Guitar Heroines: Popular rock 'n' roll game hooks grown women

Tami Amati admits that sometimes, after she drops her two boys off at school, she comes home and plays the video game "Guitar Hero" ... for hours.

"I can play by myself then," said the 36-year-old stay-at-home mom from Woodstock. "I don't have to share."

Fourth-grade teacher Anni Whitaker, 29, of Roselle, lined up at Best Buy at midnight on a school night to buy the new "Guitar Hero III" -- for herself.

Whitaker, who is expecting a baby, recently had a pregnant friend over. They balanced the video game's plastic guitars on their protruding bellies and jammed to the game's ZZ Top and Guns 'N Roses songs.

And mom Kelly Boston, 35, of Palatine, bought "Guitar Hero Rocks the 80s," wrapped it and put it under her Christmas tree with a "To Mom, From Santa" tag on it.

Until recently, video games were largely the domain of grade-school boys, teens and grown techno-geek guys. But "Guitar Hero" is attracting an unlikely fan base: adult women.

Teachers, business executives, PTA moms and even Fox Chicago TV news anchor Nancy Loo are among the women who look normal on the outside but can rock you like a hurricane inside their living rooms.

Loo's children even nicknamed her "Mom Jovi."

Most Guitar Heroines say they've never had interest in video games before, but something about this game makes them jam until the wee hours -- or until their hands cramp up.

"You'd look at me and say, 'She's somebody's mom.' But I love jamming on fake guitars," said Chrissy Compton, 39, a Gurnee business analyst who sometimes plays so much that she sees the game's colored dots in her sleep.

"I actually set goals for myself on 'Guitar Hero,'" she said, laughing. "Isn't that sad?"

1 billion games sold

Since it debuted in late 2005, "Guitar Hero" has become the fastest-selling video game ever.

Last month, sales topped $1 billion.

In 2005, women accounted for only a single-digit percentage of sales. Now, that number is between 30 percent and 35 percent, said Dusty Welch, head of publishing for Red Octane, a division of Activision.

The game works like this: A familiar rock song plays while colored dots representing notes appear on the screen. The player, holding a guitar, tries to push the correlating colored buttons.

Success results in high points, a roaring crowd and a "You rock!" message on the screen. A poor performance leads the crowd to boo and the song to end prematurely.

No music-reading knowledge or guitar-playing skills are necessary -- just good hand-eye coordination, and, of course, a desire to rock the house.

As you get better, you unlock more songs, which keeps players motivated -- and up half the night.

"Sometimes my leg cramps up because it's been up (on the ottoman) for so long," Compton said. "Or my left thumb hurts for days because I've played so much."

Rock to the doc

"Guitar Hero"-related injuries like Compton's are not unusual, and some adults who clock too much playing time end up in the doctor's office.

In the past six months, at least a few dozen adults -- both men and women -- have sought care for their "Guitar Hero" injuries from orthopedic surgeon Dr. Leon Benson, chief of hand surgery at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare.

"(The adult patients) are all very sheepish about admitting how their injury happened," Benson said, "but I know the 'Guitar Hero' people when I see them."

The repetitive movements on the child-sized guitar can lead adults to develop severe hand cramps and elbow soreness. Typically diagnosed as tendonitis -- a condition that can be as painful as "sticking an ice pick in your arm," Benson says -- "Guitar Hero" injuries can be treated with ibuprofen, or at most, a Cortisone shot.

Benson said he's actually had to tell 40-year-olds not to play "Guitar Hero" so much.

"I say, 'Set a timer and make sure there's a responsible adult in the room,' and they laugh because they're 45 years old," he said.

Female fanatics are willing to deal with injuries to reap the benefits: relationship-building, escapism, exercise and stress relief.

Loo finds Hero a great way to bond with her kids, and the shared interest helps Whitaker connect with her students at Fox Ridge Elementary School in St. Charles.

The ability to play earns women instant credibility in male and kid circles, although, it can lead to "It's my turn!" fights.

"My son said, 'Mom, 'Guitar Hero' is for kids.' And I said, 'No it isn't. It's for anybody,'" said Boston, who, when asked if her name was spelled like the city, she said, "No, like the rock band."

The real reason most women love "Guitar Hero," though, is that it's a fun break from work and life stresses. It's even inspired Compton to consider real guitar lessons.

Some see it as a form of indoor exercise.

"I've broken a sweat playing. That's for sure," Whitaker said. "This competitiveness just comes out in me, and that's not normally me at all."

The new karaoke?

"Guitar Hero" is so popular now that tournaments are held as school fundraisers (the PTA's idea, or the kids'?) and adults can play at many local bars.

"It's the karaoke of the '00s," said Scott Stanley, manager of Mullen's Bar & Grill in Lisle, where they recently started hosting weekly "Guitar Hero" tournaments on Monday nights. "Each week it's going to get bigger."

Company officials credit the game's appeal to three things: It's easy to play but challenging to master; the controller (the guitar) is familiar and easy to use; and the music has a broad-base appeal -- it's not just geared toward their core 18- to 24-year-old male crowd.

The game's songs have proven to be beloved by all: Two weeks after "Guitar Hero III" came out, all of the songs on it were ranked on iTunes' top downloads, Welch said.

Red Octane officials won't divulge what new "Guitar Hero" products they're working on, but Welch confirms they are "actively pursuing multiple areas of expansion."

Record companies are also clamoring to get their old and new artists on future releases, Welch added.

In the meantime, local rock goddesses will have to make do with the current song line-ups.

"I can't wait until Wii comes out with a second guitar," Compton said. "Then my husband will be able to play."