Ddr Ethnography

Trends have come and gone over the years. Since the beginning of time, certain movements tend to sweep away our time; however, most lose interest in the topic, leaving it as a trend, where it was popular only in it's time. For example, in the 70's and 80's, hard metal rock came out where rock stars grew their hair out long and started the head bang where they would swing their hair in the air. However, that quickly ended and music has since evolved. Also in the 80's, video games came out and swept the nation by storm with Nintendo and Atari systems. However, video games have since evolved into Playstations and Xboxes and more energetic games like Dance Dance Revolution and Drumania. Therefore, this shows that certain trends can emerge into even more complex idea. Dance Dance Revolution is a video game where a person is to watch a monitor screen where arrows show up, and you follow the steps with your own feet, giving a challenging game that also allows you to exercise.

"The dance platform/mat has four panels, which have up, down, left, and right on them, represented in arrows" (Ing). "The arrows rise toward the top of the screen," as you follow and correspond with your feet (Ing). It was one of a kind when it came out; giving the children of the world an actual reason to play video games. This way, parents could not complain to their children that their games were making them lazy and that they were wasting their time. In fact, many reviews have said that Dance Dance Revolution is "a great game to lose weight or stay in shape with" (Ing). Because of these reasons, Dance Dance Revolution became a huge hit when it first came out in Japan and the United States. Therefore, Dance Dance Revolution, over time, has become a huge hit and had evolved into its own culture in some ways.

Originally coming out in October of 1998 in Japan, Dance Dance Revolution was the first game that required you to use your body to play. Benami, the company that makes Dance Dance

Revolution never thought that it would blow up like it did. Jessica Belasco said it is "the biggest youth phenomenon that most people have never heard of" (Belasco). Consequently, Benami went into full production early to release the game into the United States due to high demand in the states. Accordingly, Dance Dance Revolution also became a hit in the United States in early 1999. Arcades across the world were starting to fill up with these DDR machines. Also, Benami came out with home systems made for Sony Playstation, so people could play and practice their Dance Dance Revolution skills at home as well. This brought in even more money to Benami. Currently, Dance Dance Revolution is still going strong coming out with new "mixes" (versions) ever year to be released in arcades around the world as well as on disc for Sony Playstation and Playstation 2 for play in the home.

The game Dance Dance Revolution has really been a hit all over the world. Because of this explosion, Dance Dance Revolution has also become its own culture. It has its own meanings, language, and even people. Many people like Dance Dance Revolution for many different reasons. Some like it because it is conveniently in the arcade where they can play it. Some like it for the workout and actually become addicted to it. Some like it for the music that plays in the background of the game. I met up with some of these DDR people to ask them a few question on Dance Dance Revolution and its characteristics. First, my main informant, Colin Wang, takes part in an interview held at an arcade at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada:

Adam:On the record, what race are you?

Colin: Taiwanese

Adam: What attracts you to Dance Dance Revolution?

Colin: Mostly the workout.

Adam: Why do you play Dance Dance Revolution? Workout, to be the best, for fun?

Colin: To lose weight. So I guess to workout.

Adam: Why do you think there is a connection between Dance Dance Revolution and Asians?

Colin: Dance Dance Revolution was originally was made in Japan. Japanese people are Asian so there is a connection because they were the first one's to play Dance Dance Revolution.

Adam: Why did Dance Dance Revolution become so famous?

Colin: Well Dance Dance Revolution is one of the most physical games made. And it was one of the first of its kind. That is why it is famous.

Adam: How much money do you think you spend in one month on Dance Dance Revolution?

Colin: I spend about $40 a month on Dance Dance Revolution.

Adam: Do you enjoy and have a connection with the music?

Adam: Do you play for respect from other people?

Colin: I don't know.

Adam: Describe the steps in Dance Dance Revolution.

Colin: Lowest to Highest: Miss, Boo, Good, Great, Perfect, and lastly marvelous. To achieve a great score, you must have lots of perfects and greats.

Adam: Grades?

Colin: Highest to Lowest: AAA, AA, A, B, C, D, and lastly E. The steps and grades depend on the timing of your steps with the beat.

Adam: Do you like the hold step? What is it exactly?

Colin: The hold step is where you have to plant your feet