The Iconic Game Turns 20 – The Plastic Guitar That Bridged the Gap Among Music Fans

It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the tools to become rock legends. Not literally, but try convincing someone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.

Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence

Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their records. It moved well over half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles might become like Madden where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”