When mom told the kids to stop playing video games and go get some exercise, game maker Konami took the advice to heart and put gaming and exercise together.
“Dance Dance Revolution” is a video game that gets players moving to the beat with dance music ranging from techno to reggae. Many of the songs may be unfamiliar to players, but a few familiar songs pop up such as Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping” and The Specials’ “Little Bitch.” This international sensation has found its way to Eugene with three machines in the area.
The game concept is “a breath of fresh air,” according to California DDR gamer Ross Tirona. The 26-year-old is the “Ambassador” for www.ddrfreak.com, one of the larger English sites devoted to DDR. The site has machine locations, chat rooms, links to buy home versions, step charts of songs and even videos of choreographed performances.
When stripped to the basics, game play revolves around touch sensors on a foot pad (though not just for feet) to the beat of the selected song. Arrows scrolling up the screen during the song determine which pad must be touched.
This basic format has been reproduced in many different versions of DDR with different songs, foot pads and multiple player options. Though the concept may sound simple, Tirona said he “failed horribly” his first time playing nearly two years ago.
But instead of being discouraged and giving up, Tirona said he had enough fun to warrant another try, and “the rest is history.”

Serious players put time into routines and even outfits for tournaments held across the country. Tirona said a DDR competition can be anything from local get-togethers to 100-person events with big prizes on the line.
“I have been to tourneys where the first place prize is a DDR machine. Take it from me, if you are giving away a machine or maybe a few hundred dollars, then you will see people practicing whatever they are good at,” Tirona said.
Though most large tournaments generally take place in California, Florida and New York (where DDR machines are more accessible), rumors of an Oregon tournament are floating around the Web site www.ddrinfinity.com., managed by DDR enthusiast Mike Puls. The Oregon Web site lists 14 DDR machines in the state, three of which are in the Eugene/Springfield area — at Putters, Electric Castle’s Wunderland and Tilt.
Nick Trapalis, the president and CEO of Umpqua Amusement, provides the arcade games at Putters. Among them is a DDR 3rd Mix Plus machine. Trapalis said the game was a gamble when he bought it; new machines start at $10,000 — and that doesn’t include the almost constant maintenance for such a physical game. Still, the gamble worked out in Trapalis’ favor. At the moment, the DDR machine is the top earning game in the arcade, and Trapalis is working on acquiring more machines for other locations.
Although DDR has proved to be a cash cow for Trapalis, he only charges a quarter for one game.
“The game should be going for considerably more per play, but we try to create value,” he said.
The strategy seems to be working. Last Thursday, a group of 10 players kept Putters open past closing time. By 8 p.m. Friday, more than 20 people crowded around to watch and play.
Among them was Churchill High School senior Travis Lambert, who showed off his impressive footwork by tackling some of the most difficult songs in the game. He and a friend are working on a choreographed routine to have ready for when an Oregon tournament takes place. Lambert started playing DDR at home in August when the game was relatively new to Eugene.

“I’m glad other people around are playing,” he said. “In August, people thought I was crazy.”
Tirona and Lambert said some DDR players can make fun of people just learning DDR, but most people are welcoming and civil.
DDR has caught the interest of more than just gamers. Hollywood wants in on the action. Hollywood, Make Me A Star! Productions is casting for a movie titled “DDR Freak!” Casting Director Dana Savage said while the movie will be a coming of age story, the game will play an integral part.
Writer and Producer Wes Smith researched DDR for more than a year after seeing people lined up to play in Hong Kong. He has interviewed more than 700 people who play DDR asking questions such as how they were introduced to the game and what it means to them. Smith even shared this research with Konami to help them create new versions of DDR.
Smith and Savage said they have received negative criticism about a DDR movie from some players, but they have also had positive responses. Smith said most of the critics complain about the story, but he explained that the synopsis available online is a bare bones summary for industry purposes and is not indicative of the final product. Smith said he wants to capture the good nature of DDR that he sees when he watches people at his local arcade.
“You’re going to see all ages and all skill levels, but nobody really makes fun of the players,” he said.
Tirona and Lambert both said some DDR players will make fun of people when they are first getting their footing, but for the most part gamers are accepting.