wednesday,may 12,2004
news
the university daily kansan
5A
Dance Dance Revolution finds its niche in Lawrence
By Paige Worthy editor@kansan.com Special to the Kansan
Wildly flashing red and white lights illuminate the room. Frantic, rhythmic feet stomp. Though the scene may resemble a night-club, it is actually just two students playing a fast-paced game of Dance Dance Revolution.
of Dance and Music of DANCE Josh Peters, Leavenworth sophomore, and August Baker, Leavenworth freshman, returned to reality and stepped down, dripping with sweat, from a four-song series on the machine. A small group of their friends tossed out occasional compliments on a spin or a particularly good technique as two new players got into position on the machine.
Dance Dance Revolution started in Japan in 1998 and quickly spread to arcades in the Asian-American communities of California. Over the last few years, the machines have started appearing in bowling alleys and arcades in the Midwest and have steadily gained popularity with video-game enthusiasts.
videogame A home version of the game has also been released for the Sony PlayStation console.
Sony PlayStation
To play the game, players stand on a square pad with four arrow buttons and follow corresponding arrows that fly across the video screen. Players' scores depend on how well they keep in sync with the music's rhythm and how accurate their footfalls are on the dance pad. There are four difficulty levels: beginner, light, standard and heavy. Scores for each song range from AA — best — to complete failure. Better scores can unlock new songs and give players temporary bragging rights.
Chris Perdue, an assistant manager at EB Games, 3140 Iowa St., said the game was at its most popular in Lawrence when Konami released the newest version for Playstation 2 last October.
The Dance Dance Revolution Extreme game is tucked into a dark corner of a small arcade on the first floor of the Kansas Union. Since the machine was installed last semester around fall break, a dedicated group of players has formed. When Christina
Turk said the board was a "genius idea" because the players could provide information to coordinate their schedules and find times to meet in bigger groups. The players also exchange phone numbers, e-mail addresses, screen names and weblog addresses to keep in contact with each other.
Turk, Kansas City, Mo., freshman, met another player in the Union by luck, the two decided to hang a message board on the wall next to the machine to communicate with fellow dancers.
Each member in the group cites different reasons for playing the heart-pumping game, which they refer to as simply "DDR." Erin Darnell, Lawrence freshman, said playing the game was a good confidence-builder that had helped her lose weight and develop a better self-image. Alex Pimental, St. Paul, Minn., junior, used the machine in high school as between-season conditioning for cross-country and track.
"They call us geeks and nerds, but we're some of the most-in-shape geeks around," Pimentel said.
Peters said one of the group's challenges was finding new people to play the lightning-fast steps of the more difficult levels, which can seem intimidating. Turk said overzealous players in the Kansas City area had almost turned her away completely from playing the game when she started.
game when they "They're obsessed; they were arrogant and I was just the lowly beginner," Turk said. "Because of that I said I'd never be serious about the game. DDR is fun and that's what it should be."
Others in the group recalled similar experiences: seasoned "perfect attack" players who "make DDR their life."
Darnell said despite their skill levels and serious game faces, the players were nothing but a group of friends getting together. After playing with so-called elitists in Kansas City, she resolved to include every curious spectator who wanted to play. Turk said the game was more fun with more people a."Anyone can play," Turk said. "DDR is not for a set group of people."
On busy nights, the sounds of feet on the dance pads are overshadowed by the crashes of strikes and spares inside the Jaybow. But after the small group of players leaves the arcade, shy hopeful trickle in to give the game a try.
Another revolution
A different kind of dance revolution occurred May 1 at the Jackpot Saloon and Music Hall, 943 Massachusetts. A dance party has the same name as Konaml's interactive video game, but the two have no other connection.
Meredith Vacek, Lawrence senior, Justin Riley, Fayetteville, Ark., senior, and Mark Hurst, Philadelphia senior, all Lawrence DJs, first planned the event, a "multi-media electro dance party" that stemmed from their collective interest in music, dance and politics.
"Each person can interpret it the way they want," Vacek said. "It's fun to be mysterious."
The event has occurred once a semester for the past two years. Participants are encouraged to wear red and black "uniforms" for a reduced cover charge of $3.
—Paige Worthy
Marc D'Errico, Jaybowl employee, said he had new respect for the players after a few rounds on the machine.
rounds on it.
"Sometimes when we close up at night, we grab some tokens and go play," the Rochester, N.Y., senior, said. "I can't even do the beginner level."
beginning Josh Peters is proof that even a spectator can become a dedicated dancer.
He loves the game just as much as the others and plays just as well; he said dancing has become a sort of addiction.
"I've actually had DDR withdrawal. You know you're bad when you close your eyes and see arrows," he said.
Edited by Stephanie Love
Dance Dance Revolution games play loud music and have bright, flashing lights. According to ddrfreak.com, there are 14 locations in Kansas that have Dance Dance Revolution game machines. The site said Lawrence's only machine was located at Jaybowl on the first floor of the Kansas Union.
Dance Dance Revolution is an arcade-like game from Asia. Players stand on a platform with four arrows: an up, down, left and right. Dancers score points by stomping on the arrow that corresponds with what is shown on the screen.
The Department of English Congratulates the Winners of the 2003-2004 English 101-102 & 200-level Excellence In Writing Awards
Anton Bengtson
Ryan Gehbauer
Emily Henke
Courtney King
Joseph S. Miller Hannah Owens Courtney Schweltzer Molly Thornburgh Monshizadeh
Andrew
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