Dance Dance Revolution

The hard thumping beats of techno music blare out as senior Luis Aguilera takes his place on the metallic floor. His feet begin to dart about with manic swiftness, appearing and reappearing on all sides of his body in time to the pulsing of lights embedded in the ground. He continues swinging his arms and legs with the precision of a veteran dancer until, suddenly, he stops, panting with effort—game over. Aguilera has just finished his last song of the afternoon in the popular arcade game Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) at City Place Mall.
Shaking up the common perception of videogames as sloth-inducing, DDR has exploded from its birthplace in Japan and into homes and living rooms around the world. According to Konami, the developer and publisher of DDR, approximately 6.5 million copies of the game have been sold worldwide, in addition to the thousands of arcade machines that draw new players every day.

Jumpin' in

The revolutionary game owes most of its popularity to its unique and entertaining interface. Instead of using their hands to manipulate a controller, as in most videogames, DDR players use their feet to press on four pressure-sensitive buttons built into a special floor pad.
The rules of the game are deceptively simple. The screen displays four directional arrows at the top which correspond to the four arrows on the dance pad. After players choose a song, arrows scroll up from the bottom of the screen. When a directional arrow lines up with its matching arrow at the top of the screen, the player presses the corresponding arrow on the pad. Good performances are based on accuracy, timing and how long players can go without missing a step. If the player misses too many steps, the game ends.
This basic arrangement can set the stage for stylish performances such as Aguilera's or for the cacophony of arms and legs often seen with first-timers and the rhythmically challenged. "It looks really easy, but it's very complicated trying to find the arrows and moving your feet at the same time," says senior Sai Corbello, an experienced DDR player. "When I played it in the arcades for the first time, I wasted a couple of bucks," she recalls. "But it takes a few tries to get good enough to have fun with it."
Besides the intimidating learning curve and the financial investment, embarrassment is probably the largest factor keeping most people from trying DDR. But senior Sam Wen, who has been playing DDR for nearly five years, believes more people should just swallow their fear and give the game a try. "Once they get over the embarrassment of flailing arms and strange poses, they will enjoy it," he assures.

Customers of the craze

Many people seem to be taking Wen's advice, as DDR continues to increase in popularity. The DDR machine has been the top-grossing game for several months at Time Out, an arcade in City Place Mall, says store attendant Terence Sims. "Someone will be doing their thing on the game and sometimes there'll be a crowd behind them," says Sims. "A lot of people stand outside watching through the glass, and then maybe a few of them try it out for the first time."
Large-scale tournaments focused completely around the game show the importance of the performance aspect of DDR's appeal. Aguilera entered a few DDR tournaments and was shocked by the skill of the other players. "Some of those people are maniacs," he exclaims.
Many contestants create their own original dances and perform elaborate routines without even looking at the screen. "It's basically like they're performing in a real dance contest, but they're also still tapping along to the game," says Wen. "These people aren't just video game nerds, they're cool video game nerds."
DDR players are not easily categorized. Fans of the game span a wide variety of ages, genders and tastes.

For love of the game

As it becomes more mainstream in the U.S., new releases of DDR are adding more licensed music to its already massive repertoire of original tracks. Songs like "Heaven" by DJ Sammy and "Love at First Sight" by Kylie Minogue are just a few of the big names that help to attract music fans and casual players to the game.
For other fans, the game's hook may lie in the aerobics performed during each play. Sims knows of a few people who come to play DDR on a regular basis. "We definitely have our regulars," he says. "Some of them say they like the workout." In fact, there is a workout mode in the home version of the game that even tracks the number of calories burned with each song.
Whether players are brushing up on their real-life dance skills, keeping in shape, enjoying the hit music or supporting charity, as a 17-year-old in Oregon did while setting a Guinness world record by playing DDR for 37 straight hours, according to online newspaper Bend.com, DDR has surprised critics and fans alike with its unusual premise and widespread appeal. Wen knows the phenomenon is one of a kind. "It's probably the strangest fad that everyone can enjoy," he says.