Slash: Games Promote ‘Lethargy in Kids’

Guns ‘N’ Roses guitarist Slash has expressed concern about the effect that videogames can have on kids.

Slash, the ex-guitarist for rock gods Guns ‘N Roses, who was also prominently featured in Guitar Hero III, expressed to Computer and Videogames his worry that interest in videogames can prevent kids from spending time on other obbies or actual music-making.

“The thing about videogames is that they do promote this sort of lethargy in kids,” he said. “They turn into gaming zombies. So I understand the concern that people who play Guitar Hero would never pick up a real guitar.”

The guitarist believes that the Guitar Hero games have exactly the opposite effect, however, and do an excellent job of exposing kids to music “that they would not otherwise hear.”

“A lot of people have been asking ‘Is [gaming] the new wave of how people are going to be exposed to music?'” questioned Slash. “I thought that was sort of like a joke question when I first heard it, but I’m starting to realize that, given the current state of the music business, it might be. Because the kids are into it, and the possibilities are endless in terms of what you can expose them to through this medium.”