It’s been far more than a little unusual looking at Grey’s posts and wondering, “Wow, does he really think that about us arrow stompers?” In reality, I suppose he’s right. The question should rather be phrased, “Do we really look that freaking stupid so as to cause the rest of the world to think we’re all socially inept?” Of course, different people will have different tolerances for looking stupid in public, and thank the Maker for that; without that egregious imbalance in the shame receptors of some folks, we’d never have “Girls Gone Wild Vol. Eleventy-Billion”.
That said, I think he hit the nail on the head with this: “I can now admit that it does have some appeal as a social game.” I’ve been playing DDR quasi-seriously for about three years now; with a significant amount of that time being spent as part of a regional group, the now-disbanded DDR Erie. The group was comprised of late high-school to early/mid college-age people, all reasonably skilled at the game. When I joined up, I’d only had about maybe two or three months of off-and-on exposure to the game (read: one day on, four days off while my legs were in excruciating pain). When the group dissolved last year, I was at a six-to-seven foot play level (standard difficulty), and I’ve recently jumped up to low eight-foot songs on heavy difficulty. There’s a solid skill progression involved, and with a group of like-minded folks who don’t mind you looking relatively silly, it’s an excellent way to pass time and get exercise.
That brings me to Grey’s remark about losing weight. He dropped all of about two pounds over thirty days– hardly a variation that he or I could consider proof that he lost any weight at all. But, the problem may not be traced to DDR specifically– I’d have to say it was his diet as well. DDR is not that dissimilar from a step-aerobics regimen, as quite frankly you’re still doing basically the same motion with your legs, just at varying tempos and directions. As a result it can help a player burn through a significant portion of his or her activity requirements for a day. However, it’s not enough. Most of the “lost xx pounds” stories on sites like Get Up Move (which is a thinly-veiled advertisement for RedOctane, who makes the DDR clone In The Groove) neglect to mention or downplay the significance of dietary changes in the weight loss. As a personal anecdote, let’s look at my case. As I said, I’ve played semi-regularly for about three years now. During the first two years my diet did not change, and my weight actually increased. Since January of this year, I changed my eating habits and maintained a similar regimen of activity (including DDR); by May I had lost forty pounds. The strangest part was that I actually played DDR less often between January and May due to life interference than I had during the previous two years. So while the DDR-weight-loss stories may not be all hype, they’re still mostly hype.
Ultimately, it is all about a particular mindset that seems to be a bit odd, even among the hardcore gamers. The driving force which keeps arrow-stompers, well, stomping arrows, is the drive to get higher scores and to get better. The coveted AAA (no mistakes at all, all arrows stepped on with “Perfect” or “Marvelous” accuracy and all helds held) is a hallmark of a player’s ability. It means as much to a non-gamer as a .700 lifetime batting average does to someone who doesn’t follow baseball, or a 90% lifetime pass-completion rate does to someone who doesn’t follow American football. Within the circle, it’s a legend. Outside of the circle, it’s meaningless, and admittedly “pathetic awesome”, as had been said. But the competition within the circle drives players to these scores.
I wish, actually, that Grey had had the opportunity to go to a DDR tournament during the trial. I’ve participated in a few, and it’s really at these gatherings that you get a sense of the strength of the community. At one of these events, someone made note that a DDR tournament has a much different atmosphere than, say, a Tekken tournament. To cite his example, the players at the Tekken event were loud, belligerent, even downright mean to each other; shouting obscenities, pushing, even a fistfight at one point. This was a cut-throat match, and there wasn’t even any more than about $50 on the line. This was in contrast to the DDR tournament that we were in the midst of; players cheered each other on, clapped after every match (no matter how good or bad the players were– which was a lucky thing for me at the time), and there was an atmosphere of excellent sportsmanship. Heck, nobody even used any profanity. The top prize was a $300 metal dance controller.
I can’t say with any certainty that the experience is universal. In fact, it may have been isolated to the Pittsburgh region; I haven’t had that much contact with the Cleveland DDR scene, but most of it has been kind of aloof and somewhat antagonistic. Still, it’s what I’ve experienced, and based on other accounts I’ve heard from the US and the world over, I’m not alone in feeling this sense of friendly rivalry.
So, ultimately, while I am a little sad to know that the dance-game craze couldn’t attract one more convert, I am glad to know that Grey gave it a fair shot. Though in all honesty, there was a distinct lack of crotch-grabbing in that video, so his commitment to feeling the groove (to say nothing of his goods) is somewhat suspect at best. Meh, no matter. He has tasted the sweet pain that is Paranoia Survivor; he’ll be back.
September 2nd, 2006
Judgement day has come. I have spent four weeks trialling the DDR simulator Stepmania, and in the process also given the real Konami arcade machines a shot. I haven’t gotten to try it out as a party game, or attempted to make my own step files as I initially thought I would. But I have advanced very far in the ranks of difficulty. In my first 90 minutes of play I struggled to scrape together a B on a 2-foot difficulty of Billie Jean. Now, 28 days later, I’ve found myself able to achieve a B on an 8-foot version of the same song. And I know through my experiences of playing that I have the potential to go even further. At times I have procrastinated from playing, the simple fact that I’ve received little joy from it often putting me off, but there can be no doubt that overall I have put in the time and effort to be able to properly judge the game.
Some people got very offended by my initial remarks about the genre, and how ridiculous I thought the whole concept was. I think there is a danger sometimes that when you socialise with others who share the same interests you lose sight of how the outside world views your activities. Most people have their heads screwed on and realise that what they’re doing is a bit strange, but carry on because they find it fun. But it’s very important not to forget the fact that these games are considered to be very peculiar, and the vast majority of people I’ve mentioned this project to find the idea of playing at home on your own just, well, freakish. We all have our own little peculiarities and activities that aren’t quite normal, but most of us draw a line somewhere, beyond which lies what we consider too weird and dare not venture. For me dancing around trying to step on buttons in time with some silly tune was past that line. Perhaps the line between that and Punchmania or the roguelikes I enjoy is very thin, but it was still my line.
Has that changed? Do I now have more respect for this genre and the people that play it? Would I consider playing it again myself? Well… Let me get onto that in a bit… (yes, I like teasing) One surprising thing was finding that quite a few other people I know play this game regularly, or have previously mastered some aspect of DDR in the past. No one in real life, I admit, but quite a lot of my online friends. Of course I knew they were all quite nerdy people anyway, but I didn’t realise just how many actually enjoyed dance games. The genre’s popularity is even more prolific than I first thought.
Getting into the game at first had its difficulties. If anyone decides to try out dance games based on reading this then I think I’d recommend you first try out one of the many Playstation games available before moving on to Stepmania, and making use of their tutorials. When playing don’t be afraid to spread out into more difficult songs. Keep adventuring beyond what you’re comfortable with. If you have trouble then practise on a song you feel you can nearly reach, and if you’re determined enough you will make it. Video game and TV/anime themes may be fun to dance to, but with a lack of clear rhythm they aren’t always good teachers. You’re best relying on pop or dance songs that you know well to help push you up to higher difficulties, which will then make you better at all the songs you have. Improving in just one song will make you better at the whole game. A good dance mat may help – preferably one of the foam filled ones – but with some polystyrene and sticky back plastic you can do a Blue Peter job on a cheap mat that will suffice.
When I bought the dance mat a month ago I also purchased a set of scales for £3 so I could compare my start and end weights. I can’t imagine these cheap scales are hugely accurate, but I’m sure they’re good enough for a relative comparison. I should stress that I’m not very healthy. My diet mostly consists of large quantities of chocolate and microwave meals. I may be of average size and healthy weight, but I’m not athletic in the slightest and never have been. At the start I weighed in at 75 kilos (165 lbs). I’ve been playing for 4 weeks, constantly increasing the difficulty at which I play, often doing 2 hour long sessions, and during that time my diet has been as bad as ever. At the end of it all my weight has shifted to 74 kilos – that’s a 2 lb difference. Not much, but admittedly still a slight loss. Do I feel any healthier? Well, kind of I guess. I certainly have a lot more stamina for the game than I did at the start, but that may just be due to getting used to playing. Every time I’ve increased in difficulty I’ve found it more physically exhausting, but each time I’ve quickly gotten used to it. My trousers feel maybe a slight amount slacker, but overall I look the same.
There can be no doubt that DDR can aid slightly as part of a regular exercise and diet program. However, I think anyone interested in seriously losing weight is better off with the likes of step aerobics that have been more scientifically verified to be of major benefit. I don’t fully believe all the reports of people losing major amounts of weight purely through DDR. If you make a conscious decision to put effort into losing weight then that’s going to have an impact on many areas of your life, such as diet and physical activity, not just one game you play frequently. I would personally like to shift a little weight, but I have neither the willpower nor the motivation to make the necessary lifestyle changes. I don’t think DDR could ever make any significant impact on its own.
As silly and stupid as the genre seemed to me a month ago, I can now admit that it does have some appeal as a social game. Playing with friends is bound to be fun, especially if they’re on the same level of skill and you can compete directly with them. Would I do it myself? Probably yes, in fact. Not anywhere near as regularly as I’ve been playing in the last month, but I’d certainly enjoy playing this game with friends every now and then, especially if I can beat them. However, this is something I have unfortunately not actually experienced, and I think perhaps that if I were to then I would eventually get bored of it. I could never go so far as to compete in DDR team competitions and such – that would just be ludicrous. Still, playing with friends is something I’d be happy to give a shot if the opportunity ever arises.
Would I play it on my own? I’ve obviously been doing it a lot this last month. Being able to advance to such high difficulties in such a short time says something about the game itself, and how easy it can be to pick up and master. I have had a lot of satisfaction and joy through playing the game, whenever I’ve achieved something I thought would be impossible. But to be honest it’s been similar to the sort of satisfaction I get when at work, setting a new record for how many assessments I can complete in a month, or managing to deal with some important case or query well. It’s not the usual joy I get purely from playing a game I like. I have not once actually looked forward to playing – normally I’ve put it off as much as possible. I enjoy doing well, and I enjoy getting to dance to music I like, but the basic game itself just isn’t enjoyable enough to keep me playing. And so I’m hanging up my dancing shoes for now. My dance mat has been packed away, and unless someone else wants to play with me I don’t anticipate bringing it out again.
And now for a little treat. Want to know how good I’ve gotten? Well have a look. One of my housemates got a new phone yesterday, so this was a good chance to test out its video functions. As you can see the framerate and video quality are very poor, but it still looks fairly impressive I think. If you listen you can hear the thumps of when my foot hits the mat – a lot of these steps can’t be seen at the low frame rate, but you can hear clearly how fast I’m going. Overall I didn’t do so well in that performance - my last dance, in fact. Got a C but I should have done better – unfortunately the camera was very distracting. Still, this is the first time I’ve had a chance to see my own footwork, and I was pretty amazed myself.
There have been highs and lows to my month of reviewing, but in the end I think I’ve come out somewhere in the middle. This game may not be for me, but I don’t think as badly of the real DDRers any more. Yeah it’s stupid, yeah it looks ridiculous, but I can see how they could get some enjoyment out of it. I still think it’s pretty sad and weird to want to do it on your own. I mean why would anyone get much enjoyment from this? What is so attractive about the game that would make it fun to play on your own on a regular basis? But I suppose there are worse ways to spend your time, and others could easily say the same things about the games I enjoy.
It’s been an interesting experience getting to grips with the game, and I certainly don’t regret the time I’ve spent on it. I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading these posts. I’ll now hand over to John to defend the game he loves. Perhaps he can explain the joy behind solo play, which has still mostly eluded me…
September 2nd, 2006