Will "dance Dance Revolution" Help You Get Fit?

Imagine pudgy fingers gripping a game controller. That's the image evoked by a growing body of research that links video game use with obesity. For example, a 2004 study of Swiss children published in "Obesity" found an association between electronic game use and body mass index, a measure of fat relative to height. Dance Dance Revolution, affectionately referred to as DDR by its fans, is a video dance game that breaks the classic video game mold and gets game players off their duffs. Unlike the vast majority of its videogame counterparts, this is one game that can help fight obesity and promote fitness.

Video Game and Media Explosion

In a 10-year span, video game use in eight to 18 year-old children almost tripled, rising from 26 minutes per day in 1999 to an average of 73 minutes per day in 2009, reports the Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation. The growth of media use over that same time period mirrors our nation's burgeoning obesity rate. In 2009, eight to 18 year-olds spent an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes using some form of media, including television, video games, DVDs and computers, up from fewer than six and a half hours in 1999. It's not just kids who have grown attached to their media screens. The average video gamer is 34 years old, and the average game purchaser if 40 years old, reports the June 2010 edition of "Variety."

DDR Changes the Game

First released by video game production company Konami in 1998, DDR pioneered the rhythm and dance genre of video games. Players stand on a dance platform or game mat and move their feet in time to original music and classic hits, pressing on floor pads embedded in the platform or mat. They accumulate points and improve their grade rating at the end of the song when they hit their mark on beat. For many, DDR has the same addictive-in-a-good-way quality as other video games that challenge you to increase your skills and reward you by unlocking more challenges. As your rating improves, you have a wider selection of songs to choose from.

It Takes Your Breath Away

If you are not already fit, you'll probably find yourself breathing heavily and reaching for some water after just a few songs. Like dance aerobics or running, DDR works your large, energy-hungry lower muscles, forcing your heart to beat faster and lungs to work harder to deliver oxygen and fuel to your muscles. DDR provided four levels of game play, each at a progressively faster pace that provides a more intense cardio workout. Once you're good enough to do the Maniac, Heavy or Expert level of difficulty, as they're called in different releases of the game, you are likely performing a moderately intense level of cardio exercise. When you do DDR at the higher difficulty levels for 30 minutes or more on a near-daily basis, it enhances your cardiovascular and respiratory fitness. You strengthen your lower body muscles, heart and diaphragm. Your lung capacity improves and your resting heart rate decreases because you deliver more blood with each stroke of your heart.

DDR Calorie Burn

DDR gives you an estimate of the calories you burn based on your weight and the number of steps you take. However, their estimates appear to be high. During DDR your heart rate drops between songs as you pause to make your next selection, and "technical" dancers conserve their body movements so they can hit their marks on cue and not lose points. DDR estimates can tally as high as 600 calories per hour, but given the frequent heart and respiration drops you'll have during the transitions between songs, the calorie burn is likely somewhat less.

Generally, the more you weigh, the more calories you burn. Dances similar to DDR, such as twist, jazz and tap dancing, burn 266 calories per hour if you weigh 130 lbs, 368 calories if you weigh 180 lbs, and 419 calories if you weigh 205 lbs, estimates NutriStrategy.com.