No Old Time Rock and Roll: Gendered History in Guitar Hero and The Beatles Rock Band

In this article, I situate Guitar Hero and Rock Band within the history of the electric guitar. I argue that by reframing a cultural icon, the two games challenge hero worship through humor while simultaneously participating in a problematic celebration of rock masculinity. The massive popularity of the games in the years between 2005 and 2009 came at a moment of cultural change when the electric guitar had become much less prominent; drawing on notions of nostalgia and liveness, the games signify a slight return to rock guitar domination.