RedOctane made its mark on the world by selling beefed-up dance pads for Bemani's well-known Dance Dance Revolution series. When they joined with Harmonix in 2002 to release Guitar Hero, they entered a market which was, at that time, dominated by beat matching games made by Bemani, this time using a modified guitar controller and introducing a new game dynamic to the less-popular Guitar Freaks franchise owned by Bemani. It wasn't long before Guitar Hero turned into the runaway hit of the year, and the RedOctane/Harmonix alliance--now part of Activision and MTV, respectively) took over the rhythm games genre.

Like the dance pads which preceded it, the Guitar Hero controller itself is, viscerally, a more profound experience than the original which inspired them. With its catchy mix of enjoyable riffs and classic rock foot-stompers, the music that one might produce through this game (a prerecorded track, although the most recent version will allow you to develop comparisons of your own) was a sheer delight to play and changed its players into virtual rock masters.

It's even enjoyable just holding the controller. One usually plays Guitar Hero in an upright position, and the strap attaches the guitar to you at or near your waistline - higher perhaps if you are very tall. The buttons for the frets are located on the left hand side and are easily reachable by your fingers.

The controller's tactile nature, as well as the immediacy of the game's content, led to its becoming a party game staple, and in a number of karaoke bars, it has replaced that venue's more traditional client-produced entertainment. Due to its far-reaching popularity and more acceptance of the title as a social game, people wish to purchase guitar hero skins in order to personalize and improve the look of their own guitar-shaped controllers.

Much like the purchasing of rockband skins, which has gained popularity recently as a personalizing agent for that well-known game, the Guitar Hero skin is rapidly turning into a party staple, with various players bringing their unique and sometimes custom-made guitar hero skins to employ while they are playing.

The awesome game environment of the Guitar Hero games can be improved even further by purchasing a skin for Guitar Hero controllers. Such personalization can also add to the already impressive social aspects of playing the Guitar Hero series.

When it came out in 2002, guitar hero entered a field dominated by Bemani's games. They improved upon Bemani's Guitar Freaks franchise by introducing a modified guitar control system. The game became massively popular at parties because of the game's contact and the physical nature of the controllers. Similar to the buying of RockBand Skins, which recently gained popularity as a personalizing agent for that popular game. The Guitar Hero Skin is fast becoming a staple at parties, with different players bringing their unique, sometimes custom-made skin for guitar hero to use while playing. The controller itself is fun to hold.