001: Dance Dance Revolution
Apr. 18th, 2012 02:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fandomonymousAs you might guess from my "body is not a wonderland" tag, fitness does not come naturally to me. Given the choice between using my brain and my body, I will pick my brain, always.
Yet for a strange but glorious year and a half of high school, I was in the best shape of my life. I drank more water, I had more energy, I looked and felt wonderful. The upshot though was the constant tapping - I'd listen to music and tap out a beat everywhere I went, on buses and trains, in the library and the convenience store.
It was all thanks to Dance Dance Revolution.
A friend introduced me to the concept - stepping on an arcade pad in time to Japanese techno. At the same time, a pool hall close to school decided to try something crazy to gain more revenue - a small arcade section in the back of the hall, with a glass wall between it and the pool tables (and bar), including a single DDR machine with Extreme Mix.
I gravitated to it like a moth to a flame. After a few initial stumbles, I started steadily working my way up the ranks, cheered on by new friends (this machine was the only one in its neighborhood, which attracted a small but loyal crowd). Spinning on the pads, legs flailing with purpose, holding onto the bar for dear life - I was never a picture of perfect DDR form (which honestly I find rather boring to play - probably the biggest reason I never was a fan of In the Groove, it encouraged that barely-moving-except-for-tapping-feet concept way too much to be fun), but I was having the time of my life, in tune with the music, the flashing lights and completely ridiculous announcer goading me on.
The owner had a love/hate relationship with us - yes, we were coming in every week, pouring our dollars into the token machine, sometimes even daring to go to the bar to buy a bottle of water or a soda; but the machine required music, which was always louder than the pool players wanted, even through the glass. Still, it was a great place and a great time.
After a year or so, the owner finally got fed up with us being so very distracting and uninstalled the machine. I've never gotten back into it since, and it seems that the rhythm game world as a whole has evolved since then - new DDR mixes with a different focus (seriously, what's a DDR mix without Moonlight Shadow? Not one I want to play, at least...), the rise of Guitar Hero and Rock Band with its different reading style, the rise and fall of In the Groove as a hardcore alternative. (They did get royally screwed over by Konami. I'll always feel bad about that.) I'll still love Extreme Mix the best and play it where I can; heck, I'm pretty sure muscle memory can still take me rather far along on Blue Impulse and Healing Vision Angelic Mix. And I'll keep searching for ways to turn fitness into games, to keep me engaaged and excited, to return to those days of physical activity as a form of entertainment and joy.
Yet for a strange but glorious year and a half of high school, I was in the best shape of my life. I drank more water, I had more energy, I looked and felt wonderful. The upshot though was the constant tapping - I'd listen to music and tap out a beat everywhere I went, on buses and trains, in the library and the convenience store.
It was all thanks to Dance Dance Revolution.
A friend introduced me to the concept - stepping on an arcade pad in time to Japanese techno. At the same time, a pool hall close to school decided to try something crazy to gain more revenue - a small arcade section in the back of the hall, with a glass wall between it and the pool tables (and bar), including a single DDR machine with Extreme Mix.
I gravitated to it like a moth to a flame. After a few initial stumbles, I started steadily working my way up the ranks, cheered on by new friends (this machine was the only one in its neighborhood, which attracted a small but loyal crowd). Spinning on the pads, legs flailing with purpose, holding onto the bar for dear life - I was never a picture of perfect DDR form (which honestly I find rather boring to play - probably the biggest reason I never was a fan of In the Groove, it encouraged that barely-moving-except-for-tapping-feet concept way too much to be fun), but I was having the time of my life, in tune with the music, the flashing lights and completely ridiculous announcer goading me on.
The owner had a love/hate relationship with us - yes, we were coming in every week, pouring our dollars into the token machine, sometimes even daring to go to the bar to buy a bottle of water or a soda; but the machine required music, which was always louder than the pool players wanted, even through the glass. Still, it was a great place and a great time.
After a year or so, the owner finally got fed up with us being so very distracting and uninstalled the machine. I've never gotten back into it since, and it seems that the rhythm game world as a whole has evolved since then - new DDR mixes with a different focus (seriously, what's a DDR mix without Moonlight Shadow? Not one I want to play, at least...), the rise of Guitar Hero and Rock Band with its different reading style, the rise and fall of In the Groove as a hardcore alternative. (They did get royally screwed over by Konami. I'll always feel bad about that.) I'll still love Extreme Mix the best and play it where I can; heck, I'm pretty sure muscle memory can still take me rather far along on Blue Impulse and Healing Vision Angelic Mix. And I'll keep searching for ways to turn fitness into games, to keep me engaaged and excited, to return to those days of physical activity as a form of entertainment and joy.