The "Funnest" Gift Under Our Tree
December 28th 2008 19:14
I usually use this blog to discuss unique gifts I've found, and homemade gifts I've made or want to make, but I can't let the holiday season pass without discussing the funnest gift we had under our tree.
First, a little background. My kids (all teenagers) begged for an X-Box 360 this year. Since they had not been keeping up with their chores, I was relunctant to get it for them - knowing they'd do less work because they'd be playing games all the time. My husband gave in, so we got the 360 and Rockband.
I had NO IDEA how much fun Rockband would be.
They'd asked for Guitar Hero, but my husband and I decided on Rockband because it would allow them to all play together, instead of fighting over whose turn it is. We opened gifts just after midnight, and of course they had to set it up right then and try it out.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this type of game, it has mock insturments and a microphone. There is a guitar, a drum set, and a microphone, but another guitar can be hooked up as well (for bass). My second oldest son is a musician. He is in choir, and sings solo -- does very well in competition, but has never played an instrument. All the kids are familiar with guitar hero, so they all wanted to play guitar. We all assumed the musician of the family would do vocals. It turned out, however, that he was the only one who could play the drums well enough. They stuck me on vocals.
I'm not a very good singer, but I can manage to carry a tune. This game is fun, because it shows you if you need to go up or down on your pitch. You don't even have to get the words right - as long as you make some noise - somewhere near the appropriate pitch. (That really came in handy when it was a rap song or something I'm not familiar with - I just made noise.)
Anyway - the object is to start a band and take it on tour. You start out in your "hometown" and after you've played a few "gigs" and earned a reputation, you are offered more jobs in different cities. You hire a manager, and later earn a van - then a bus, and promoters, etc. As you become more well known, you have more songs available to perform.
The first night, they had me up until 6 AM singing so they could "earn" more songs. It was really fun, but I'm beat - it's taken me a couple days to make up my lost sleep.
They also all got money for Christmas, so one bought another guitar (so we'd have a bass player for the band) and they all bought other games they could play. (which is good, because it gives me a break from singing!!!)
Though I was really hesitant to buy this for my kids, I'm glad I did. They have had a lot of fun with it, and I'm sure they'll enjoy it for a long time to come. It's fun for the whole family!
First, a little background. My kids (all teenagers) begged for an X-Box 360 this year. Since they had not been keeping up with their chores, I was relunctant to get it for them - knowing they'd do less work because they'd be playing games all the time. My husband gave in, so we got the 360 and Rockband.
I had NO IDEA how much fun Rockband would be.
They'd asked for Guitar Hero, but my husband and I decided on Rockband because it would allow them to all play together, instead of fighting over whose turn it is. We opened gifts just after midnight, and of course they had to set it up right then and try it out.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this type of game, it has mock insturments and a microphone. There is a guitar, a drum set, and a microphone, but another guitar can be hooked up as well (for bass). My second oldest son is a musician. He is in choir, and sings solo -- does very well in competition, but has never played an instrument. All the kids are familiar with guitar hero, so they all wanted to play guitar. We all assumed the musician of the family would do vocals. It turned out, however, that he was the only one who could play the drums well enough. They stuck me on vocals.
I'm not a very good singer, but I can manage to carry a tune. This game is fun, because it shows you if you need to go up or down on your pitch. You don't even have to get the words right - as long as you make some noise - somewhere near the appropriate pitch. (That really came in handy when it was a rap song or something I'm not familiar with - I just made noise.)
Anyway - the object is to start a band and take it on tour. You start out in your "hometown" and after you've played a few "gigs" and earned a reputation, you are offered more jobs in different cities. You hire a manager, and later earn a van - then a bus, and promoters, etc. As you become more well known, you have more songs available to perform.
The first night, they had me up until 6 AM singing so they could "earn" more songs. It was really fun, but I'm beat - it's taken me a couple days to make up my lost sleep.
They also all got money for Christmas, so one bought another guitar (so we'd have a bass player for the band) and they all bought other games they could play. (which is good, because it gives me a break from singing!!!)
Though I was really hesitant to buy this for my kids, I'm glad I did. They have had a lot of fun with it, and I'm sure they'll enjoy it for a long time to come. It's fun for the whole family!
| 44 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
DeAnne
