Topic: Kid Leaves school to play in Guitar hero tournaments

[AV]

Mike and Hunter do not believe in one-size-fits-all parenting.

"We couldn't take the complaining anymore," says Hunter. "He always told me that he thought school was a waste of time."

Blake never gravitated toward sports or drama or any of the other traditional school-based activities. Just gaming.

His "Guitar Hero" skills certainly have impressed the local gaming
community.

Blake has done well in local tournaments, including one held at a Chick-fil-A that earned him 52 combo meals. By his account, he has lost only once since "Guitar Hero III" was released late last year. Some of that time was spent playing online, against players from all over the world.
He's good at video games. "I wasn't really good at anything else that I liked."

So they made a deal. Blake could leave school but would have to be tutored at home. In one respect, the arrangement is similar to what parents of gifted child athletes and actors have done for years.

 
Source

He is still taking tutoring at home so he hasn't ditched school totally, but this is now seems like a Priority in his life.

I think he is a ***** idiot, and think Guitar hero is a overrated game and is boring to me, and I don't care if he is really good this is asinine.

by the way since Guitar Hero is on Wii I thought this would fit on this board instead of General Gaming board.

[ShyGuy]

I didn't realize there was a Guitar Hero circuit.

[vudu]

I don't care if he is really good this is asinine.

But he's not "really good".  So far he's won $1,000 in prizes.  Yeah, he could sure beat me at the game, but he's hardly considered "the best".

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

A wonderful story of people failing in life at different levels.

[DAaaMan64]

wonderful parents I'm sure

[Ian Sane]

If Guitar Hero was something that makes money this would be worthwhile.  But this is like taking your kid out of school because he can fit more M&M's in his mouth at once than anyone else.  Hell the way games change Guitar Hero might be completely irrelevent and unpopular in a few years.  The way they're milking it I would say that's a given.  If someone took the greatest Tony Hawk's Pro Skater player out of school back in 2001 would that have been worthwhile now?

But then any parent using a term like "one-size-fits-all parenting" is raising a welfare leech.  I find it very annoying when people act like following rules or being responsible for your actions or trying to earn a living with a useful skill that benefits society only applies to some people.  The MAN is trying to hold my kid down with his RULEZ!

Blake Peebles has dropped out of school for a meaningful career as a bum.

[Morari]

Public schooling is horrid anyway. You're not educated, you're molded and conditioned. Home schooling (in its many variations) is phenomenally better.

Practicing up for Guitar Hero is pretty pointless however. Even the best "cyber-athletes" barely make enough to really live off of, and that requires dozens of high profile tournaments every year, alongside endorsements and such. Those are also generally more skill based games, like Quake and StarCraft. On the other hand, Guitar Hero is little more than memorization.

Ian, what exactly would be a living that benefits society? As far as I can see, the large majority of people aren't in those occupations as is. Most merely work to make their lazy overlords richer, whether it be a manager, CEO, or their government. Following questionable rules and living by the established status quo isn't much of a life at all.

[Ian Sane]

Ian, what exactly would be a living that benefits society?

You know thinking about it that's totally the wrong choice of words.  I'm thinking like getting a job so you can support yourself, the theory being that if people are willing to pay you then there is some sort of function to it.  Training for a skill that is considered useful in our society as opposed to being a begger or a criminal or just a general mooch who contributes nothing and wants a hand out.  At the very least being able to support yourself is beneficial to society because then everyone else doesn't have to take care of you.  Guitar Hero is a skill in which no currently existing career exists.

Most merely work to make their lazy overlords richer, whether it be a manager, CEO, or their government.

Actually most of us work to feed ourselves and our family.

There is a difference between not following the status quo and being an irresponsible jerkwad.  To take an extreme example a murderer isn't following the status quo but "don't kill" isn't just a law to ruin people's fun.  There is a lot of dumb bullsh!t laws but the basic practice of being a self-sufficient responsible person who respects other people is a good thing.  Sometimes I get the vibe that parents are going to raise their kid's differently because the structure of society is there just to ruin everyone's fun.  Well not entirely.  These parents are putting their kid on the ticket to being a bum.  A bum everyone else has take care of.  Like it or not you have to fit in a little bit.  It's all a balance.

I actually think home schooling is pretty cool, with my only concern being that it might be difficult to make friends when one isn't going to a building with people their own age the whole time.  If I had the time and wasn't concerned about that I would probably do it with my future kids.

[UncleBob]

Public schooling is horrid anyway. You're not educated, you're molded and conditioned. Home schooling (in its many variations) is phenomenally better.

QFT.

[DAaaMan64]

LOL that could lead right into some awesome political discussion about federal intervention in the school system.

but ya.. dumb dumb parents

[nickmitch]

Charter schools are where it's at. A subtle mix of private school in you public schools. But anyway, I prefer public to home because you can learn people skills, and if you want a "real" education, then go to college.

Back to the topic: I'm always amazed at how dumb some parents can be. By the next generation of consoles, when all of his friends are pursuing careers and getting laid, he should feel pretty much like ****.

[Flames_of_chaos]

The only good part of the deal was that the kid has to get private tutoring, but in my opinion it's stupid.

[UncleBob]

I prefer public to home because you can learn people skills, and if you want a "real" education, then go to college.

If the only "people skills" you learn is in public school, you really, really, really need to get out more...

[Dasmos]

I have never met a home-schooled kid who wasn't pale, ugly and socially awkward.

[Tanookisuit]

Is anyone else here a teacher?  I am!  I'm a college instructor and an extracurricular arts instructor, and I find very little difference between my students who are/were home-schooled and those who went to public or private schools.  If anything, the younger, currently home-schooled students tend to be a little more rowdy in class because they aren't used to being around other kids.  Public school is definitely good for socialization, whether you think that's a good thing or not.

[ShyGuy]

I was home schooled.

[DAaaMan64]

But in a school you don't seen any of the skills they could have learned from home or a private schools.

[Morari]

I actually think home schooling is pretty cool, with my only concern being that it might be difficult to make friends when one isn't going to a building with people their own age the whole time.  If I had the time and wasn't concerned about that I would probably do it with my future kids.

Socialization is only a concern if your definition of homeschooling is having a kid sit around and read all day. In reality, homeschooling should be more robust and include activities akin to field trips. Many studies have suggested that well laid out homeschooling plans are actually better for nurturing social maturity because kids are exposed to a more diverse range of people from various age groups. They are not simply put into a group of peers and expected to come out better. Regardless of whether that is true or not, one thing is for certain: Public schooling is merely a construct that tries to force socialization.

Is making friends as realistic of an objective as many seem to think it is anyway? Sure, I know plenty of people, but can only count two or three of them as friends. When it comes right down to it, friends rarely exist. Making them doesn't really require socialization so much as it requires luck. Besides, the way young people are nowadays, it might be better than more of them are isolated and not allowed to influence one another.

[ShyGuy]

How scary is it that I agree with several of Morari's points?

[Morari]

How scary is it that I agree with several of Morari's points?

Not very...

[King of Twitch]

This kid is devoting his life to a non-game and people are worried about his social skills?

How can he expect to understand multiple buttons and options when he grows up?

[Mario]

Wow he probably wanks a good 15-20  times a day.

[nickmitch]

I prefer public to home because you can learn people skills, and if you want a "real" education, then go to college.

If the only "people skills" you learn is in public school, you really, really, really need to get out more...

It's hard to get out when you're 6.

Wow he probably wanks a good 15-20  times a day.

I thought you could only fap it 5 times a day. O_o

[Mario]

Let's not find out

[LuigiHann]

George Bush doesn't care about Blake Peebles.