Ten-year-old Spencer Pannkuk was playing “Guitar Hero” in the food court at the Northbridge Mall Tuesday evening instead of at his home as usual. He was doing his best at the game — playing on the expert level — as his family and friends cheered him on.

Pannkuk was the first competitor in the “Guitar Hero” competition hosted by the Northbridge Mall, Piggy Blues Bar-B-Q and Power 96.

“I think it’s fun,” said his mother, Tina. “I think it’s a good opportunity to get out and do something, since they sit at home and play all the time anyway.”

Three times a week Northbridge Mall will host the “Guitar Hero” competition in the food court until June 29. The contest is open 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays and noon to 3 p.m. Sundays.

“Guitar Hero” is a videogame where music played on a plastic guitar with colored buttons where frets usually are on the neck of the guitar. The colored buttons correspond to colored notes on the TV screen. Strumming the fake strings is also required in the game.

Competitors choose their own songs to play and are working toward their best personal score.

Pannkuk said he got 50,000 more points at Northbridge Mall than he has at home.

All ages are eligible to play, and the cost is $10 for three songs, which can be played all at once or spaced out through the three-week period.

“It’s cool,” Pannkuk said. For his first song he played “Story of My Life” by Social Distortion.

People are allowed to compete an unlimited number of times in order to get one of the top 10 scores. The final competition on July 1 will have the top 10 play, and each will win prizes.

The grand prize is a trophy and 20-inch flat screen TV. Second place gets a $100 mall gift certificate. The third place prize is a choice of four tickets to either the Minnesota Zoo, Adventureland, Noah’s Ark or the Renaissance Festival.

There is a theater pack with movie passes and money for snacks, Pizza Ranch family meal deals and $25 cash from Foto Factory. Each top 10 finisher will get a Power 96 T-shirt, a four-pack of Mountain Dew Amp and a $10 Piggy Blues Barbecue gift certificate.

“We are always looking for anything that’s new, that’s good clean fun, and it’s kind of a fad thing right now,” said Northbridge Mall Marketing Director Pam Folkens.

“We just thought it would be a good thing to bring some people in, to offer something unique and different that we don’t think anyone in our area has done yet.”

The third person to compete, 15-year-old Rob Jacobsen, said he had fun, but it was different playing in front of a crowd.

“The pressure really got to me,” he said.

Jacobsen’s best song is “Stricken” by Disturbed, at which he can hit 505,000 points. Plus, he said he is one of the top “Guitar Hero” online scorers in Minnesota.

“I think it’s awesome,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to compete.”