by EDWARD SZTUKOWSKI
News Editor

“Click, clack, click, clackity, click, click, clack.”

Those of you living in a residence hall should recognize that sound emanating throughout the hallways. Those of us living in apartments should have faint, bitter memories…Guitar Hero.

If I could type out the noise it makes when you miss a note, trust me, I would.

Guitar Hero 5 was released earlier this month, as many of you are likely aware. I just recently found out myself when one of the top news stories on CNN was about a 12-year-old boy beating the world record for points scored on Guitar Hero.

“I never expected to beat the world record for something that was kind of important,” the young rock star said. “Maybe something really small, but not this big.”

Shoot for the stars kid.

Never mind the fact CNN has this as a top news story; I’m tired of complaining about terrible coverage.

I have a bone to pick with Guitar Hero.

I do not care if people who play Guitar Hero cannot play a real guitar. I do not even really get that upset when people brag about how good they are at it.

No, I hate Guitar Hero for reason far more nerdy—shady business practices.

Each year Activision produces a glorified expansion pack to a game that came out the previous year. The only innovation Guitar Hero experienced was when it copied Rock Band and included a full set of instruments.

Skeptics say each game is completely different, but this is a fan-boy remark that makes me want to beat my head against the wall.

For $100, each re-packaged version of Guitar Hero comes with some new songs and a different type of guitar.

What Activision is doing is scamming people.

Activision Blizzard CEO Robert Kotick is fully aware of the con he publishes each year. “In the last cycle of videogames you spent $50 on a game, played it and took it back to the shop for credit,” Kotick said. “Today, we’ll sell you for $100 a guitar. You might add a microphone or drums, over the life of your ownership you’ll probably buy around 25 additional song packs in digital downloads.

What used to be a $50 sale is a $500 sale today.”

This is what I’m talking about. I grew up around videogames, and you used to buy additional content for games in “expansion packs.”

For $20 you might get five or 10 new levels in a game you paid $45 for. Nowadays you need to repurchase an entire game for what is, essentially, an expansion pack.

No one cares though. Why would you when you can rock out on the couch?

I, myself, will not play the new Guitar Hero. I refuse and wish more people would join me.

Unfortunately, it is hard to find others who feel the same way when they are all playing a four-player game of Guitar Hero.

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