Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Dance Dance revolution

Have you heard of this? DDR for short. It is a "game" on Play Station. Apparently, in the US of A, the teens are quite a crazy over it. Many of them queue to pay to play it at the arcades. I have seen it in some of the video arcades here, but could be by a different name.

DDR works very much like a karaoke machine, but instead of singing, you have to move with your feet according to the steps indicated by the video. The video specifies which feet and where it is to go, front, back, left or/and right. And all this is done on a mat. You select your own music, as well as the level of difficulty (which goes from beginners, light, medium to heavy). And when you are in rythmn and make the right moves, this is all captured by the mat you are on, and marks are awarded accordingly. At the end, it tells you how you have faired.



My friends, visiting from New York City, bought it for their son as it was found to be quite "aerobic". Their son, C, who is over weight, does not have much opportunities and does not enjoy too much physical exercise. As he had undergone heart surgery previously (to close a hole in his heart), he has been told that he has to control his weight and diet. The doctors dont believe that he is able to lose much weight (genetics, I guess), so exercise is the only way for him.

DDR has proven to be a hit with C. He "works out" and enjoys himself at the same time. They brought this DDR to my place over the weekend and we had an enjoyable time trying to get into the groove. Even hubby, with two left feet, enjoyed it. As marks are awarded, we even competed!! This, I must say, added to the kids enjoyment!(You know how competitive kids are nowadays!!) And when you are having fun, time flies. Before we knew it, we had been at it for more than 4 hours!! All hot and sweaty, but thoroughly enjoyable. And, getting the exercise we need without having to worry about those pesky dengue mosquitoes lurking around outside waiting to feast on us, when we take our evening jog!

Now the problem is I have to go get one for ourselves when they return to New York. We have decided that we need to have an annual DDR event!! And I used to be totally against having a playstation at home.

Note - this is not a sponsored post

8 comments:

bp said...

We haven't started our boys on Playstation... becos I think once we do, there's no turning back!

But yes, we've seen this 'game' at arcades. Your family had so much fun playing it together, it's probably worth getting it!

Victor said...

SAHM - Would you like to have a complimentary copy of the book? (This is not a trick question.) I have enough to spare. Have you read my reply on my blog?

Do you know where to get the DDR locally and how much does it cost? My elder son spends too much time sitting in front of the computer. He twice failed his school fitness test for pull-ups.

eastcoastlife said...

Ooooo... sounds fun! I should get one and start playing with my kids. ^-^

Bkworm said...

Hey, thanks for this great idea! I am trying to get my young lady to lose weight. I think she will like this one coz she likes music and she's into Playstation games too! ;)

By the way, have an 'award' for you. Come over and check it out. :D

KellytheCulinarian said...

I've never played it, but I hear that some students are really into it. I thought it originated in Asia, though. Where I went to university for my undergraduate, they had a DDR arcade game in the student union, but I never saw anyone use it.

stay-at-home mum said...

Hi everyone

Went to check out playstation. there's a new version out Playstation 3 - and you wont believe it, it costs a whopping $799 just for the machine!! Not sure about the DDR cartridge - probably about $50. (my friends paid about US$120 for their playstation 2 and another US$20 for the cartridge). Looks like I will not be buying it for awhile. Maybe u can see us queuing up at the arcades!

stay-at-home mum said...

Hi Kelly
Probably created by the Japanese. I heard that in some schools in the US (not sure which ones my friends mentioned, they are experimenting by introducing it as past of physical education).

stay-at-home mum said...

Hi Kelly
Probably created by the Japanese. I heard that in some schools in the US (not sure which ones my friends mentioned, they are experimenting by introducing it as past of physical education).