He lost 30 pounds in four months. Kind of like karaoke, only with dancing instead of singing, Dance Dance Revolution requires only a basic rhythm and the willingness to dance in front of a crowd. Judging by numerous Web sites dedicated to the game, extensive DDR message boards and lines of people waiting to play at arcades on weekends, DDR is attracting a following throughout the country. One or two players stand on a platform aglow in pink neon lights and step on four large arrows in time to the beat of a variety of techno-pop songs. A video screen shows which arrow to step on and when.
Players get points for correct steps, and if they score well enough they advance to the next song.
Pretty simple concept. DDR, part of Konami's Bemani series of rhythm-based games, is one machine that rarely stands empty at GameWorks, the arcade's staff says. Easy enough for the casual player yet challenging for veterans, it's a nice change from the usual arcade fare. You look at regular video games, you have a joystick and a number of buttons. But with Dance Dance Revolution, you have to get up there and actually do something.