Doing a DDR-related speech for my public speaking class.

[Dark_Angelus]

Hello,

I'm doing a speech on dance dance revolution and I just need some pointers for it. I figured this would be the best place to ask because I hear everyone here is very wealthy in knowledge and friendly. Well the three main points that I would like to convey in my speech are the history of DDR, DDR as a fitness medium, and how to play. Now I'm having a very hard time finding anything on the history of DDR. I have checked various websites and nothing. The other two topics are giving me no troubles but if you would like to say anything about those to help my speech I would be much obliged. I plan on bringing my cobalt flux in...

[__]

DDR was created in 1998 by Konami.

Here's a list of releases:

Arcade Releases

If you want some "cultural" historical data - I can give you a kind of first-account of it, although I started in 2001...

The game for the most part (at that time) was mostly underground and sort of a "cult" favorite. The places you would normally find it were in areas of high diversity (like China Town) - it didn't become more accessible to "mainstream America" until the release of DDR Extreme.

In the area I started playing in, the majority of us had recently attended Otakon in 2001 and by seeing someone play it as a home version (at that time it was a 5th mix home version IIRC), we started asking our local arcade to purchase a machine - so we ended up with a 3rd Mix Korean 2. The amount of people that began showing up to play was absolutely insane. I don't think I remember a single day where nobody was there until I left... and that was in late 2002. After I left, someone told me that a whole new crew had come and they upgraded again.

A common factor among earlier players was a connection to or interest in East Asian works or culture - this went hand-in-hand with the DDR culture since the game was imported from Japan and wasn't "officially" released into the USA. I would say after Extreme started sprouting up in large quantity is when the community started to become more diverse, and interest skyrocketed.

This is just my personal account, and you will get different takes and stories from whom you ask - so this is mine.



N8

[Dark_Angelus]

Thank you very much!! I would love to here other people's accounts on their DDR experience. Also would anyone like to comment on DDR as a fitness medium? Like do any of your schools use DDR in the classroom? Have you personally lost weight playing? And how do you feel about DDR being used as a fitness tool?

[__]

I've been more or less the same weight since I started playing - however I have seen several individuals lose weight (some > 40 lbs) by playing DDR and ITG.

As far as being a fitness medium, it has the same fitness potential as running or dancing. It's not as dynamic as dance, but it is more involved, as far as cardio is concerned, than dance - this is why it enables players who are committed to it to lose weight.

Individuals who choose to not use the bar gain the benefit of full-body movement, so the abs get twisted and turned from doing movements such as crossovers. If a player chooses to bend down to hit hands (in ITG play for example) they gain the benefit of dynamic extension and flexing equivalent to picking up a football and running a play.

Since the game involves thought - the mind gets significant exercise as well. The player must be able to generalize and process information at quicker and quicker speeds as the game's difficulty increases. I would argue that this effect improves processing capacity and could possibly help individuals with mental/developmental disabilities (such as down syndrome, tic disorders, Tourettes, amnesia, and Alzheimer's disease).

I would love to conduct a study to see if stimulation from playing this game can produce conclusive results on the mental side...

When competition is brought into the equation, it allows individuals to gain a taste of it and form friendships as well as challenge each other.

[Dark_Angelus]

Thank you again for the comments. I'm really going to have some fun writing up how to play to a bunch of beginners.

[PureBlue]

I might as well add some of my experiences. I started playing DDR around April 2003, about 4 months after DDR Extreme came out. The arcade I used to play DDR was one of the first places in my area to get DDR Extreme and was located in a mall not far from downtown Albany, New York, which basically means there was a pretty substantial amount of diversity among DDR players. It wasn't just something that Asians played, despite the stereotype. I noticed that the popularity (at least in my area) was rising steadily from when I started playing and reaching its peak around the summer of 2004. It started to decrease slowly at the end of 2004, and eventually reached the point where I was one of the only regular players. Then again, I also stopped playing for a year and a half in 2005, so it might have started decreasing later than I thought. I didn't play a single game until January 2007, and what that means is that even when you give it up you'll probably end up going back to it eventually.

About the whole fitness thing, some people lose weight playing it, some don't. I fall into the latter category, but I also have bad eating habits so that's probably why I'm not losing weight One of the things I did notice is that my coordination got MUCH better. I used to be horribly uncoordinated, but once I started playing DDR, it got much better.

[Haoie]

I've really got to ask: What kind of class let's you do this?

It must be very relaxed.
_________________

Baby getting Higher, we're getting Higher
Open up your eyes, everyday is a surprise
You are the one, baby the only one
Tonight

[Dark_Angelus]

My public speaking class. I threw her the topic and I was actually kind of shocked that she approved it. Not only that, but she's excited about it.

[__]

It's the power of the dance game phenomenon.

Show her a video!

[Suko]

I wrote this as a blog on day, so I'll just copy+paste it for your benefit here:

The DDR Diet

I go by the tag Suko. I'm 26 years old and have been playing DDR since August of 2002.

In summary, before I started playing DDR, I was 6'7" tall and approximately 260-270 lbs. I am now the same height, but I now weigh 220 lbs. I can say with great certainty that DDR has been a major factor in my weight loss.

When I first began playing DDR, I was already into a wide assortment of video games, but none of them where rhythm-based or physically exerting like DDR. I knew vaguely about DDR from seeing it at arcades or game stores, but hadn't even thought of trying such a stupid looking game. I probably never would have touched the game if it wasn't for one evening, when I heard some very catchy music on an internet radio station that I was listening to. The song was Nori Nori Nori and it was from DDR Max. Soon I had found a few of the more popular songs from the DDR series; Captain Jack, Butterfly, Rhythm and Police and So Deep just to name a few. I loved the music from this game. I liked it so much that I actually told myself "Ya'know, the next time I go to the arcade, I should try to play it. See how it works".

Within a few weeks I had my first chance to live up to my words. My friend and I were at the local arcade and there was a DDR Max machine with no one on it. We went up, plunked our quarters in, and played our first song (Nori Nori Nori of course). We barely scraped by on light mode. We then played two more songs, and eventually passed the set. The scores were atrocious, but damn if we didn't have a good time acting like a bunch of dorks. But something else happened. I can't say what specifically about the game grabbed my attention, but something must have happened that day. Within a month I had bought DDR Ultramix and a foam pad to play DDR at home on my PS2. Both my brother and I played the game for hours a day. At first we could barely pass the easiest of the songs, but over the following months we got up to Maniac mode (it's called Heavy mode now) and bought the new PS2 version of DDR Max when it came out.

I found myself becoming more and more of a regular at the arcade, coming in once, twice, three times a week to play. Not just to get better, it was something else. They say that excercise is addicting, and I could never understand that until this point in time. It's true though, I was addicted to exercise. But, it didn't feel like exercise. Excercise was boring and wasn't supposed to be enjoyable. This was the exact opposite, it was fun.

In the following months my body didn't drop a significant amount of weight, but what I did notice was how much better I felt. I could breathe easier, not get winded as easily, and I noticed my joints and limbs seemed to not ache. However, DDR alone wasn't helping me drop too many of my extra pounds. My problem was no longer about a lack of exercise. Now I was getting more exercise than I had ever previously done in my whole life. At first you start off slow. Playing on the lower difficulties is like walking for exercise. It's better than nothing, but you don't really feel the burn until you start playing the 8 and 9 step songs on Maniac/Heavy mode. At this point I noticed myself dropping 5-8 pounds. However, despite how much I played and how good I got at DDR, I was still rather overweight. I had a sweet tooth (I still do) and I now realize that I was eating close to 2x the amount of calories a person like myself should be taking in. Despite the additional exercise DDR introduced to my life, it couldn't completely nullify my poor diet.

After about 4 years after I started playing DDR, I was healthiest I had ever been, even if I was still slightly overweight. At doctors visits I would be told that my blood pressure is better than the national average and that my cholesterol was low. It is at this point in my life that I lost a serious amount of weight. In 2006 a friend of mine lost over 35 lbs simply by changing his diet. He had the shape of a pear and now he looks like a very healthy man. Seeing this inspired me to achieve similar results. I'm not a complicated man, so I went with the simplest method that worked for my friend. I simply started counting the calories in everything I ate. My goal was to keep my intake below 2200, which for a 6'7" man is considered the bare minimum for a completely sedentary lifestyle. I wasn't "sedentary", but I knew that if I wanted to lose weight, that was the goal I'd have to set for myself.

At first it was extraordinarily difficult. I had been consuming anywhere from 2800 to 3600 calories a day, and cutting that down to 2200 or lower wasn't easy. Cravings were constant and the urges to get the "extra side of fries" with a meal were almost unbearable. However, after only two weeks of calorie counting, I started noticing a difference. I started shedding about 1-2 pounds each week. By watching what I ate, and continuing to play DDR on Heavy mode on a regular basis, I was finally losing some serious pounds. After about 4 months I had dropped 4 waste sizes, lost 40+ lbs, and have felt better than any previous time in my whole life. While my diet may lapse sometimes, as long as I kept up the exercise, it made it very difficult to pack the pounds back on.

It has now been 6 years since I started playing DDR. I am now considered one of the best players in my region; we've formed clubs and groups, and have our own community of regular players. In the time that I have played DDR, I have to give the game credit for a lot that has happened to me. It has made me health conscious, active, and energetic. But along with the health aspects of DDR, I must also say that the game is a great social catalyst as well. I have come to make some great friends through the game through competitions, gatherings, clubs, or just meeting at the arcade. Having a place to hang out and a common hobby to participate in with friends is an enjoyment.

Dance Dance Revolution is a great game that does a lot for those who play it; you can experience new genres of music, a way to stay active and healthy, and it is a great way to make friends. The only regret I have about Dance Dance Revolution is that I didn't start playing sooner.
_________________

"Arcades have gone away but the culture is not gone."

DDRecall | Groovestats | Beatspace | UI Bemani Club | Suko's Shirt Shack

[Slayer³]

Good luck with your speech.

I have been playing since some time in 2001. I am 25 years old. I usually play expert/heavy doubles DDR/ITG. I find that game style more enjoyable to play. I consider myself a better than average player but not tournament quality. (I do not have the time or close enough machines to increase accuracy, but I can pass the more difficult songs, PSMO, Energizer, etc.)

DDR/ITG is awesome because it is a fun healthy game. It gives you a great work out, but is entertaining at the same time. One of the best aspects of the game is it is inherently non-competitive (but can be). It is you against yourself. You get a sense of accomplishment when you finally pass a song you once thought impossible.

I have found DDR to be an excellent exercise for your foot and leg muscles. It is good for training your lungs as well. I do a lot of running and DDR has helped me achieve several of my running goals. (To date, I have completed 2 marathons).

Many times I have used DDR as a 15-20 minute warm up exercise prior to heading out for a run.

During your speech you could touch base on the old bar vs no-bar debate. It is no longer an issue, but when people first began using the bar many considered it cheating. (lots of flame wars and heated debates back in the day) (somewhat related to this, in PIU [pump it up] using the bar is illegal for their national tournament and makes certain turn patterns impossible without quick-jump turning] . Today most people use the bar to pass challenging songs or score well, especially during a PA (perfect attack) tournament.

Good luck hope you get an A.

[DAVE101]

[Suko]

Yeah, I meant konamix.
_________________

"Arcades have gone away but the culture is not gone."

DDRecall | Groovestats | Beatspace | UI Bemani Club | Suko's Shirt Shack

[Haoie]

I'll buck the trend: Casual player here. My ex got me into it, and I've been playing actively [minimum 2 sessions a week] for about 2 years. Only in the arcades though.

Heck, I don't even have a dancepad at home!!

Been recently getting into learning some step patterns with Stepmania.
_________________

Baby getting Higher, we're getting Higher
Open up your eyes, everyday is a surprise
You are the one, baby the only one
Tonight

[rddr]

[PMG]

Man, I haven't been here in ages and I see this thread.

I don't know if this is already done and over with but regarding weight loss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yXoBTOpbL0

Yes it's me.
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