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Guitar Hero is a series of music video games originally published by RedOctane and later by Activision which allow a player to become an interactive user/guitarist. The player uses a guitar-shaped peripheral to interact with the game and simulate guitar playing. The series of games are available on all major gaming platforms, including Playstation, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii.
The music tracks used in the games consist of licensed and independent rock music songs from the 1960s to the present. The game is popular at parties, and bars throughout the U.S. and Canada sponsor Guitar Hero nights which are very popular with patrons.
Within three years of its introduction, Guitar Hero had sold 23 million units globally and the franchise has become a cultural phenomenon. Music games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band have become so popular that they contributed to 32% of the industry's growth in 2008. Fittingly, Activision plans to triple the number of Guitar Hero games on sale by 2010.
