#101 Kid’s Games

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My house rings with the rockinâ sound-track of Guitar Hero III … except when Iâm playing. Then it sort of grinds along like a snail on a cheese grater.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Guitar Hero video game franchise — both of you — let me fill you in. Guitar Hero is a game in which you can rock out just like Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix or Peter Tork … if any of them had played a plastic guitar with brightly-colored buttons and no strings. Clever players are rewarded with simulated applause from the simulated crowd in the simulated rock club. Bad players…well, until I played, my family didnât know that the simulated crowd could boo you off-stage in a very real way.

My performance was so bad the game refused to let me finish. I had to hand the little plastic guitar to another (better) player.

I found this a little odd because in High School I was an absolutely awesome air guitar player. At the drop of a hat, I could crank out a rendition of the Immigrant Song that would bring tears to people’s eyes…

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Like this excerpt? Want the whole story? Listen to the audio version by clicking the ‘Play’ button at the top of this post.

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DON’T FORGET!

My new book My Favorite Shortcomings is now available. You can purchase a copy for $6.99 or download the free electronic version. All of the details can be found at:

http://libsyn.com/static/shortcummingsaudio/book.html

NOTES: 

• For more information about all things Guitar Hero (including tournaments in your area … tournaments I won’t be competing in) check the official Guitar Hero homepage:
  http://www.guitarhero.com/
• As I mentioned in the episode, I’ve started writing reviews for the Tech Talk For Families website. You can find my review of Endless Ocean at:
  http://tinyurl.com/62fm4v
• The root site for Tech Talk for Families is at:
  www.techtalkforfamilies.com

Tags: humor essay | funny story | guitar hero | kids | video games | comedy