Jan 06 2009
Yeah, I’m in a Rock Band!
So Dude, I’m like, in a band.
It happened a couple of weekends ago. Kinda by surprise… Couple friends, hangin, ridiculously trite enough, it all started in the garage.
Yeah, the past couple of weeks have been rough—you know, life on the road and all. City after city, club after club. Don’t get me wrong the fans are great and all.
I’m the lead Guitarist, or Bassist when I need to be, sometimes I might whale on the drums, or even belt one out on the microphone! Yeah, life aint easy for a boy named Sue, if you know what I mean.
Photo: The 5th Ape
Up til all hours practicing taking turns. The other night after a long set I needed to relax, unwind, get rid of some of the aggression…
I got in a fight with this guy I didn’t even know, we wore gloves so it was somehow civilized, but it didn’t matter he was going down—not me! He went down over and over again. Just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke I beat up some other guy too! I was on a roll! So I headed down to the very local alley on the side of the house and messed up some pinheads big time. They deserved it, they just stood there like idiots! They kept getting up so I kept knocking them down! I told them to stay down… there fault really.
Before bedding down I tried my skills at the rackets and did pretty well there too—I just couldn’t be beat that night. I was unstoppable!
Is this where we’re headed? Really? I would never imagined. But really the larger question should be, is it a bad thing?
I mean I was killing it on the instruments, beating people up in the ring, knocking down pinheads in the alley, and slaughtering my opponents on the tennis courts. What a life! I was the RockStar, the World Heavyweight Champ, the best bowler and tennis star on in the same night! No joke, it was awesome!
Only moderate skill, and dexterity is required to participate let alone be successful, to be the winner, the champion! Time seems to be the big loser, but time that goes by quickly in the virtual world by comparison would take forever in the real world. If I had to drive to and from let alone participate in those events it would have taken 10 times as long—I actually saved time!
But is this what it’s all about? And why does it feel so bad that it might be. So I’m not really playing a guitar with strings or hitting an actual tennis ball or person, or rolling a ball down the lane. What I am doing is producing some results that are measurable. It does take some skills, just not the same ones to do the actual activity, the skills can be compared to other peoples skills…
It is getting more and more realistic. No, it’s not the same thing, but why does it have to be? It will continue to get better, more senses will be stimulated, it even includes a raised heart rate and physicality, even strength and conditioning training!
I want to say I don’t like the direction we’re headed and we are on the bullet train there.
Should there be resistance and why?
Yes, it won’t be acceptable to the purist, but neither was digital photography to the film photographer, but now the technology has gotten better and better and film will be soon gone. And the bottom line is, does it really matter. Does it matter that I don’t have to be exposed to disgusting cancer causing chemicals to produce photographs when I can reproduce any type of affect that can be produced the traditional way… I resisted for years until all of my complaints, issues, and requirements have been solved or addressed.
I could stay in my own home and do everything that can be done in the real world and it would all appear to be real to my mind and body… Everyone will be able to participate at their own level, no more will there be exclusions or obstacles—EVERYONE will be able to enjoy the participation in anything they want!
Children of the future won’t even know the difference because it’s all they will know.
Virtual life has become reality… And, yes, every experience can be duplicated! Maybe this new reality should be embraced versus resisted—I don’t know, but it’s something to think about…
So as I was sayin, I’m in a band—a freaken Guitar Hero! And Dude, I just started like a World Tour!
You lookin at me?
—iChef
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