Chinatown Fair - Pump it Up
Pump it Up is one of three dance rhythm games available to play at the Chinatown Fair. These games are controlled by one or two players stepping on different ‘buttons’/arrows on the dance platform. These correspond to arrows on the screen of the arcade cabinet. The timing is important and players must try step on the corresponding arrow at an exact time that is indicated visually, but also matches the beat of the song. They differ in the design/layout of the dance platform, hardware, visuals, available songs etc.
Pump it Up’s controller (dance platform) has five arrows, 4 diagonals pointing outwards, and 1 in the middle. The dance platform has a bar behind it that players can opt to hold onto, as an assist when moving very quickly. The platform is very steady and rigid - there is no way to move it around. The food pads are very sensitive (that is, one can get a response from tapping very gently) and they respond without any noticeable latency. The pads light up when you tap them as feedback.
The cabinet houses large speakers, above which sits the screen, surrounded by neon lights. The neon lights offer additional game feedback and add to the immersive experience created by the loud music, the embodied game-play and visual feedback on the screen. It feels very satisfying to stomp on an arrow at the correct time - the digital representation of the arrow lights up on screen, along with some text that will say something like ‘perfect!’ along with a score. Players must hit enough arrows correctly in order to keep their life-bar from draining and progressing to the next level.
Pump it Up feels great to play. The game is a little more lenient than some of the other variations (eg I found that Step Mania was more strict about timing), which is a nice touch because it allows newer players to be more adventurous. I found that I struggled to comfortably hold onto the bar while playing because my arms are fairly short; perhaps if I started playing the game regularly I would need to adapt my technique to not include the bar or see if i get used to the bar over time.
In terms of controller - there are many different types of controllers for music rhythm games e.g. ‘guitar’ controllers for guitar hero, VR motion controllers for Beat Saber etc. Blake has a game 'Scrapeboard’ that they often show at Wonderville that uses a skateboard (without wheels) to trigger the metal floor controller. What I really enjoy about foot controllers generally is how important physical movement becomes to master the game. There are always cooling fans stationed next to these games because players work up such a sweat while playing. Beat Saber, for example, is also fairly physical but because the controllers are handheld you can get away with standing very still. I wouldn’t want to change the foot controller much. I found that it was difficult to remember where the arrows were if I didn’t realize I’d moved off-center because I was never looking down. This is something that would just become easier with practice and I don’t think necessarily a design flaw. It might be interesting to have a controller like has more pads on more axes - eg if there were wall panels on the sides/behind/in front of the player that the player could use their hands and feet for. I’m not sure if anyone’s ever tried this!
