My 11-year old cousins received an X-box 360 and a few games for Christmas. By far the most popular game was Rock Band.
That shit is FUN!
As soon as Christmas dinner was over, the kids begged their dad to set up the game system. Their older brother arrived right then (after spending Christmas morning with his mom), and they started setting up their profiles. And then the rockin’ began.
There are 4 parts – bass, guitar, drums, & lead singer. The songs are popular, with a mix of songs you know and songs you don’t. Your band performs gigs at various locations, and you gain and lose fans based on how well you do. Almost everyone in my family was taking turns at the various instruments. Parents, aunts, uncles, but especially all the younger generations. We played that game from 2-6, then there was an evening activity for a few hours. Then when it was over, they all came to our house around 11, and we played it for several MORE hours. Addictive.
I understand a little now why people like karaoke. There’s a sort of bond that occurs when everyone is cheering you on, even though you suck. At least, that’s how it felt when i was singing. It was my family, and i’m comfortable around them, and it doesn’t bother me so much when they laugh at me. Because the next person to sing sounds just as bad. But there is a sort of comraderie that occurs when you have the guts to open your mouth and let people judge you. I’m still not volunteering to actually do karaoke, but being the lead singer in Rock Band was a pretty fun experience.
Tags: family, games, vacation
