Jumping around while playing the video game Guitar Hero with her boyfriend and friends is a usual pastime for Jane Teeple.

"I started playing about a year and a half ago," Teeple (senior-religious studies) said. "It's really fun to play the guitar and just go crazy."

Teeple had not heard many of the songs on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock so, aficionado of the game that she is, she downloaded some of the new tunes.

She's not alone. Video games are renewing interest in old bands, allowing new bands to break through, and are a way to boost music sales, said Patrick Trimble, professor of integrative arts.

"Anything that gives people access to new music, I think is good," Trimble added.

One of those "old bands" that is prospecting the potential video game goldmine is Aerosmith. The aging musicians have paired with the makers of Guitar Hero to create their own version of the game, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, which will follow the band's career.

Armchair rockers can join the band, rocking out at shows as disparate as their first gig at Nipmuc Regional High School in 1970 and their Super Bowl halftime show in 2001, according to USA Today. Players start out as Joe Perry and can later unlock guitarist Brad Whitford and bassist Tom Hamilton, the New York Daily News reported.

The video game is set to be released in June for Xbox 360, Playstation 2 and 3 and Wii. According to USA Today, Aerosmith also said some day they might release new songs through the game.

The partnership between music and video games is a logical one, said C. Michael Elavsky, professor of film-video and media studies. He said it introduces music to an audience that otherwise might not hear it.

"It has increasingly become another form of revenue for musicians," Elavsky said. "It is one of the most promising and lucrative options."

The popularity of the video game/music link can be seen in the Guitar Hero playlist available on music downloading service iTunes and in the way the Guitar Hero game influences online music sales.

According to USA Today, Guitar Hero III songs tracked by industry measure Neilson SoundScan had an increase in digital download sales for the week ending Dec. 30.

Aerosmith's online sales for the song "Same Old Song and Dance," which was on the game, increased from 375 to 2,041 copies that week.

Teeple said that for a band such as Aerosmith, being featured in a video game might not increase exposure so much as just being a welcome addition for Guitar Hero fanatics.

"Most people who play [Guitar Hero] know Aerosmith, so I think only lesser-known bands actually get exposure," she added.

In order for many older bands like Aerosmith to maintain their status, Trimble said, they are trying to reach new audiences.

"Aerosmith was a mega-band and has faced a decline in younger audiences," he said. Lending their support to an-Aerosmith game, he said, "is an act of desperation in order to stay on top."

Because online downloading has shaken the music industry, video games are another medium through which bands can make money, Elavsky said.

"CDs are not going to be money makers," he added, "Downloading is killing [the industry]."

Though releasing songs through games is a good way to tap into new audiences, he added that it could compromise the sound quality of the music.

Elavsky also said the music only acts as an enhancement to the video game. Similar to celebrity endorsements, the music is automatically associated with a product, he said.

"It acts as social wallpaper, enhancing what the other thing is and not the music itself." Elavsky added.

Unlike other video games that license bands for a soundtrack, Guitar Hero is more active in focusing on the music itself, Elavsky said.

"At least Guitar Hero celebrates the music, as opposed to World of Warcraft or one of those games," he said.

Regardless, Trimble said the new game was a good way for guitar gods like Perry, Whitford and Hamilton to make more money.

"I can imagine guys going out and buying combo packs and playing the games together," he said.