Dance Dance Revolution info and other Gaming News

Interactive video games help children battling obesity get fit

dmartin69 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:15:43 +0000

Mataya Stewart admits, “I love video games. They’re super fun.”

She especially loves the kind of video games that make her move like the Wii Fit. Mataya says, “It’s really fun and it helps you workout and motivates you.”

If 10-year-old Mataya is motivated to lose weight, she can avoid some of the diseases caused by obesity. That is why her family enlisted the help of the Child Obesity Center.

Michaesha Dennis, with the Center, explains, “Video games is part of youth culture today and, rather than if we accept it or like it or not, it’s still something they’re going to do so we want to teach them how to do it effectively.”

Dennis is a certified pediatric obesity specialist and says video games, the interactive type, might, in fact, be a great way for overweight kids to take that first step of exercising.

Dennis says, “It’s common knowledge that children play an interactive game are going to burn calories, but one thing that is not common knowledge that a child that is overweight play those same games actually burn six times the amount of calories that a child of normal size.”

Scott Keppel, a personal trainer, says, “Over 60% of our population is overweight and sadly that amount of overweight children is rising. It’s tripled over the last three decades for children 6 to 11 years old.” Keppel also thinks that video games are definitely one piece of the puzzle when trying to get your child back on a healthy track.

He admits, “If we can incorporate any type of activities such as games like the Nintendo Wii or Dance Dance Revolution, they can burn three to six times as many depending on the game.”

Keppel also stresses that just because playing video games can help your child burn calories, it does not mean that is the only thing they should do. Keppel explains, “They still need to watch what they’re eating and have proper nutrition as well as do exercises in general.”

That is exactly what Mataya is doing. She doesn’t just play video games, she also gets one-on-one training at Scott’s studio. She says, “I feel a lot stronger. The stuff is getting easier for me.”

Keppel and Dennis also believe it is important for the parents to play an active role in finding ways to get their child moving again. Keppel says, “She’s well on her way to living a healthy life for the rest of her life instead of some quick fix.”

Mataya admits, “I’m hoping to make better choices in food and I’m hoping to work out more.”

Add Family Friendly Wii Games For Group Exercise

dmartin69 — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:42:16 +0000

The Wii game console is increasing in popularity with many parents. One of the main reasons is that there are Wii games which get the entire family up and moving. If you are looking for ways to include exercise in your daily or weekly routine, add family friendly Wii games for group exercise opportunities. Here are some examples of Wii workout games that you may want to try.

Parents often dislike computer games and gaming consoles because the only muscles that get a workout are the thumbs. Nintendo, in creating the Wii, has changed game consoles into an interactive system that everyone, from grandparents to preschoolers, can use. And, instead of merely sitting and holding a controller, Wii games encourage physical and mental activity. Sports games such as bowling, baseball, soccer, yoga, and golf can give your body a work out while games like Brain Challenge keep your mind active and in shape.

When you purchase a Wii system, it comes with a Wii Sport game. Included in this game are tennis, baseball, golf, boxing, and bowling. These games can be set for multiplayers; however they may require additional controllers or accessories. Examples of this would be a Wii wheel or Nunchucks for boxing.

Playing the Wii is a great exercise alternative in bad weather. Your whole family can still bond while they get their exercise because the Wii is played indoors. For maximum benefits, you may want to choose one of the Wii Sport games or try Wii Fit.

Wii Fit is a breakthrough in gaming consoles. It comes with a Wii Balance Board that can be used for doing aerobics, strength training, yoga, and balancing games. This system does so much to encourage its users to be active. The Wii Balance Board is also a scale and is calibrated to notice subtle movements for each game.

You’re not limited to using the Wii Balance Board with the games that come with the Board. There are new games coming out to be played with the Board. If this is a system you think you might enjoy, you’ll want to keep an eye out for them.

Maybe someone in your family really loves to dance more than play sports to get a good workout. Why not purchase a copy of Dance Dance Revolution? Of course, you’ll need a Wii Dance Pad, but playing the game could allow you to learn some new dance moves as well as burn calories and increase stamina.

The Wii games, whether sport-related or not, encourage movement and thought. Children can find games, such as anything with Super Mario, which they’ll enjoy playing and will find it hard to keep still in their seats. Senior adults may enjoy the more leisurely games like golf for fitness but also games that challenge their mind.

If you’re looking for ways to bond with your family, you might want to add family friendly Wii games for group exercise. With Wii games for all ages, skills, and activity levels, it’s no wonder Wii is so popular. You can also expect the company to continue to make games the whole family can play together.

Best Quality Dance Pads for Serious DDR Players

dmartin69 — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:28:12 +0000

Dance Dance Revolution has evolved to be one of the trendiest games. There is a huge following and people always await the next release. For the people that have lived under a rock or in Amish areas DDR is a game where players dance to a song by stepping to the beat and pressing arrows on the dance pad in conjunction to the arrows that appear on the screen. The Dance Pad that you play on is very important. If you are a serious player or you foresee a large ammount of usage you need to consider a top end pad. I would like to provide you with the latest info on the Best pads availible.

The following review will cover the following Dance Pads…

ION Master
ION Pro
Energy Arcade

First up is the DDR ION Master PadAfter numerous designing, engineering, prototyping and testing sessions, the newly designed commercial grade iON Master Arcade Metal Dance Pad has finally arrived. Our goal is to develop the industry’s greatest DDR arcade metal dance pad for both exercising and gaming purposes. The iON Master Arcade Metal Dance Pad is excellent for both beginners and aggressive advanced players; most importantly, the iON Master Arcade Metal Dance Pad is designed for fitness exercise players. The iON Master Arcade Metal Dance Pad utilizes Soft Bounce Advanced Technology; it is designed to extend DDR game play. Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) games require heavy stomping and players can become fatigue easily. The soft bounce effect absorbs your energy from your ankle, resulting in less stomping on the rigid arrow panel. You can now extend DDR game play, have a longer exercises and burn more calories at the same time.

Most importantly, the iON Master Arcade Metal Dance Pad is well designed in material and structure. Utilizing heavy duty stretched metal, the iON Master Arcade Metal Dance Pad is significantly stronger and thicker, with weights distributed to the perimeter, the iON Master Arcade Metal Dance Pad has increased stability and longer life span than any other metal dance pads in the market. Many metal pads in the market cannot absorb the heavy stomping, which results in bent or cracked arrows. With all these great improvements, the iON Master Arcade Metal Dance Pad will be your best bang for the buck.

The iON Master Arcade Metal Dance Pad also has enhanced thick metal panels, which are now raised so that you can sense your position on the metal dance pad. The raised buttons help those who tend to lose their positions on the dance pad, and make their game play even more precise. More over, the handle bar of the iON Master Arcade Metal Dance Pad has been greatly improved, and it provides extra stability and durability. This is perfect for advanced, aggressive players. The iON Master Arcade is suitable for both commercial, school, recreational facilities and home use.

The iON Master Arcade Metal Dance Pad is a master piece to master the Dance Dance Revolution game.

Next up is the ION Pro

This commercial graded iON Pro metal pad manufactures with the brake through new Tapeswitch sensor technology. The design of Tapeswitch is extremely sensitive product for electronic signaling and sensing applications. This is a similar sensor technology utilized in the DDR Arcade Machine. The new iON pro metal pad is incredibly heavy duty. Such a super quality metal pad is definitely the ideal solution for commercial or home use.

Next up is the Energy Arcade

This incredible dance pad features the super sensitive-definitely no more delay technology with our brand new look design and offers 3 in One multi-platform plug works flawlessly with the PS&PS2, Xbox, and PC via USB. From complete novices to experienced experts, you can now experience skill level that can match your abilities. Whether you are competing against the challenge of the game or you are seeking particular opponents to match your wits and dexterity, this Energy Series will provide you with a completely new and rich experience.

Dance Dance Revolution – 5 Tips to Greatly Improve Scores

dmartin69 — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:59:06 +0000

So you picked up Dance Dance Revolution did you? Good for you, it’s a fun game that you’ll surely enjoy. I’m sure you’ve watched someone that was really good and thought, “Wow, how are they that good?” These 5 tips will help you get there!

Don’t Put Your Feet In the Middle

This is the one I see the most and it drives me nuts every time I see it. There is no penalty for leaving your foot on the arrow, so leave it there. NEVER bring it back into the middle. If you do that, you’re doing twice the work, once to the arrow, then once back to the middle. Your feet should never be in the middle.

Alternate Feet as Much as Possible

I’ve noticed a lot of people seem to have a “favorite” foot that they use whenever possible. Avoid this, high speed songs need both feet. Do your best to alternate your feet on every arrow.

Learn to do Crossovers

Going along with the last tip, learn crossovers. They are effective, look cool, and are a must for nearly every tough song. Picture you are alternating feet. Lets say you start with a left (with your left foot), down (with your right), then right (with your left). You’ll see you have to “crossover” your body to get your left foot there. That’s it! It’ll feel weird at first, but you have to do it to get good. A lot of songs go “left, down, right, down, left, down, right, etc” in fast fashion. Imagine trying to do that without a crossover! Try “spin the disc” standard if you have that song for a good practice. Very hard songs will make that even worse, with a series like “left, down, right, UP”…try that one out for a second and you’ll see the problem. That is called a “spin” and those look awesome but are VERY hard.

Learn Gallops

You’ve probably seen these too. A bunch of 1/4 notes followed by a 1/16th note. It’s hard to explain, you’ll know them when you see them. You have to “gallop” to do them. Almost bounce to them. It’s almost like doing a jump (two arrows at a time), but one foot falls just a split second behind the other. Songs like Tsugaru use them.

Don’t Stomp

I see this one a lot too. People just stomping on the pad. While I understand it isn’t truly dancing, flow with it a bit. Don’t stand there, arms stiffly to your side, stomping like a mad man. Flow with the song as if you were dancing. Don’t be afraid to get your arms into it. Bystanders will enjoy it too if you really get into it. “Cowgirl” is a fun one to pretend to be whirling a lasso above your head during the song. Stomping also slows you down a lot. It takes a lot of energy to stomp and is very slow. Just step to the beat.

Those 5 quick tips should really help a staring player get a good foundation at playing DDR! Just remember, NO feet in the middle, alternate those feet, learn crossovers and gallops, and do NOT stomp!