Cultural impact of the Guitar Hero series

Guitar Hero is a series of rhythm video games published by Activision in which players use guitar-shaped controllers to mimic the playing of numerous popular rock music songs in a score attack gameplay; later games in the series have included support for both drums and vocals and playing as a full band. With over $2 billion in total sales worldwide, the game series has made a significant cultural impact, becoming a "cultural phenomenon" and recognizable in the popular culture. The series has been found to influence younger players into learning real instruments, and has found application within the health care industry to help recovering patients.

Both Guitar Hero and Rock Band, a similar series of games developed by Harmonix (who originally developed Guitar Hero), have altered the video game and music industries. For video games, the introduction of Guitar Hero has led rhythm games to become one of the industries' largest growing markets. The series has also sparked the creation of both commercial and independently developed games with similar gameplay mechanics as well as learning tools using a real guitar in place of the controller. Older artists featured in Guitar Hero and Rock Band have experienced a surge in the popularity of their music, and the games have been seen as a way for younger audiences to experience the classic rock songs featured in the games. Newer bands and unsigned artists have also found success by being included in the game. This has led several bands to actively seek placement of their songs within the games. The impact of Guitar Hero on the music industry has caused music publishers to re-evaluate their approach to music licensing and their relationship with the video game industry.

The series' titles became very popular party games, which led them to be played in a variety of locales. In the wake of the series popularity several bars in the United States & Canada began offering "Guitar Hero nights" as an alternative to karaoke; one New York City bar experienced triple the business on such nights. Many concert tours, including the Family Values Tour feature Guitar Hero booths and contests between sets.Guitar Hero is responsible for introducing people to rock music and inspiring them to learn how to play guitar. A study by Youth Music found that 2.5 million out of 12 million children in the United Kingdom have begun learning how to play real instruments after playing music video games such as Guitar Hero; the group believes that these video games can be incorporated into music educational programs. Activision has teamed with the United Service Organizations to provide monetary support and copies of Guitar Hero III to the United States armed forces around the world.

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