Dance fever

A popular dance video game tests the coordination of players who score points by performing the right moves.

Dance Dance Revolution is played on a computerized pad with points awarded for dancing on squares that coordinate with the arrows on the TV screen. It's a good way to get exercise, but coordination is the key word when considering game mastery.

Once players turn the game on, the TV screen will display a song list for players to choose from. Then a level must be selected. The beginner mode has a mat on the screen showing players where to place their feet by means of lighted arrows. Basic steps include forward, backward, left, right and jumping on both feet. Increased repetitions and speed, determined by beat, will take players to various levels. While the music plays, DJs motivate or can even kick players off depending on how many steps they've landed on successfully when considering time and correct step movements.

DDR players at New McKendree United Methodist Church's "The Flame" -- the name for the two 25-minute lunch periods that are available for Jackson High School students on Wednesday where they can get food for $3 and play DDR -- listen to music while a stage-like area is set up for anyone viewing the dancers. Entertainment varies from solo dancers on one or two mats, duets and, for those who've mastered the game, more creative freestyling that includes hand and knee dancing where Instead of stepping on their feet dancers do hand stands and land on their knees.

"Dance Dance Revolution" has been released as video games for Sony PlayStation 2 and Xbox. A spinoff game, "Dance, Dance Revolution: Mario Mix," has been released for Nintendo GameCube.

Ross Dillard, a junior at Jackson High School, plays during school lunch break at "The Flame" and at "Youth Roundup," a Christian event where attendees do devotions, present joys and concerns, but then there's free time for eating, playing video games and doing DDR. Both "The Flame" and the roundup are sponsored by New McKendree United Methodist Church at Cox Memorial Hall. Dillard doesn't bother eating when he's on lunch.

He said, "DDR is a lot of fun and a real test of your mind if you can keep up with the notes."

Dillard said he lost about 10 or 20 pounds in a year from consistent use but didn't weigh himself -- he just noticed his pants were getting bigger.

Dillard's home DDR Extreme is about a year old. Tearing the thing up with about three hours of use a day resulted in duct tape repairs to the mat, but now he spends most of his time playing it at public venues. "It kind of breaks the stereotype of just girls dancing," he said.

Shane Morris, a Jackson High School junior, who dances on two mats on "heavy" said, "It's just something to do."

But DDR is not just for high schoolers.

Best Buy retail specialist Brad Seidenstricker, 24, started when the store installed a demo game in October. He's noticed more strength in his legs and abdomen and can see how people lose weight doing it. He still plays handheld games but now owns two DDR games for the aerobic effect.

Jim Maevers of Jackson said he had DDR installed when he opened Main Street Lanes in July, 2004.

He said, "I was surprised when some adults called about having the machine in the bowling alley for the exercise factor."

He said he's never really seen adults using it but some children move so fast he wonders how they do it without falling off. "It does have an aerobic affect. They come off breathless and sweating," he said.

Maevers believes the game is not gender specific because his son, who ordinarily would not go to a school dance, plays it.

Tammy Biri of Jackson, mother of two, said, "I have played video games for years, and with all of the violent and evocative video games on the market, it's refreshing and exciting to finally see a game come along that isn't just about killing, something that actually gets gamers up and moving. For those who are not into sports or exercise, DDR is a fun, challenging way to get physical. It gets my sons and their fellow gamers moving when nothing else could."

Her son, Spencer, 11, said, "It's fun, and it gives me exercise." Currently working in the nonstop mode, Spencer's goal is to bring up his stamina. "It goes from song to song with no break in between," he said.

Spencer felt it was popular with his peers. "In our class about 10 other people have it."

Alex Anne Troxel of Jackson said her brother away at college bought it as a family Christmas gift. "Steffan plays it with his friends at college," she said.

Alex Anne said she doesn't pay handheld games at all but likes this because it's more interactive. She plays it with her little sister, and her mother does the workout mode.

cpagano@semissourian.com

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