard the words "Rock Band" bandied about, the shrinking sober region of my brain figured they were talking about, I dunno, INXS or Jesus Jones or whomever the kids are listening to today. When one lawyer asked another, "What's the name of your rock band?" I figured it was a drinking game, like "Which Sex In The City Character Are You?" or "Guess What's Not In My Pants?"
The last thing I expected was for one of my old comrades to have bought a game console (let alone a PS3 - bigoted or not, I just didn't see that coming). The second last thing I expected was for one of my non-gaming friends to be spontaneously into Rock Band in a major way. That he'd bring his wife, another couple, and a fifth friend of ours into the mix floored me. These are not folks I've ever seen pick up so much as a gamepad, let alone an expensive, outside-the-box, accessory-based music/rhythm game!
I remember before launch there was some speculation among games journalists as to whether or not we were really just excited to play Rock Band ourselves, and if it might not catch on among standard-core or casual gamers. Couldn't have been more wrong - these guys and gals were Rock Band experts, and their reaction to my suggestion that they try singing while playing the bass was intense. Color me pleasantly surprised?
Anyone else have a bizarre or surprising story of non-gamers gaming (that doesn't involve Wii Sports)?
tiny dancer
Posted to Miscellany on 18 February 2008
· Comments (3)
Other stuff like this: non gamers, rock band, surprise
Oh Tiny, do I have a story for you!
My parents are not gamers. My dad has occasionally enjoyed gaming, mostly on the NES. He also enjoyed racing in Mario Kart 64 with me and my brother and sister. Once in a great while he would play Halo with my brother. Now my mother on the other hand, never EVER picked up a game controller, unless she was cleaning or something. Just watching us play games, especially fast paced ones, gave her motion sickness.
Of course, I was able to get them into the Wii, but thats not what this story is about.
Almost a year ago now, My parents and I were visiting my younger brother at his college, and he and his friends would play Guitar Hero day and night. We were all drinking, as college students and their cool parents tend to do, and my brother, his friends, and I kept pestering my parents to try guitar hero. My dad gave it a go, and loved it. He was the final voice that made my mother give in and try it. And of course, she loved it as well! They spent the rest of the evening trading off with everyone, continuing to drink and have a fabulous time.
The next day, when they returned to their own home, they immediately went out and bought Guitar Hero 2 and an extra guitar for the PS2 I had left there since getting the slim one for myself. They were rocking out all the time.
The only bad part of it is that my mother is now better than me. She kicks my ass every time I play it with her. But at least they are doing one more thing that we can all enjoy together.
My husband surprises me from time to time with his unexpected excursions into the gaming universe. He had never been a gamer, he disliked that I play habitually, and it was actually a big source of tension between us early in our relationship. He thought it was unhealthy, basically.
But one day, in the first couple months we were dating, I left him at my house alone while I went to work. I came home and he had played Rygar for PS2 all the way through to the end. He claimed he was just bored and that he didn't enjoy it. It was especially weird, because I hadn't regarded Rygar as an accessible game to non-gamers (like Wii Sports or Guitar Hero).
Gilbert's had a few years to get used to my habits. Eventually he decided he would play Smash Bros. with me as a good faith effort to participate in activities I like. Typical of a non-gamer though, he only knows how to play with one character, Fox.
Lately I bought Pikmin and he messed around with it for a bit - then got completely addicted. I had my friend over, and we watched Gilbert play Pikmin for six hours without once moving a muscle - not even to reposition himself on the couch, he was completely mesmerized. It was the strangest thing.
For Valentine's Day I got him Pikmin 2. He was just as taken with it, though he still claims he isn't a gamer and doesn't enjoy video games.
For a while, I was living with my friend, and his mother "Ann", and I brought my DS with me. She works as a bartender and generally gave me funny looks whenever I'd play something out there like Katamari.
But one night I noticed my DS was missing, and my game of Trauma Center was out. I went nuts and called everyone trying to find a "thief", but the next morning. My DS was back and there was Phoenix Wright.
I shrugged it off and assumed I just misplaced it and was over-reacting.
Later that day Ann comes up and asks me. If she can borrow my DS. I tell her to go ahead.
A few minutes later I heard "NAW, FUCK YOU BITCH, YOU DID IT"
and I burst into laughter.