Why not combine the video game arcade with your family’s health regimen? Dance Dance Revolution, also known as DDR, is the video game where players stand on a three-foot square platform and step on marked arrows in time with corresponding arrows that scroll up the screen in front of them. The player hits the arrow in time with the beats in the music.

Originally from Japan, this game has become widely popular in the United States. Most arcades have a machine, and it is easier than ever to buy a pad to bring home from a toy store. This game has proven quite addictive to a segment of the population that is often stereotyped as being resistant exercise, that is, video game players. Attesting to the game’s weight loss effectiveness, when you buy a copy to take home, there is a workout mode that will count your calories and track how many calories you’ve burnt in correspondence with which songs you have played.

One of the best benefits for this game is that it is simply fun. While you’re watching the screen, a cute animated icon is dancing along with you, and encouraging statements are frequently shouted at you from the program itself. It’s quite easy to lose track of time while playing this game, as you choose from a list of songs and stomp your way through them.

More than 1 million copies of DDR have been sold for the home, showing its popularity across the board, and its popularity among 12-16 year olds is causing some real notice to be taken regarding its health benefits in a country where childhood obesity is becoming a serious problem. Dr. Richard Adler, of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis is planning a six-month study of DDR and weight loss in an effort to give the game legitimacy among physicians.

While some care must be taken to make sure that players that have joint problems, DDR can be a highly aerobic, customizable exercise. Every aspect of the game can be changed to meet the level of play desired, whether you’re interested just learning to hit the arrows on time, or learning how to do complex spins and jumps in time with the music. There are also competitive and cooperative modes that can be used, depending on the wishes of the players.

For something that started out as a cult phenomenon, DDR has entered homes across the country and America is beginning to reap the benefits. Better muscle tone and endurance are two benefits that most people gain after playing DDR for a while, and some people have lost a great deal of weight playing on this device.

Getting started, it might be best to take your family to the arcade to see if the game is for you. If you decide that this is something you’d like to invest in, it will be worth your while to buy an at-home version, as arcade quarters can really add up!

Between the music and activity, this game is attractive and addictive, a great way to get your family together to enjoy some fun and fitness.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 15th, 2007 at 4:17 am and is filed under Family, Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.