Obviously not everybody can be a musician. It is true that many kids can settle for not even trying to play a musical instrument because of this new alternatives, but it is also true that many would never try to learn anyway or would give up because of frustration. Like many other game, is about having fun and playing a role. Games allow us to do (and even be good at something) that in real life we would never do.

A musician will never look at the game the same way a non-musician does, and this could apply to many games: a soldier that has been in war would not enjoy Modern Warfare like a teen does, for example.
Guitar Hero and Rock Band are games that encourages one to be active and play with friends and family instead of laying on a couch alone, and like you said, teach us a sense of rhythm too.

Every game has negative elements, some more than others, and musical video games probably have more positive than negative elements in general.

However, I differ with you and others on the point of whether these games discourage people from playing real instruments. I think people that want to learn the real thing will, and when they do, they’ll probably stop playing the games, because they’re so different from the real instrument.

I have been a percusionist for over 20 years. Piano, drumset, orchestral instruments – all of it. I don’t really want to learn to play the guitar. I spend so many hours practicing the instruments that I already play. I don’t want to try to squeeze in more hours to practice another instrument. I just want to pick up a pretend guitar and pretend. If people try to learn to play every instrument available, they’ll never be good at any of them. There’s only so much time.

I think sometimes all of the researchers get lost in proving value in everything, and forget that sometimes it’s about having fun, value or no. Sometimes it’s just about the play