More Cowbell!!! Less Wammy Bar!!!
I just read on a video game blog I subscribe to (not winning a lot of suave points with this post, clearly) that new downloadable content will soon be dropping for Guitar Hero World Tour. Yessssssssss. Included in the content are a trio of songs by the Eagles. Perhaps you have heard of them.
Thinking about playing more Eagles songs made me chuckle as I thought back to one of our family Guitar Hero mornings a couple of weeks back. That morning, I was reminded of how sometimes my competitive nature keeps me from maximizing my fun.
I hate loosing. I don't like to loose to my friends. I don't like to loose to the computer. I don't like to loose to middle school boys. It's going to be terribly hard for me to not unleash the beast tonight when we take the boys to lazer tag and go karts.
Due to my competitive dysfunction, Stacy and I have learned that it's not a good idea for us to engage in competitive activities when we are together. She doesn't appreciate how I use Jedi mindtricks and incessant trash talk in an attempt to get my opponents to succomb to my strategic desires. And I don't appreciate her ability to enjoy an activity by just participating in it, without regard for complete domination.
So back to GH World Hero. We're playing as a family. I'm on lead guitar. Stacy is on vocals. Elli is bouncing between backup guitar, drums and helping Stacy with vocals. The kid has the musical genius of Prince. Now, one of the quirks of the game is that it is of benefit for the guitarists to work the wammy bar regardless of whether or not it is actually appropriate for a particular song. Thus, I'm working that wammy like my dream job.
The problem is we're playing Hotel California by the Eagles. Not exactly a wammy-riffic diddy.
"No wammy bar on the Eagles songs," declares Stacy.
I respond with "I'm trying to get the high score".
Not to be deterred, she deftly counters with "Well, I'm trying to enjoy the music".
What the Eagles aficionado wants, the Eagles aficionado gets. All I'm saying is that we could have gotten a way better score if we would have tried a little harder.
Renew and Restore
Thinking about playing more Eagles songs made me chuckle as I thought back to one of our family Guitar Hero mornings a couple of weeks back. That morning, I was reminded of how sometimes my competitive nature keeps me from maximizing my fun.
I hate loosing. I don't like to loose to my friends. I don't like to loose to the computer. I don't like to loose to middle school boys. It's going to be terribly hard for me to not unleash the beast tonight when we take the boys to lazer tag and go karts.
Due to my competitive dysfunction, Stacy and I have learned that it's not a good idea for us to engage in competitive activities when we are together. She doesn't appreciate how I use Jedi mindtricks and incessant trash talk in an attempt to get my opponents to succomb to my strategic desires. And I don't appreciate her ability to enjoy an activity by just participating in it, without regard for complete domination.
So back to GH World Hero. We're playing as a family. I'm on lead guitar. Stacy is on vocals. Elli is bouncing between backup guitar, drums and helping Stacy with vocals. The kid has the musical genius of Prince. Now, one of the quirks of the game is that it is of benefit for the guitarists to work the wammy bar regardless of whether or not it is actually appropriate for a particular song. Thus, I'm working that wammy like my dream job.
The problem is we're playing Hotel California by the Eagles. Not exactly a wammy-riffic diddy.
"No wammy bar on the Eagles songs," declares Stacy.
I respond with "I'm trying to get the high score".
Not to be deterred, she deftly counters with "Well, I'm trying to enjoy the music".
What the Eagles aficionado wants, the Eagles aficionado gets. All I'm saying is that we could have gotten a way better score if we would have tried a little harder.
Renew and Restore