It’s was early yesterday morning, under the influence of far too many cups of Adagio’s Finest Tea, that I gave into a vice I’d sworn against since it’s very inception into american culture. That of Dance Dance Revolution.
Show me your moves!.. ehh don't.
While most see this game as simply a great way to break the ice at parties, or as something to do alone, in your house, with the shades drawn tight, I saw something darker. I could see where those four brightly colored arrows on the mat were pointing: The death of the arcade game.
It is in my opinion that in hindsight we will all look back upon Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), as the hitman of arcades. Yet it might be the games inital appeal, to groups outside the arcade circuit, which is to blame. Luring the untapped masses to arcades is a hard feat, and this game did it well, potientally better than any other game in history, which is way I hold it accountable. luring in the unsuspecting gamers was exactly what the starving arcade industry was looking for when DDR debuted, and so the machine sold like hot-cakes. where the plan went sour though, was when DDR made the jump to consoles.
Never before could people be quite so interactive with their video game. Sure you could tell earthbound your favorite food, and yeah hello pikachu was cute (maybe). But this game got gamers off the couch! it engages an entirely different set of their limbs! theres simply no competition (or rather wasn’t) for the appeal of DDR. So when it was announced that DDR would be made available to the home market, who could pass it up? Me for one. I saw what DDR had done. Rather than sticking to the arcades that had made it the most popular game in the industry, DDR sold out it’s adopted home and, like the prostituc that it is, moved to consoles, where the money is.
DDR used the arcades as a cheap marketing ploy and then left them out in the cold when they needed it most. For that, I will never forgive the game. Yet, though being a gamer is a subjective art, and my opinion of games is perhaps my most valuable asset, a through and honest opinion cannot be formed on presumption alone. Yesterday, 01/15/09, after years of avoiding and procrasting, I tried it, and god damn… It’s fun. I couldn’t believe how rapidilly I took to the overwhelmingly shitty music, and how dispite my obvious inability to move my body, I kept playing… for hours. lame I know, but I did. And though I am not as bad as some of my “friends” (one kid had a steel DDR mat flown in from japan.) I am now a fan of the game.
BUT MISTAKE ME NOT! This game should forever be remembered as the prostitute which singlehandly slaughter the arcade industry… Along with time crisis… but thats another day.
