You’ve probably heard of Dance Dance Revolution. You may not be aware it’s actually a video game for Playstation 2, from around the time the Wii came out and eventually spawned various fitness and exercise programs. Video games had long been blamed for contributing to the more sedentary lifestyle of kids (and many adults), and these types of games were designed to incorporate fun movement into the video format.
To play the game, you must master challenging dance steps and stay very focused, as the game directs you on which step to execute at what time. It has adjustable difficulty levels for players at any level of fitness or dance instruction. You can play against the game itself, or against your friends.
Dance Dance Revolution is not just for kids. Adults have found it a great way to incorporate some exercise into their days. Stay-at-home-parents can play whenever they have a little time to themselves, or even play with the kids. Too tired to fight traffic to get to the gym after work? Just play some Dance Dance Revolution and you can work up a serious sweat while having fun. And, of course, if kids get interested in this type of video game instead of ones where they sit around using a hand controller, video games can contribute to their fitness and activity level rather than taking away from it.
In the wake of the original Dance Dance Revolution’s popularity, Playstation introduced Dance Dance Revolution 2, Dance Dance Revolution Extreme and Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova. Then Nintendo’s Wii became available, with its movement-based controllers, and the trend toward active video games became much more than just a fad. Plenty of Dance Dance knockoffs have been released, but developers are building on the ideas behind this game to create an array of exciting movement-based games.
This game can actually replace your cardio or aerobic workout, if you incorporate enough arm movements into it to keep your heart rate up. A session with Dance Dance Revolution can burn quite a few calories, help to boost your cardiovascular system and strengthen your leg and hip muscles.
