Coming home from a long day of classes Jake Meyer, Parkville, Mo., senior, wants nothing more than to just relax. While some might do this by simply watching television, Meyer prefers to be involved in his entertainment. A self-proclaimed “gamer” since the age of five, Meyer owns five game consoles including his most recent addition, a Nintendo Wii.

“The Wii is unlike anything else. It is changing the game industry with its new controller. This makes games you play much more interactive,” says Meyer, who averages 20 hours a week playing video games.

Meyer enjoys playing a variety of games, especially those with interesting storylines. He thinks it is important to keep up with the new games in the industry and enjoys renting games to test his interest in them. Although Meyer is aware of the increasing Guitar Hero trend, he has not been interested in the game until discovering recently that the game’s new version will be Wii compatible for the first time.

On October 28 Activision will release Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. The new game will be available for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii consoles. A new wireless Gibson Les Paul guitar will also be available.

Best Buy has started a national presale for the upcoming release. Although Best Buy cannot announce pre-sale numbers it can discuss its expectations for the game.

“Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is one of the more anticipated titles of the year. We think Guitar Hero will be one of the biggest video games that will launch this year,” Best Buy spokesperson, Brian Lucas, said.

Local stores are preparing for the release as well. Game Stop, previously known as EB Games, is also conducting a presale for Guitar Hero III.

“We’ve already sold about 50 games. We’re expecting it to sell out quickly once we get our shipment in. The only way to ensure owning a game is to reserve a copy now,” Nick Hodgkin, Assistant Manager, said.

Guitar Hero isn’t the only thing increasing Game Stop’s sales. Game Stop is consistently selling out of their shipments of the Nintendo Wii. Hodgkin said Game Stop receives six to eight Wii’s each week and it is likely to only have one left after the first day. He thinks these sales will increase once Guitar Hero III is released.

“The Wii focuses on fun instead of graphics. Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 went for better graphics, but Nintendo went for playability and fun. People associate Guitar Hero with fun, those will go together,” said Hodgkin.

If past Guitar Hero sales are any indication, Best Buy’s and Game Stop’s predictions will be correct. According to the NPD group, which tracks North American Video sales, Guitar Hero II sold 1.3 million in sales in 2006, making it the fifth best selling game in the US last year. MarketWatch.com said Guitar Hero accounted for about 30 percent of Activision’s revenue in the recent quarter. These sales have increased Activision’s revenue more than 160 percent to $495.5 million from $188.1 million, according to MarketWatch analysts.

Students at KU are adding to the sales of Guitar Hero. Matt Green, St. Louis, Mo., senior, says one reason for the increase in sales is the close partnership with industries outside of video games.

“This game has partnered with the music industry. They had to get rights to the song, rights to the Gibson model of guitar. Within the game you can get new strings and get sponsored by different music affiliates. The entertainment industry has become more intertwined,” said Green.

Ben Whitsitt, Westwood Hills, sophomore, wasn’t initially excited about Guitar Hero but now plays the game regularly. Whitsitt said he usually sticks to sports video games but after seeing a friend play Guitar Hero he thought it looked awesome.

“I bought the game on a whim and it turned out to be a great buy! Everyone now comes over to play it. The instant gratification you get from playing a really hard, awesome guitar song by just pressing a few buttons is great. It’s really cool to hear yourself,” Whitsitt said.

Green is looking forward to the release of Guitar Hero III and has been impressed with the diverse nature of the game so far. He said Guitar Hero is making games more appealing.

“I love the fact that my 50 year-old mom can play it and so can my little sister who’s 12. You get the whole spectrum of people. It’s much more feasible for everyone to play,” said Green. “It’s like the Simon Says game where you just press the button when it’s lit up. Guitar Hero is bringing back traditional style games while letting you rock.”