This ubiquitous videogame—seen everywhere from movie theater arcades to living rooms—features a platform marked with directional arrows, which the player dances on to match the arrows scrolling up the video screen. It’s a high-energy game, and it doesn’t take an exercise scientist to know to see the physical benefits being gained as the sweat pours.
Dance Dance Revolution has been a videogame phenomenon for more than a decade and is even starting to pop up in schools around the country as part of the physical education curriculum. It’s a fun and effective way to remind kids of the joy of physical activity and movement. The game has three modes, and an ACE-commissioned research study found that players using the light mode burned an average of 5.9 calories per minute, users of the standard mode burned an average of 7.7 calories per minute, and users of the difficult mode burned an average of 9.4 calories per minute, which is the equivalent of cycling 12 to 14 miles per hour and similar to what people burn when performing high-impact aerobics.
Dance Dance Revolution certainly provides enough physical activity to result in significant weight loss if used regularly, which is great news in light of the growing obesity epidemic among both adults and children.
For additional information, see the ACE Research Study on Dance Dance Revolution.
What we liked:
- Researchers found that adults got just as good of a workout as the teenagers, even though they weren’t doing nearly as well in the game.
- This game may provide a great brain workout as well, as it takes tremendous focus to keep up with the quickly scrolling arrows, and then to synchronize your body’s movements to what is seen on screen.
What we didn't like:
October 9, 2009