The San Diego Union-Tribune put up an article recently about the launch of The Beatles: Rock Band which includes a lot of stuff we already knew. But it also includes a bit of info about music games in general that I, at least, did not know. Like this:

The impact of these games prompted [the National Association of Music Merchandisers] to award a grant to Drexel University to research how “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero” may inspire or be learning tools for teens to develop real musical skills. A recent survey in the United Kingdom found that of the 6 million people younger than 18 who regularly play video music games, 2.5 million are learning to play real instruments.

Can that stat be right? Nearly half of the kids in the UK who play music games are learning to play for real? That’s pretty amazing, if so.

I also quite like this quote: “‘Where iPods have isolated people, these music games make them excited about interacting with music in groups,’ said Drexel assistant professor Youngmoo Kim, 36, who is overseeing the study.”

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