PE Classes use Dance Dance Revolution

 

News that Konami‘s Dance Dance Revolution burns calories and is healthy for you aren’t new. You don’t really need scientific studies to support the obvious, especially given all the sweaty DDR players one can run into on a trip to the arcade. What’s news though is that schools have now incorporated the tub-thumping game into their P.E. classes.

You know what? The kids love it.

The New York Times reports that at least several hundred schools in at least 10 states are now using Dance Dance Revolution as a regular part of their physical education curriculum. It is reported that based on plans, more than 1,500 schools are expected to be using the game by the end of this decade.

The system, including the TV and the game console, only costs each school around US$ 500, but most schools spend up to US$ 800 for more robust mats.

Linda M. Carson, a professor at West Virginia University’s School of Physical Education, and director of West Virginia’s Motor Development Center passed by an arcade. “There were all these kids dancing and sweating and actually standing in line and paying money to be physically active. And they were drinking water, not soda. It was a physical educatorÂ’s dream.”

What’s nice about this is that unlike other things asked of you during P.E., you don’t have to be good in DDR to get a work out.

 

News that Konami‘s Dance Dance Revolution burns calories and is healthy for you aren’t new. You don’t really need scientific studies to support the obvious, especially given all the sweaty DDR players one can run into on a trip to the arcade. What’s news though is that schools have now incorporated the tub-thumping game into their P.E. classes.

You know what? The kids love it.

The New York Times reports that at least several hundred schools in at least 10 states are now using Dance Dance Revolution as a regular part of their physical education curriculum. It is reported that based on plans, more than 1,500 schools are expected to be using the game by the end of this decade.

The system, including the TV and the game console, only costs each school around US$ 500, but most schools spend up to US$ 800 for more robust mats.

Linda M. Carson, a professor at West Virginia University’s School of Physical Education, and director of West Virginia’s Motor Development Center passed by an arcade. “There were all these kids dancing and sweating and actually standing in line and paying money to be physically active. And they were drinking water, not soda. It was a physical educatorÂ’s dream.”

What’s nice about this is that unlike other things asked of you during P.E., you don’t have to be good in DDR to get a work out.