How Dance Dance Revolution started me down a rhythm game rabbit hole, and a fitness journey.
Last year a fateful moment occurred. Two of my favorite hobbies, thrifting, and retro gaming coincided. While at my local thrift store something caught my eye, a plastic mat with a PlayStation 2 cable attached to it. It was exactly what I thought it was, a dance dance revolution dance pad in good condition! For $8 I knew I had to take it home, since we had a working PS2 at home anyway.
I quickly ordered a $10 copy of DDR Extreme off of eBay and a week later I was awkwardly stepping around in my bedroom. Soon however I was really having fun, learning the tracks and honing my technique. The built in fitness mode even let me track my calories burned and songs played to track my progress.
The truth is the game Is a ton of fun, but my biggest hurdle was my own stamina. I became frustrated, I found a new game I loved to play but my body couldn't keep up with my desire to get that perfect combo and keep going for hours. Slowly, I was able to play for longer and longer. I could pull off more jumping combos, and I could feel myself improving.
Suddenly I was in a new situation, exercising was a highlight of my day. Eventually I became bored of the limited ps2 tracklist and the slippery soft mat. I wanted more, I needed more.
Fast forward to today, I have my PC equipped with a Stepmania tracklist with hundreds of songs to pick from and a custom made arcade quality L-Tek Dance pad. I'm in considerably better health than I used to be too. Diet and exercise have become a crucial part of my life.
Sure DDR isn't my only source of exercise anymore but when the weather outside is frightful and my exercise bike doesn't seem too delightful, I still put up my ponytail and crush a perfect combo of the 1995 hit "Be my Lover" by La Bouche.
That old dance pad and copy of DDR Extreme now belong to my boyfriend's younger sibling. They use it pretty often and enthuse to me about how fun it makes exercise.
It's my opinion that affordable and accessible rhythm games, can be a real fitness lifeline for gamers and homebodies. Being active can and should be fun!
So don't be shy! Dance like nobody's watching!
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