Video Games in Gym Class - DDR 101?

Saige writes: "When I was in school, gym class was basketball, running laps, and icky locker rooms. Today, kids get to play video games - and get credit for them! No, it is not as bad as it seems. Apparently, someone has become clued in that Dance Dance Revolution promotes physical activity, and a school in California is making use of that. Can I go back and retake gym?"

Comments

ddrfreak

[Apreche]

Just to be informative ;-) If you don't know what DDR is, it's a Japanese Game in Konami's Bemani Series. Bemani games are games that usually involve music and some sort of strange peripheral. Others include Beatmania (turntable) and paraparaparadise (hand sensors). DDR is probably the most popular one and is now on it's 7th mix. I'm really surprised this made Slashdot today. I just read it on www.ddrfreak.com 10 minutes ago.

When I first saw ddr I said "That's the stupidest thing I've ever seen". Then I danced. Don't be afraid to play this game. Just go to the arcade and do it.

Re:Play Samba De Amigo - much, much better.

[-brazil-]

The arcade version has a solid metal "dancefloor", while the mats would probably break once every week or so under this heavy usage.

Fast DDR background

[Wingchild]

DDR is an excellent dancing game produced by Konami, longtime makers of Contra and Castlevania. It's a craze that started out in Japan and has since migrated stateside.

The principles are easy; you pick a dance track to listen to, and as the song plays, steps scroll up from the bottom of the screen. Your controller is actually a gigantic platform with four directional arrows on it, which you step on in time to the music. All you have to do is match the right arrow to the one scrolling by on screen. Easy, right? I mean, come on, we've all got incredible hand/eye coordination due to all our years of video gaming! No problem.

..heh. The game's physically intense and a great workout, in addition to being far more fun than it has any right to be.

Here's the mandatory link to DDR Freak, which has some basic information on the game. And for the Python friendly out there, check out pyDDR, a DDR clone for Python.

Re:Other games...

[Anonymous Coward]

the one where you bust the balloons with your flying bicycle? that is hell on the legs. it's called prop-cycle, also by namco.

ddr has things going for it that that game doesn't though.
* appeals to both guys and gals. (where prop-cycle probably doesn't appeal as much to girls).
* easy to control workout/difficulty level, ie. progressive.
* the music helps take your mind off the "exercise".
* two-player.
* mastery of ddr footwork probably gives some sense of achievement greater than peddling a bicycle endlessly steering it to pop balloons.
* i would venture to say that ddr is more "fun".

Re:Didn't your mother teach YOU anything?

[Anonymous Coward]

Go buy a copy today. They released it on DVD about a week ago (got my copy through amazon... 11.99 or something...)

I'd rather dance with a girl than a TV

[Anonymous Coward]

A dance video game? Okay, fine if you intend to spend the rest of your life alone in front of the TV. But really, every geek guy should give ballroom dancing a try. Consider:

• It's highly technical, with lots of physics, geometry, and rules to worry about

• Stuff that looks really cool can be broken down into simple pieces that are easy to learn

• Girls are involved

• They really appreciate a guy who studies and masters the details

Check out some of the following sites: http://ballroom.mit.edu http://www.usabda.org http://www.ballroomdancers.com