Parents Let Kid Drop Out of High School to Focus on Guitar Hero

[wraggster]

Let's try to keep the bad parenting bait to a minimum for this one, folks, but holy crow, I can't not show you this story. Yesterday reader tooji tipped me off to the story of Blake Peebles, a 16-year-old in Raleigh, N.C., whose parents have let him drop out of school so that he can focus on a professional gaming career via Guitar Hero.

Blake convinced his folks (that is, "We couldn't take the complaining anymore," said his mom) to let him drop out last September. They hired in-home tutors to continue his education there, at least, but there's no doubt priority number one is Guitar Hero. There's a vaguely defined goal of Blake playing it professionally, either through Major League Gaming or by winning prizes in a national and international competitions. But so far he's only made about $1,000, most of that value realized in meals and other freebies won at local competitions. The other pro gamer the reporter contacted for this story said he's cashed in about $25,000 in his entire career.

The description of Blake's room, his interests (or lack thereof) , and his folks' decision to let him do this just ... well, the don't make anyone look good. It would be one thing if the guy was a bona fide music or athletic prodigy. However quixotic a career in either field might be for the majority who pursue it, at least there's a long history of it paying off if you are that good enough. But Blake's never touched a real guitar (cue up the get-a-life bait). He didn't seem interested in much of anything in high school (a Christian academy where his parents had enrolled him) and wheedled his way out of going by complaining that it was a waste of time. (That line should sound very familiar to my folks. If only playing Master of the Lamps on the Commodore 64 could have won me some free Chik-Fil-A. I might have had better luck.)

You gotta read it to believe it, and nearly three weeks after it was first published, it is still one of The News & Observer's top e-mailed stories. Try to keep it civil in the comments, gang, especially if you aren't a parent. I'm not, but I'll admit this blows my mind.

http://kotaku.com/5037975/parents-let-kid-drop-out-of-high-school-to-focus-on-guitar-hero

[silverstein101]

that is pretty ridiculous

like, i could see parents letting the kid drop out of school for general gaming, but just guitar hero? thats crazy.

[JKKDARK]

Yeah, it's strange. But I hope the kid will not fail. I would prefer to finish school anyway.

[ojdon]

Guitar Hero. Ok this is more ridiculous than people thinking Guitar Hero is exactly the same as playing Guitar...


Guitar Hero deserves to be band, it causes Violence.

[masamune]

I live like 5 minutes away from Raleigh, strange...

My brothers band just hired a keyboardist who's only 16 (he's really really good) and they're in the recording studio right now, I'm pretty sure his parents would let him drop out when they get signed but I hardly think playing guitar hero is a valid reason...

[that1guywiththeface]

This is part of what gives video games the association with being for utter lazy-a** wastes of space and oxygen. This along with those people that play WoW without stopping until they/their pets/ their children (not WoW specific, but MMORPG in general) die from hunger, starvation, or other forms of neglect. People should only drop out if:

1.) They need to get a job IMMEDIATELY to support their family.

2.) They have already found a job that is in some way stable AND productive, such as entertainment.

3.) They have somehow procured enough money to gurantee the ability to be financially stable for many years to come. (Not their parents' money, their own money.)

4.) They have found some way to be successful in life w/o an education. Working at a McDonalds/Wendy's/Burger King does not count unless you own the restaraunt. Same goes for other food service or cashier related stuff.

[osgeld]

25 grand in a career?

that sounds more like a year of pay working at the mall

good luck with the complaining ... he is going to be doing that at age 40 in your basement

[Eviltaco64]

Hey! Fück getting an education, going to college, meeting people, and hopefully getting a good job, stay at home and win $50 in a Guitar Hero competition!

The one that taps the little plastic tab the best is the #1 ROCKSTAR.

I would feel for him a lot more if he was playing a real guitar, but not Guitar Hero... There's no ****ing future in it. :(

[____anders____]

yea, real guitar is cooler.. not a fkn game! GH suck

[ICE]

Stupid parent, stupid kid. That's just the world we live in. Idiots are all around us.

[Eviltaco64]

That's just the world we live in. Idiots are all around us.

Quoted for truth.

[Uberman]

You can't read this and still wonder why America is at the helm of the fail boat. What the hell is happening to this country? We're breeding idiots like it's an Olympic sport, and then allowing them to make more. The kid doesn't really sound like the type who would have succeeded at college anyway, but to fail this spectacularly...well, I guess that's an achievement in itself.

I'm sure his parents believe that God looks after drunkards and fools. It's only the smart people who have to worry. :rofl:

[Triv1um]

If it was for a actual guitar carrier (recording contract etc.) i could understand. But for a game, its madness.

[Eviltaco64]

You can't read this and still wonder why America is at the helm of the fail boat. What the hell is happening to this country? We're breeding idiots like it's an Olympic sport, and then allowing them to make more. The kid doesn't really sound like the type who would have succeeded at college anyway, but to fail this spectacularly...well, I guess that's an achievement in itself.

I'm sure his parents believe that God looks after drunkards and fools. It's only the smart people who have to worry. :rofl:

You blame an entire country for someones mom letting their 16-year-old drop out?

[fpcreator2000]

These are the times, I wish I was a with a child like that. I would whoop his ass to the point he'll going back to school just because he would know what to expect if the didn't.

Hey, as bad as it sounds, negative reinforcement, along with tough love works when applied right. I never understood how that timeout punishment works? I digress, but that kid deserves an ass whoopin' and so do the parents (especially the parents! WTF! Slap him in the mouth! He has no reason to complain! If he starts, give him a real reason to complain. Complaining about pain is a reason to complain about! Break his Guitar and sell his Xbox 360. Let's see what happens after that!

[Uberman]

You blame an entire country for someones mom letting their 16-year-old drop out?

Aside from the disservice they're doing to their own child by letting him leave school to do something that is, let's face it, frivolous, they themselves couldn't care less if the boy succeeds in any kind of substantial way. They let him drop out merely because they were tired of his complaining, not because he had learned all that he was going to, or because there was some kind of hinderance to his education. It's symptomatic of many things that are wrong with America today. Apathy, ignorance, fatalism -- with a certain pride in the undertaking. You ask if I blame an entire country for this? I ask why you don't? I don't hear news of this caliber coming from other countries (and I listen).

It's bad enough that the motto for America's education system now is "Meh." We used to produce college graduates and doctorates in substantial fields, we as a country used to be ahead of the curve in science and industry. That's all gone to hell now, so I guess it shouldn't matter that little Johnny's parents let him drop out of High School to make a living playing Guitar Hero.

You tell me who's to blame.

[Eviltaco64]

Aside from the disservice they're doing to their own child by letting him leave school to do something that is, let's face it, frivolous, they themselves couldn't care less if the boy succeeds in any kind of substantial way. They let him drop out merely because they were tired of his complaining, not because he had learned all that he was going to, or because there was some kind of hinderance to his education. It's symptomatic of many things that are wrong with America today. Apathy, ignorance, fatalism -- with a certain pride in the undertaking. You ask if I blame an entire country for this? I ask why you don't? I don't hear news of this caliber coming from other countries (and I listen).

It's bad enough that the motto for America's education system now is "Meh." We used to produce college graduates and doctorates in substantial fields, we as a country used to be ahead of the curve in science and industry. That's all gone to hell now, so I guess it shouldn't matter that little Johnny's parents let him drop out of High School to make a living playing Guitar Hero.

You tell me who's to blame.

Dont blame everything on the United States.
The US helped bring us electricity, the telephone, computers, the railroad, the automobile, many advances in science, and so much more. Although America has been going downhill for a while, your still very free. You can do what you want with your life, you're not under government control, and, I hate to tell you this, but ignorance is everywhere (even in the wonderful utopia that some people call Europe).

Also, keep in mind that our country is the 3rd most populated nation on the Earth, so of course there's a larger amount of ignorance than in other countries.

America is far from perfect, but it's still a great country, and honestly, thinking about it's flaws makes me sick to the stomach (it's not just the US either). I try to look at the positive side of it all, and while the US has many negatives, it also has several positive aspects.

[ICE]

Open stupidity is symptomatic of freedom. People are free to be as stupid as they wish. Freedom is a two sided coin and its the coin this country was supposed to be based apon. Take it or leave it.

[that1guywiththeface]

If I were this child's parent, here's what I would have done (after beating his arse):

1.) Let him "drop out" for about 1-2 weeks, but not tell him it is temporary.

2.) Delete every save file that he has.

3.) Password lock his console with a 16-digit code (yeah I might forget it, thats even better).

4.) Log on to his gamer tag for guitar hero and make his stats plummet like there is no tomorrow, along with the stats for whatever halo game he has.

5.) Force him to watch me do it all, and then play every day while he watches.

If by this point he starts begging to go back, i'll let him, but force him to deal with every bit of BS he created for himself (but leave the password on indeffinitely). If not:

1.) Sell the console.

2.) Tape the discs onto clay pidgeons and shoot them while he watches.

3.) Back over the guitar with a car.

And last but not least, FORCE him to return to school...... dressed as Princess Leia for a week. Makeup and all. That is what I call a punishment. And I'm pretty sure that is all completely legal.

[darkriku2000]

I live like 5 minutes away from Raleigh, strange...

My brothers band just hired a keyboardist who's only 16 (he's really really good) and they're in the recording studio right now, I'm pretty sure his parents would let him drop out when they get signed but I hardly think playing guitar hero is a valid reason...

Hey nice to see somebody else living in the area:thumbup: I live in Raleigh, so I assume you live in Cary?

But yeah, I've heard people saying that people who live in Raleigh are lazy and don't care about education, and this kid... just great, I hope he didn't go to my school