Guitar Hero's billion-dollar high

[rebirth]

Guitar Hero's billion-dollar high

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January 23, 2008 - 2:08PM
Guitar Hero III has topped the charts.
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The hit video game franchise Guitar Hero has racked up $US1 billion ($A1.15 billion) in sales in North America, its maker, Activision, said today.

The game requires players to press a sequenced series of buttons to replicate great guitar solos from popular rock and pop songs. The software achieved the impressive sales figure by selling more than 14 million copies in a little over two years since it was launched.

The game's latest instalment, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, is now the best-selling single-year video game title of all time, measured in both units and total dollar revenue. Activision quoted figures from research firm NDP Group.

Since Guitar Hero III's launch in October, gamers have also downloaded five million songs, which cost $US6.25 ($A7.20) for a three-song pack or $US2.50 ($A2.90) for individual songs.

"Guitar Hero is one of the biggest brands and one of the most powerful distribution platforms in all of entertainment today," said Activision chief executive Michael Griffith.

"Guitar Hero's popularity with broad audiences is a confirmation that video games have become a true mass medium."

The franchise is now seeing some competition from titles like Rock Band, which lets players take on the roles of drummers, singers and bassists in addition to the traditional guitar god.

Rock Band is due to be released in Australia this year.

DPA

 

[Cat5Messiah]

It's a damn shame that Harmonix was sold to MTV.

MTV doesn't deserve any more money.....because they suck cocks.

 

[Liverslapper]

Yep, and it will continue to grow, activision/harmonix has rockband and you can obviously tell it just continues to expand.


metallica is releasing a single from there new album through Rock Band, it just gets bigger and bigger.

 

[rebirth]

stop using that bad language kid!

 

[Liverslapper]

Penis

 

[Anvil]

What'd he say?

...Metallica is a swear now?

 

[Reverand Joint Smoker]

Fuck Guitar Hero. If the little sunsabitches spent half the time with a real guitar in their hands they might get somewhere. But factoring that most of todays youth has about a half a second of attention span if instant glorification is not rewarded unto them, pretty soon the fuckers will all be plugged into these nintendo whatchyamafuckers like the Borg on Star Trek. My friends 9 year old can't even take a crap with out his nintendo ds and all his friends are about the same.

 

[Liverslapper]

Fuck Guitar Hero. If the little sunsabitches spent half the time with a real guitar in their hands they might get somewhere. But factoring that most of todays youth has about a half a second of attention span if instant glorification is not rewarded unto them, pretty soon the fuckers will all be plugged into these nintendo whatchyamafuckers like the Borg on Star Trek. My friends 9 year old can't even take a crap with out his nintendo ds and all his friends are about the same.

And now guitar hero is influencing kids to pick up a real guitar.

I enjoy the game very much, but as a game, nothing else.

 

[Anvil]

I don't really enjoy the game... it's just a concept that seems to have been around for a very long time. The Guitar.

It's a giant waste to be playing a game for nothing more than simple gratification, that doesn't last. Why not pick up a guitar and learn it, creating a long-lasting skill/hobby?

 

[Det Som Engang Var]

It's a giant waste to be playing a game for nothing more than simple gratification, that doesn't last. Why not pick up a guitar and learn it, creating a long-lasting skill/hobby?

That's always been my take on it. Granted a lot of people do both, but it's still time you could devote to bettering yourself at the real thing. But if you could somehow...play online with a real guitar I'd be all over that.

 

[Liverslapper]

I don't understand why even people begin to compare the two. They are two completely separate things.

Why play Wii Bowling when you could do the real thing?

Why play Wii Baseball when you could do the real thing?

It's kinda like telling someone that loves to play battlefield or CoD, to go do the real thing and join the army...its ridiculous.

Taking a Wii-mote and rolling a bowling ball on a game is nothing like taking a real bowling ball and actually bowling.

Picking up a guitar controller is nothing like picking up a regular guitar, and playing it.

Yeah, i see that you could use that time to better yourself at the guitar, but instead of going out and doing what you enjoy, why not better yourself at playing guitar?

Guitar Hero, IMO is a fun social game, get some beer, take some shots and play it with other people. I think it would be better to drink and jam out with your friends on a real guitar, but its a game; That is what it basically comes down too.

 

[Det Som Engang Var]

You make a good point, sir.

 

[Dead Winter]

I don't understand why even people begin to compare the two. They are two completely separate things.

Why play Wii Bowling when you could do the real thing?

Why play Wii Baseball when you could do the real thing?

It's kinda like telling someone that loves to play battlefield or CoD, to go do the real thing and join the army...its ridiculous.

Taking a Wii-mote and rolling a bowling ball on a game is nothing like taking a real bowling ball and actually bowling.

Picking up a guitar controller is nothing like picking up a regular guitar, and playing it.

Yeah, i see that you could use that time to better yourself at the guitar, but instead of going out and doing what you enjoy, why not better yourself at playing guitar?

Guitar Hero, IMO is a fun social game, get some beer, take some shots and play it with other people. I think it would be better to drink and jam out with your friends on a real guitar, but its a game; That is what it basically comes down too.

I like Guitar Hero, but it's definitely a party game. You can play it alone for a little while, but it really starts to get old if you're by yourself and don't have anyone to play against. When I play it, it makes me want to pick up my real guitar and play.

You are absolutely right.

 

[Cat5Messiah]

As a musician/guitarist, I enjoy playing Guitar Hero. Sure, it's nothing like a real guitar but it's a game.

 

[The_Children_of_Decadence]

As a musician/guitarist, I enjoy playing Guitar Hero. Sure, it's nothing like a real guitar but it's a game.

hi d00d, wazz up?!

 

[Liverslapper]

d00d adz m3 on sexbox live!!! lawlz!!!! cu!

 

[Cat5Messiah]

hi d00d, wazz up?!

Holy shit......Zoli?

Dude, I haven't seen yo around in like, three or four years.

 

[The_Children_of_Decadence]

Holy shit......Zoli?

Dude, I haven't seen yo around in like, three or four years.

Oh, yeah and unfortunatelly i missed here last year in Budapest Nevermore with Chris Broderick... aargh...

 

[deathstrike from hell]

rumor has it the next guitar hero installment will be an aerosmith version.

what a fucking joke.

 

[Liverslapper]

from what i heard, they are gonna be releasing expansion discs (according to IGN) not all aerosmith though.