Go ahead and call it exer-gaming -- it's light years beyond your father's PE class.....DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) Lightens Up PE classes and kids too! Recently I was amazed when watching a VH1 show on BEST TOYS ever to find out that the Hula Hoop was the #1 toy according to their judges!. Is it any wonder that this generation is turning to video games as their 'toys' and that one of the most popular is a game called DDR -- Dance Dance Revolution from Konami Digital Entertainment?
DDR NOW HEADING TO A LOCAL SCHOOL OR LIVING ROOM!
You've probably seen the console version of DDR at a local video game arcade or maybe at your favorite amusement area or even in a bar or shopping center. In the arcade version, you stand on a platform and dance with your pals or compete with your pals. Still don't get the idea-- well I went over to the DDR website http://www.konami-digital-entertainment.com/production/DDRPC/about.html and cut and pasted their definition of what DDR is: "Dance Dance Revolution is an innovative dancing simulation game that challenges the player with its combination of music, rhythm and coordination. Players step up to the dance floor using either the keyboard, joypad or dancepad and dance to the rhythm following the pattern of arrows that come streaming from the bottom of the screen.Gameplay is simple. Players need only to press the corresponding arrows in sync with the on-screen arrows as they match up with the arrows in the step zone (located at the top of the screen).
DDR GROOVES INTO WEST VIRGINIA PE CLASSES:
Recently Konami Digital Entertainment signed a 3-year partnership with the State of West Virginia and yes, the are going to bring DDR into the PE or health related curriculum program in all of the state's 765 K-12 public schools.
CHECK OUT THE AWESOME DDR PLAYLIST: Players can dance to all kinds of tunes and find a beat of their own to shake off those extra couch potato pounds of the past. Take a look at this thumbnail and you'll see lots of favorite tunes including movie soundtracks and more. 
DDR Playlist includes a great selection of tunes to fit any musical taste.
“DDR has been proven to be an extremely effective way of promoting weight loss among today’s young people and the game fits in perfectly as part of the physical education curriculum in our nation’s schools,” Clara Gilbert, Director of Business Partnerships, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc said in a recent press release. She adds, “DDR is one of the most innovative video game concepts ever, and it is a fun and entertaining. (Link to other news stories on DDR as exercise Video exercise program keeps pupils on toes,Kids dance their way to fitness
MASH UP THOSE COUCH POTATOES!
News reports name DDR as of the most popular games in a new genre designed to get the over 150 million videogamers active again. Konami Digital Entertainment's "DDR" has sold more than 4 million copies in the U.S. since March 2001 Konami has released numerous versions of the game with music for almost every console : including PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. Nintendo even has a Mario version.
To begin play -- or should I say start dancing-- you plug in the mat into your game console/platform and step on the square when the symbol comes up -- kind of like matchgame on TV. West coast paper report that 24 Hour Fitness clubs have installed "DDR" games, dance pads and consoles in their Kids' Clubs.
KONAMI SEMINAR ON INTERACTIVE VIDEO GAMES FOR SPORTS & PE ASSN.
Konami recently sponsored a NASPE (National Association for Sports and Physical Education) seminar entitled “Interactive Video Games in K-12.” Moderated by Josh M. Trout of California State University, Chico, the seminar discussed how new interactive video games can actually help increase physical activity levels as well as help students learn about the physiological functions of their bodies
POWER UP THE GAME FOR A REAL WORKOUT
If you're ready to take your exercise experience to an even greater level, DDR comes with a built-in workout mode that allows players to track how many calories they burn as they play.Get a Move On offers a terrific link to a "Washington Post" story of a DDR exercise addict -- much better than chocolate!
Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX3 is rated “E10+” for Everyone 10 and older by the ESRB and is available for an SRP of $39.99 for the standalone video game and $64.99 for the dance mat and video game bundle. To learn more about Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX3 and the DDR franchise, please go to: www.konami.com/gs
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