5/23/2005
More To Dance Game Than Meets The Feet
By Serena Markstrom The Register-Guard
The arcade game Dance Dance Revolution already may have peaked in popularity among its young followers - they say it's completely dead in Japan where the game started - but a dedicated cadre of "DDRers" won't let it go.
And why should they? The game, and its newer incarnation In the Groove, has given kids and young adults all the benefits of an organized sport: an ongoing challenge to improve, a sense of accomplishment, physical activity, a chance to test skills in tournaments and competitions, and strong social bonds.
"A lot of people become friends through this," says Meredith Williams, a 17-year-old junior at South Eugene High School. "I love the competition, but I don't think it overpowers the social. It's a whole new level of friendship. The social is more important for me."
Players like social as well as physical side of dance games.
Photo: Wayne Eastburn / The Register-Guard
The large arcade games still can be seen in such places as movie theater lobbies, where they pump out electronic music while players frantically try to hit arrows with their feet as they concentrate on the instuctions from the screen. Williams once drew a crowd of 30 onlookers at the Gateway Mall, she says.
"I'm not addicted to cigarettes, but (DDR) is like a drug," she says. "A lot of people think it's amazing. I think more adults think it's amazing."
The current lure among young people goes much deeper than showing off DDR prowess. Those who are hooked on the game say they enjoy the subculture that has been formed with others from Oregon, Washington and a few from Idaho.
"The community part is really important because most people play at home, but playing at the arcade is really interactive," says Phylicia Bishop, 18, who traveled from Portland for a recent tournament at the University of Oregon's EMU building. "I feel like these kind of games have been really important for me. It's hard to find people with common interests."
Some say it's difficult to explain their hobby to friends who don't share their enjoyment of DDR, and that it's not uncommon for other teens to give them a hard time.
"It tends to be that if you do something you have two groups of friends," says Angelo Carosio, a 17-year-old South Eugene High junior. "It's really kind of funny. Plenty of my friends, they know I play DDR, they know I have DDR friends. They talk like they are better than my DDR friends."
It may not be the coolest thing to outsiders, but that doesn't seem to matter.
"After a while, if you're not ashamed of it, people will accept it," says Scott Scriven, who last year made a documentary called "Dance Dance Maniacs" about DDR obsession. "I figure it's nothing to be ashamed of."
Williams agrees.
"I hate when people generalize all the time," she says. "It doesn't make sense. It's not right for them to judge when they don't know anything. (The game) is way more intense than you'd think."
While the Dance Dance Revolution craze was launched in Japan, enthusiasts have now turned their attention to In the Groove, which is an updated American version. They still refer to themselves and to the game using DDR as an abbreviation.
One byproduct of the game is weight loss, but players say they like it more because of the competition and camaraderie.
"Old people love this game," Lainii Schmidt, 15, of Portland, says. "They're like, `Wow, you're getting exercise!' There's so much more about the game we want to tell people."
Players have parties and poker tournaments and go out to eat together. Online, they share information about tournaments, post their scores and chat about who's dating whom and other "drama." And tournaments draw competitors and friends from throughout the Northwest to one city.
Betsy Williams, Meredith's mom, says at first she didn't know what to think of the DDR crowd. But after meeting Meredith's friends and hosting some visitors, she decided it was a good group of kids.
"They make connections," she says. "I think it's great. A lot of parents are happy with it."
The DDR community is male dominated, just as with the world of video games. "Some girls just don't get the concept," Meredith Williams says. But, she says, the girls who do become involved feel welcome. And as with many subcultures, these kids have their own language, as cryptic as the general sea of teenage lingo surrounding text messaging and modern slang.
"It's gotten to the point where the Web site for DDR has a dictionary so people know what we're talking about," Carosio says.
Crazes come and go, and there are signs that Dance Dance Revolution is declining. There are fewer tournaments, and many enthusiasts find other interests as they get older or move on "into the real world, with real jobs," Bishop says.
But there are those who hold out hope that In the Groove will breathe some life back into the hobby, and that the social bonds will be strong enough to keep the dance going for a little longer.
"It's not dead yet," Williams says. "Hopefully it won't be dead."
The arcade game Dance Dance Revolution already may have peaked in popularity among its young followers - they say it's completely dead in Japan where the game started - but a dedicated cadre of "DDRers" won't let it go.
And why should they? The game, and its newer incarnation In the Groove, has given kids and young adults all the benefits of an organized sport: an ongoing challenge to improve, a sense of accomplishment, physical activity, a chance to test skills in tournaments and competitions, and strong social bonds.
"A lot of people become friends through this," says Meredith Williams, a 17-year-old junior at South Eugene High School. "I love the competition, but I don't think it overpowers the social. It's a whole new level of friendship. The social is more important for me."
Players like social as well as physical side of dance games.
Photo: Wayne Eastburn / The Register-Guard
The large arcade games still can be seen in such places as movie theater lobbies, where they pump out electronic music while players frantically try to hit arrows with their feet as they concentrate on the instuctions from the screen. Williams once drew a crowd of 30 onlookers at the Gateway Mall, she says.
"I'm not addicted to cigarettes, but (DDR) is like a drug," she says. "A lot of people think it's amazing. I think more adults think it's amazing."
The current lure among young people goes much deeper than showing off DDR prowess. Those who are hooked on the game say they enjoy the subculture that has been formed with others from Oregon, Washington and a few from Idaho.
"The community part is really important because most people play at home, but playing at the arcade is really interactive," says Phylicia Bishop, 18, who traveled from Portland for a recent tournament at the University of Oregon's EMU building. "I feel like these kind of games have been really important for me. It's hard to find people with common interests."
Some say it's difficult to explain their hobby to friends who don't share their enjoyment of DDR, and that it's not uncommon for other teens to give them a hard time.
"It tends to be that if you do something you have two groups of friends," says Angelo Carosio, a 17-year-old South Eugene High junior. "It's really kind of funny. Plenty of my friends, they know I play DDR, they know I have DDR friends. They talk like they are better than my DDR friends."
It may not be the coolest thing to outsiders, but that doesn't seem to matter.
"After a while, if you're not ashamed of it, people will accept it," says Scott Scriven, who last year made a documentary called "Dance Dance Maniacs" about DDR obsession. "I figure it's nothing to be ashamed of."
Williams agrees.
"I hate when people generalize all the time," she says. "It doesn't make sense. It's not right for them to judge when they don't know anything. (The game) is way more intense than you'd think."
While the Dance Dance Revolution craze was launched in Japan, enthusiasts have now turned their attention to In the Groove, which is an updated American version. They still refer to themselves and to the game using DDR as an abbreviation.
One byproduct of the game is weight loss, but players say they like it more because of the competition and camaraderie.
"Old people love this game," Lainii Schmidt, 15, of Portland, says. "They're like, `Wow, you're getting exercise!' There's so much more about the game we want to tell people."
Players have parties and poker tournaments and go out to eat together. Online, they share information about tournaments, post their scores and chat about who's dating whom and other "drama." And tournaments draw competitors and friends from throughout the Northwest to one city.
Betsy Williams, Meredith's mom, says at first she didn't know what to think of the DDR crowd. But after meeting Meredith's friends and hosting some visitors, she decided it was a good group of kids.
"They make connections," she says. "I think it's great. A lot of parents are happy with it."
The DDR community is male dominated, just as with the world of video games. "Some girls just don't get the concept," Meredith Williams says. But, she says, the girls who do become involved feel welcome. And as with many subcultures, these kids have their own language, as cryptic as the general sea of teenage lingo surrounding text messaging and modern slang.
"It's gotten to the point where the Web site for DDR has a dictionary so people know what we're talking about," Carosio says.
Crazes come and go, and there are signs that Dance Dance Revolution is declining. There are fewer tournaments, and many enthusiasts find other interests as they get older or move on "into the real world, with real jobs," Bishop says.
But there are those who hold out hope that In the Groove will breathe some life back into the hobby, and that the social bonds will be strong enough to keep the dance going for a little longer.
"It's not dead yet," Williams says. "Hopefully it won't be dead."
