News from the gaming industry is proving that veteran rockers like Aerosmith can make a very significant contribution to their bottom line by forging deals with game makers.

A lot of credit has been given to games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band for bolstering interest in classic rock, particularly among the current generation of young people — credit that is most likely well-deserved.

Given the enormous popularity and publicity that this genre of video games has received in recent years, perhaps it should come as no surprise that sales of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith has raked in more revenue for the group than any other individual album they have produced.

In a roundabout way, I suppose this benefits all classic rock fans, since one might presume that the kind of success attained by Aerosmith could inspire other classic acts to consider hopping on the video game band wagon. I think it might be safe to assume that titles with names such as “Guitar Hero: Led Zeppelin” or “Guitar Hero: Rolling Stones” would be met with impressive commercial success for game makers and recording artists alike.

In fact, Activision has announced plans to triple the number of its total released Guitar Hero games and content by 2010, so it looks like we may indeed see game versions like those fictional titles I just mentioned.

Getting back to my reasoning regarding how all classic rock fans may benefit from this phenomenon, more new games means more young people being exposed to more classic rock acts, which provides those groups with additional monetary incentive to keep on creating new music, and touring in front of a new generation of fans. I’m sure some of us from earlier generations will also be there to help pack the venues, but probably be less likely to be seen standing in front of our televisions with a plastic guitar replica slung across our shoulder.

With word from the music industry about the illegal downloading of music, and how they say it is hurting recording artists, this relatively new genre of video games may help some artists recoup those reported losses. It sounds like  a win-win situation, with the possible exception of some parents who may be tiring of the endless renditions of “Dream On” emanating from the living room TV.

For more on this story, see Gamasutra.com.