DDR Joins the 21st Century with Official Online Community

Hey, put down that guitar controller for a second. Yeah, the Wiimote, too. Look toward that dusty corner of your bedroom, at the dance mat with all the arrows on it. Remember how much joy it used to give, before you realized you could have just as much fun with “star power” and not having to actually move around? Konami wants you to dust it off and get nostalgic, thanks to their new online community for DDR fans. The site is part of Konami’s year-long celebration of the tenth anniversary of their mega-hit dance rhythm game.

Has it really been ten years since sweaty teens lined up in front of DDR arcade sets, as the over-thirty crowd shook their heads in confusion? Now those teens have grown into walking DDR memorabilia, full-circle thirty-somethings. And now, they have an official online arena to meet and talk eye-foot coordination.

There has been a large online following for this game for many years, albeit tucked away, out of finger-jockeys’ sight. But now, it’s official. You can share scores, take polls and talk in message boards about your favorite foot game. And, if you play Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2 with Xbox Live, you can upload your stats directly to the web. This could be the push needed to breathe new air into the franchise.

I may not have been one of the sweat-drenched teens oozing toward the arcade, but I always loved having a Revolution at home. I have to admit, I still prefer this game to Guitar Hero. It remains my rainy day alternative to a run around the lake. It’s even used in health clubs and school fitness programs all over America. It helped redefine how we looked at playing games.

So why take it to this level so late in the game? Well, for one thing: the rhythm game genre is hotter than ever. New concepts are coming out all the time, and DDR will always be considered a major movement in the field. It paved the way for games like Karaoke Revolution and the still-sizzling Rock Band. A lot of the DDR tournaments in arcades may have been replaced by Guitar Hero contests at the bar, but people have been stomping away at those same arrows since 1998—they aren’t stopping anytime soon.