 Ever wondered if playing Dancinstage/DDR is an effective form of exercise?
After searching the net for useless information i found out that
scientist in Singapore have calculated how DDR compares with other forms of excercise.
Metrorage.com (Vernon Lee) Reports the following:
You may have seen many youngsters hanging out at video game arcades and prancing on the
immensely popular dance simulation game (DSG) machines. First introduced in Japan in 1998, the
popularity of DSG has since spread to the US, Europe and Asia.
DSG requires a player to be in step with brightly coloured arrows on the machine and the
upbeat dancemusic. Once a player progresses beyond the basic stage,
the game picks up with more difficult dancesteps.
Some say it is a healthy form of exercise but is there a scientific evidence to prove that? A team of
experts in the fields of sports science, sports medicine, physiology and fitness from the Singapore
Sports Council formulated a joint study recently entitled Is The Dance Simulation Game An Effective
Exercise? To give a better medical perspective, the panel used the recommendations of the American College of
Sports Medicine (ACSM) on the quantity and quality of exercise and compare them with its own findings.
A total of 40 student volunteers from Hwa Chong Junior College were engaged for the study where they
had two weeks to acclimatise themselves to a DSG machine and practise. Several forms of
measurements were used: heart rate, oxygen uptake, exercise duration and frequency.
The results showed that the effects of a DSG lasting about six minutes, is comparable to a medium-intensity aerobic dance. In terms of whether DSG can help burn off calories, it was revealed that the calories burn rate for each
session can be compared to a tennis game played at normal pace. In order to attain the desired effects
however, a person would have to play the game three times a week for a total of 43 minutes.
Overall, the study showed that DSG barely fulfils the ACSM minimum guidelines and misses the mark for
exercise duration and frequency. In summary, the panel considered the game a healthy form of exercise,
albeit less effective than say running or swimming.
While the game entails almost negligible risk, the experts recommended that players should wear
comfortable and well-padded shoes, and do warm-ups prior to dancing.
The project went down well with the student volunteers, a few of whom gave a brief demonstration at an
arcade in LeisureDrome. Dwi Wong (17), who owns a portable PlayStation Dance Dance Revolution 3rd
Mix machine, said: "I find dance simulation game a fun alternative to other forms of exercise. In fact, I
practise it at least once a week in front of my television set."
The Original article can be found @
http://www.metroage.com/scene/scene.nsf/PulseBrowseArticlesByDate/DE0287BD4924FE914825696200265ED5
Check it out for the full story.
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