My hat's off to young people...

[winwintoo]

Last evening I took my 7 year old grandson to a local arcade so he could participate in a "Dance Dance Revolution" tournament. I wasn't sure what to expect and since there was nothing on the poster about age limits etc, I let him enter his name thinking we could always leave if it turned out to be age inappropriate.

As time went on and the crowd started to gather, I quickly realized that most of the contestants would be much older and briefly considered ways to distract Mac so we could leave.

I quickly realized that leaving was out of the question. Mac was made to feel right at home with the older crowd who cheered him on while he competed, made room for him so he could watch, stepped aside so he could compete earlier in the line-up, showed real disappointment when he didn't make the cut and included me in their discussions about technique.

The arcade was crowded. There was a cross section of ethnic and economic backgrounds; preppy kids mixed with goth chains; I even recognized some gang colors, but at no time did I feel out of place or unwelcome.

Mac loved it.

Thanks M

[Mr. Anderson]

That's pretty cool, and glad you had a good time.

But I have to ask the obvious....your grandson is named Mac not Mack? What's it short for, dare I ask :D

D

[iGav]

What's "Dance Dance Revolution"???

[jsw]

An arcade (and now, I think, PS2) game where the player needs to mimic dance moves shown on the screen on a pad beneath him or her. It's actually helped some get in shape, believe it or not. Of course, that's just wrong... video games aren't supposed to be a healthy thing. ;)

http://www.ddrfreak.com/aboutddr.php

[edesignuk]

What's "Dance Dance Revolution"???You mean to say you don't know!? :eek:

:p :D :confused:

[iGav]

You mean to say you don't know!? :eek:

:p :D :confused:

If I was a 13 year old girl I probably would've... :eek: :p :p

[winwintoo]

That's pretty cool, and glad you had a good time.

But I have to ask the obvious....your grandson is named Mac not Mack? What's it short for, dare I ask :D

D

His name is Mackenzie but he's always signed his name "Mac" - kid knows a good thing when he sees it :D :D

DDR is a full body workout - you have to watch the screen, figure out what the arrows mean, and get your feet to move that way. Those kids are in good shape!

m

[medea]

iGAV check out this video, not only will it show you what the DDR unit looks like it's this crazy one-legged guy doing it.
http://www.kontraband.com/show/popup.asp?ID=1120&TTVAL=2

[jsw]

iGAV check out this video, not only will it show you what the DDR unit looks like it's this crazy one-legged guy doing it.
http://www.kontraband.com/show/popup.asp?ID=1120&TTVAL=2
I think it's easier to just look at your avatar - that's DDR he's playing, right? ;)

[Mr. Anderson]

iGAV check out this video, not only will it show you what the DDR unit looks like it's this crazy one-legged guy doing it.
http://www.kontraband.com/show/popup.asp?ID=1120&TTVAL=2

That's just nuts! Never played it myself, I think I'd be afraid to look like a total idiot on the thing :D

I'm more of a traditional arcade gamer - I was around for the first consoles (space invaders/donkey kong/pac man).

D

[medea]

I think it's easier to just look at your avatar - that's DDR he's playing, right? ;)
Hah you know it does bear a resemblance to DDR though I don't believe they had arcades back in the 20's.

[winwintoo]

That's just nuts! Never played it myself, I think I'd be afraid to look like a total idiot on the thing :D

I'm more of a traditional arcade gamer - I was around for the first consoles (space invaders/donkey kong/pac man).

D

The difference with DDR is that your body is getting a workout as well as your mind and right thumb!! It must develop really got eye/mind/body coordination and balance. As the beat speeds up, you would have to be pretty stable to stay upright - the usual feeling of being a better dancer after a few hits wouldn't apply here.

They have DDR machines in the lobbies of all the movie theaters here and there is always a crowd watching - and I've never seen anyone that looked like an idiot - course I've never gotten on the thing I'll let you know how that turns out :D :D

m

[gwuMACaddict]

ahhhh... reminds me of the old nintendo pad thing... once those video game machines moved beyond two buttons, it got too confusing... back to books and exercise... :rolleyes:

[winwintoo]

ahhhh... reminds me of the old nintendo pad thing... once those video game machines moved beyond two buttons, it got too confusing... back to books and exercise... :rolleyes:

......and if the book pages would turn themselves, I would cut out the exercise too ;)

m

[dethl]

I'm totally addicted to this game. I've been playing for a little over 3, yes 3, years. It's great exercise, and helped me avoid the "freshmen 15" (in fact, I lost a little weight my first semester) at college. I've been able to get crowds around me, and shock lots of people with fast moving songs and whatnot.

If most of you guys haven't heard of DDR, just wait until you see something like Pump-it-Up, where there are 5 arrows, but the main ones are diagonal, and there is one on the center. There are also other musical games like Keyboard Mania, Dance Maniax,Para Para Dancing, the list just goes on and on and on, kinda like the energizer bunny.

[iGav]

ahhhh... reminds me of the old nintendo pad thing...

reminds me of 'Simon' on a bigger scale. :D :p

[rueyeet]

If I was a 13 year old girl I probably would've... :eek: :p :pBelieve it or not, when we see people doing DDR in the local movie-lobby arcades, or hanging around near the machine waiting for their next try, it's usually teenage guys. Man, some of those kids move fast. :eek: No doubt it's a product of their highly-developed videogaming reflexes. :p

[Kingsnapped]

I got addicted to DDR when I found a free machine on a trip to Florida. When I got home, I found the closest DDR machine to me is about a 40 minute drive. I wound up buying a PS2 and an ignition pad (http://www.redoctane.com/ignitionpad.html) so I could play at home. Now, I'm moving down to florida where it'll be a ten minute drive to the nearest arcade (I've looked into it :rolleyes: ). I'm gonna score soooo many babes whit my phat movements.

[sonofslim]

i've seen people play DDR a few times, and they were all tré serious about it -- full body stretches beforehand, some pregame pysch-out staring/posturing, extra spins and kicks thrown in for crowd-love, the whole deal... i'll admit, i was impressed. but my question is: when/where are these people practicing their moves? i mean, you can't just jump on one of these things and expect to be good at it right away; how come i've never seen anyone get up and make a total ass of themselves? where are all the amateurs?

[Dr. Dastardly]

reminds me of 'Simon' on a bigger scale. :D :p
Thats pretty much all it is.

[scem0]

young people rarely demonstrate the level of maturity and reponsibility as they did with your son, Mac, I'm afraid.

As a 17 year old, I'm afraid to say that most of my peers would not hesitate to make fun of or harass a person younger than them. I guess you were with a more mature group of youngsters.

Not that I want to bring a bunch of negativity to this thread - just a bit of reality, I guess. I'm glad your son had fun though. :)

scem0

[Kingsnapped]

young people rarely demonstrate the level of maturity and reponsibility as they did with your son, Mac, I'm afraid.

As a 17 year old, I'm afraid to say that most of my peers would not hesitate to make fun of or harass a person younger than them. I guess you were with a more mature group of youngsters.

Not that I want to bring a bunch of negativity to this thread - just a bit of reality, I guess. I'm glad your son had fun though. :)

scem0

I disagree. At places like skateparks, and other places where there is a common bond (cough**macrumors** cough) there is a level of maturity brought about by their shared interest. I've seen younger kids hang out with their elders at the skatepark, and they are treated like equals. Younger people are more likely to be disrespected in places that they are acting immature or are just getting in the way. Nobody is going to disrespect someone who is a better dancer than them, just because they are ten years younger.