E6

Lori Gallagher

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I know this makes me a bit of a freak of nature - especially in the eyes of my video game-loving nephews - but I have never played Guitar Hero or Rock Band or any video game. Really.

I don't have a PlayStation or Wii or whatever else one plays video games on, which probably makes me the most boring aunt in the history of the universe, according to Jared and Kyle. It's no wonder those two never visit.

Maybe it's my lack of hand-eye co-ordination or my not-so-quick reflexes, but video games have never appealed to me. Possibly because I sense that I would be so utterly and completely bad at them.

Why set myself up for that kind of failure?

Admitting this hurts, but I remember the birth of video games. While they've come a long way since Pong and Space Invaders, I have not kept up with the times.

I probably would have remained blissfully ignorant of this world - which seemed violent and disturbing and all about car chases based on watching my nephews play - if it wasn't for Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

It's impossible to escape these musical games as everybody is talking about them. Yes, sometimes I am prone to exaggeration, but honestly, it seems like everyone I know is addicted.

Take, for example, my co-workers. I won't name any names, but some of them seem ready to head out on the road together. In the world of Rock Band, they are superstars.

A friend says her boys would spend all day on these games if they could. She plays guitar, but discovered her skills don't really carry over to the virtual world.

As for her sons, they have no desire to learn the real thing - not now that they've practised so hard to be experts in the video version.

That isn't the case with Duncan Campbell. Though the 8 3/4-year-old is playing most songs at the expert level of Guitar Hero, he wasn't happy to leave it there.

His love of music and his experience with this video game led him to begin guitar lessons in February.

Less than a year later, he's already strumming some of the tunes he plays in the video game - this time for real.

"I'm better on the TV than on a real guitar," he admits, but says he loves playing, so he practises a lot and is steadily improving. "I think I can play more than eight songs."

Duncan's musical choices include stuff by Metallica, two songs by The Beatles and Sweet Home Alabama.

He's equally at home strumming his guitar in the kitchen or taking on his best friend, Alex Clarke, in Guitar Hero in the family room. Either way, this kid rocks.

Duncan's mother, who just happens to be one of my oldest and dearest friends, thought it would be hilarious if I gave Guitar Hero a try. And I might have been willing, until she told me that you can be booed off the stage if you screw up enough.

Seriously? I mean, it's bad enough that everyone present would be aware of just how terrible my video game guitaring is, but to be booed on top of that ... how is this fun?!

Watching Duncan's fingers fly as he played Trapped Under Ice by Metallica, I couldn't help but be intimidated. Was I even capable of pulling something like that off? Maybe we could find a nice, slow, easy song for me to start with.

Before I could decide whether I was up for being ridiculed by an 8 3/4-year-old, the disk stopped working. It seems the Wii had been acting up recently.

Personally, I think this was the universe's way of sparing me the humiliation.

Still, if I ever decide to give Guitar Hero a go, I couldn't find a better instructor than Duncan. His passion for music, especially the hard rock/heavy metal tunes I enjoy, makes him a lot of fun to be around.

Lori Gallagher is a staff writer at The Daily Gleaner. She can be reached at gallagher.lori@dailygleaner.com.