Guitar Hero Turns 20 – The Plastic Guitar That Bridged the Gap Between Music Generations
Marking 20 years after the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.
Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.
Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”
He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”
Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans
Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog a new life.”
At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Impact
Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.
The series continues to inspire quick-handed dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated it took months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.
The band had already completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners at the event.”
In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.
The Lasting Impact from the Plastic Guitar
Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to participate”.
The majority installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.
Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?
“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”
