1,500 Schools to Incorporate DDR by 2010
April 30, 2007
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The New York Times has reported that more than 1,500 schools are expected to include Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution in their exercise curriculum by the end of the decade.
West Virginia alone plans to introduce 765 DDR games in its public schools by next year. In February, Konami and the West Virginia Games For Health project revealed the results of a 24-week clinical study into exergaming using Dance Dance Revolution, indicating that regular use of the game “improves arterial function in overweight children.”
“Traditionally, physical education was about team sports and was very skills oriented,” Los Angeles Unified School District’s physical education head Chad Fenwick said. About 40 schools in Fenwick’s district currently offer DDR. “What you’re seeing is a move toward activities where you don’t need to be so great at catching and throwing and things like that, so we can appeal to a wider range of kids.”
The news is the latest to highlight the wellness benefits associated with playing DDR. Earlier this year the XRKade Research Lab, the first university interactive fitness research lab for children, opened at the University of South Florida with the aim to offer new and innovative ways of combating childhood obesity, including DDR. The game is also featured at Texas-based NexGym Fitness Centers, which emphasize exercise through “high-energy fitness activities.’
Leighton Nakamoto, a physical ed teacher in Hawaii explained that “the new physical education” favors “lifetime fitness” over team competition and that “DDR is a part of that. They can do it on their own, and they don’t have to compete with anyone else.”
