Guitar Hero: Rockin' America Since 2005

How many rock stars do you hang out with?

In 2005, the guy I was dating became one. Pretty soon, I was living the life of a rock star's girlfriend. We'd hang out with other rockers in their homes. He would practice a ton and drink even more. It quickly consumed him. He didn't want to go out. He didn't want to do anything except play his guitar in front of thousands of screaming fans.

The worst part is – my so-called boyfriend couldn't even play guitar. No, he wasn't delusional. Just like millions of others, my boyfriend was obsessed with Guitar Hero.

And he wasn't alone, Guitar Hero was an instant hit despite not getting much publicity. Who knew that a simple plastic guitar and colored dots on a screen would be so popular and could make people feel so cool?

It's no surprise that its successors, Guitar Hero II and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and even more popular than the original game. People who played the game at their friends' houses went out and bought their own game, creating a domino effect in the videogame world. Guitar Hero III brought in $115 million in the first week of sales. That means that nearly 1.4 million Guitar Hero bundle sets (complete with guitar and game) were sold to Playstation 2 and 3, Nintendo Wii, and Xbox 360 owners.

The game does more than just up the revenue of its publishers. The bands whose songs are featured in the game have seen an increase in album sales as well. The developers of the game are also finding it easier to get licensing approval from record companies to use popular songs in the Guitar Hero series.

For three years, the Guitar Hero series rocked the living rooms of wanna-be rock stars all over the nation. But this year, it's been replaced by something even better: Rock Band. Now you can live out the fantasy with three of your most hand-eye coordinated friends.

And even people who know how to play real instruments rock out on Rock Bank. Rob Henry, University of Kansas senior and former guitarist for a real band, says, "It's not much like real guitar at all. It's just something fun to do while you drink and pre-party."

So whether you're a sometimes fan or you have delusions of grandeur, just remember – being great at fake guitar does not make you a real guitar hero.