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Gaming Sets Hopes on Teenage 'Guitar Hero' Whiz

Guinness record holder is unsure about celebrity; 'I just play video games'

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 9, 2008 2:33 PM CDT

(Newser) – The video game industry is ready for its closeup, and a shy Minnesota teenager just might provide the face. Chris Chike, 17, is a wizard on "Guitar Hero" who has millions of online fans, a world title, a growing list of endorsements, and even a few marriage proposals, the New York Times notes. Industry leaders hope he can be gaming's version of skateboarder Tony Hawke, who took a fringe sport mainstream.

“We need that lightning-in-a bottle moment,” said one gaming executive. "We're not there yet, but it's starting to happen." The trick is to shake the perception that gaming is the domain of nerdy 13-year-olds. Having the handsome Chike out front could help, not that he's thrilled with the spotlight. He cringes when friends introduce as the world's top "Guitar Hero" player. "That’s not what I want to first tell people when I meet them."

[Images (5)]

[Videos (2)]

An offscreen Chike makes his record-breaking attempt. (YouTube)

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates plays on an XBox 360 Guitar Hero III controller. (AP Photo)

The Guitar Hero III video game set. (AP Photo)

The Guitar Hero controller. (AP Photo)

Chris Chike demonstrates his guitar skills. (Christine Lockerby, nyunews.com)

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Teenager Chris Chike is the top-ranked Guitar Hero in the world. (YouTube)

Chike's performance of "Through the Fire and Flames." (iamchris4life)

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Gaming Sets Hopes on Teenage 'Guitar Hero' Whiz