Following the Arrows

Last Night, I passed Max 300 for the first time ever, and although it was as a first song where the grading is more lenient, I still had a sense of accomplishment. Passing that song made me reflect back on my experience with Dance Dance Revolution. I think back to all the friendships and experiences that I have had just because of I started following arrows on a screen.

DDR really is a revolutionary game. It combines so many more aspects of life and incorporates parts outside of the genre of video games. Right off the bat, it automatically differentiates itself from any other video game in that it is exercise. A lot of people first glance at DDR and think that it's a cake walk. I've seen many a person jump on a machine think they're going to be great at it and then embarrass themselves by acting like an idiot on the machine. Dance Dance takes practice and a lot of effort. It can be physically taxing and there is also skill involved with being able to read the arrows. Outside those criteria, there is also an amazing social aspect that I think lots of times is overlooked. One of the first hurdles a player must overcome is playing the game in front of other people, most times strangers. One must be confident enough to overcome the fear of being ridiculed and also failing in public. Then there are also times where you have to deal with being socially accepted by your peers. Many times you'll run into players better than you, generally those players are accepting and very willing to pass their knowledge along. Sometimes though, there are players who will try to present you as an inferior player in front of others. Ridicule and competition are both dealt with by everyone who has stepped on a Dance Dance Revolution machine.

I looked around last night at everyone who was at the arcade. I could only smile at how everyone got along. People of different ages, backgrounds, ethnicities, jobs, goals, hobbies, fashion sense and playing styles all joined together by one interest. It gives me hope to find something that brings people together like this. I have my own opinions on how DDR should be played. I have my rules and code of conduct that I follow. There are those that share the same values and there are others that ignore them completely, but no matter what, I'll always have something in common with those brave enough to step onto a Dance Dance Revolution machine. And for those who aren't.....
the player 2 pad is always open if you'd like to join me for a game.