The Iconic Game at 20 – The Plastic Guitar That Bridged Generations Among Rock Fans

Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.

Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced every song because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence

Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce previously completed a profitable run before their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, 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 risked overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”