The Curse of Guitar Hero

I used to make fun of my friends who played video games. The way they would get that stupid blank stare on their face while drool dangled from the corners of their mouths. Don't get me wrong, when I was 12 I used to steal my brother's game boy at night & play super Mario brothers under my covers. But I lost interest after a few months. Plus, being a girl, I never received such gifts. Instead I was showered with pretty pretty princess, the latest top 40 artists' CD or clothes. All of which I enjoyed.

Back to video games. OK, so my roommate bought a wii last year. I have to admit, I like to play with it. It's fun & different. As for any of you who still don't own or have played a wii, it's the first of it's kind to let you interact with the game that your playing. Think of it as the first commercial virtual reality game. But instead of putting a huge heavy helmet over your head and a pair of medieval jousting gloves that met Bill Gates back in 1987, all you have to do is hold a small remote towards your TV.

Eventually my roommate got Guitar Hero. I watched & listened to her learn the game. Sometimes I would pick up the TV remote and start singing into it. Once, I jumped off our coffee table into the imaginary mosh pit that was our living room floor. It was good times.

Until I picked up the guitar. Now, it's all I think about. I love the rush of learning a new song while trying not to get booed off stage. The first song I got booed off for was Tenacious D's "The Metal". I laughed my ass off to the point where I couldn't play the song because I was to concerned with listening to Jack Black. I hate that I wear contacts. Contacts are like a curse while trying to play Guitar Hero. One blink and I'm fucked. I now keep a regular stash of eye drops. I haven't needed eye drops since I was 16 and coming home to my parents after having a "smoke" with some friends.

So now, I've turned into the one with the blank stare, drool forming at the side of my mouth and the driest contacts on earth. When I hear music on the radio, my first thought is "I could play that"... on Guitar Hero. Who does that? Apparently, I do. Now I question myself, and wonder if I'm just a little too into Guitar Hero or if this is normal.