Freshman Ziran Shang (right) activates his "star power" against freshman Miles Ross as junior Malcolm Taylor watches. Gargoyle photos by Danny Ge. (Click to create a slideshow)

Ross (right) watches fellow Shang (background) and Taylor. (Click to create a slideshow)

Taylor (left) plays against Shang. (Click to create a slideshow)

DURING EIGHTH HOUR on Tuesday, Feb. 19, I walked through the tranquil third-floor hallway. Nobody could be seen across the entire hall and not a sound could be heard as I made my way to the other end.

I was ready for an uneventful end to the first day of Agora Week and looking forward to catching up on some well-deserved sleep.

However, the serenity of the hallway was shattered as I opened the door to Room 308, and I was jolted wide awake.

Eight people were crowded around two TVs emitting intricate guitar solos with the occasional twang of a missed note.

These jarring sounds could only come from a “Guitar Hero” game — in particular, “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock” for the PlayStation 2.

Welcome to Guitar Hero class, taught by sophomore Nile Hamer and freshmen Miles Eben Ross, Ziran Shang, and Warren Skoza.

Though we were playing the latest installment on the first day, we spent the week playing other games in the franchise, including the original “Guitar Hero,” “Guitar Hero II,” and “Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s.” All games were the PlayStation 2 versions.

One of the best parts about the “Guitar Hero” games is how fun it is to play with other people.

Whether it is lighthearted fun or something more competitive in nature, playing through a song is always fun with others around. This class provided a casual atmosphere where we could all have fun. There wasn’t much structure; you just had wait until someone was done with a song and take his controller.

I went into the class without much experience with “Guitar Hero,” having not owned the game myself; but I have played it many times at my friends’ houses.

While pressing buttons in rhythm to music seems easy enough, the TV screen can get pretty crowded with tons of notes.

On the first day, just about everybody tried to play “Through the Fire and Flames,” which is one of the hardest and longest songs in “Guitar Hero III,” lasting around eight minutes. I played it with Hamer on the Hard difficulty level. Nile gave up halfway through the song because his hands hurt. Yes, “Guitar Hero” is pretty intense.

During the last two days, we went retro and mostly played the original “Guitar Hero.” It was surprising to see how much harder the game had gotten progressively with each new installment.

This was a relief to me and a few other people who normally played on Medium difficulty — namely, Karen Han, Jeremy Kemball, and Paul Miller. Then there were the people who found it too easy — Ziran, Miles, Warren, and Nile, as well as Noel Knox and Malcolm Taylor.

The many people playing in the class made for a great atmosphere. Whether they were showing off their chops or just getting into the groove, the students thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

“Guitar Hero” a game that truly shines, which made the class one of the highlights of my Agora Week.