The evolution of revolution!
King students prove there is such a thing as a healthy video game
by Linda Ryan

A classroom revolution does not sound like a very good idea … unless it is the one taking place in Claudia Grimes’ physical education classes at King Elementary School. Students are improving coordination and boosting energy with the video game Dance, Dance Revolution. What began as a Japanese arcade game in the late 1990s has evolved into a full-on exercise phenomenon.

Even before studies revealed that an estimated 30 percent of American children are overweight, the Mitchell family was already sold on the game. In 2005, Ellen Mitchell, a former fifth-grader at King, studied DDR for her annual Science Fair experiment. Ellen’s younger sister, Natalie, told Grimes that Ellen was testing a hypothesis that video games may be good for you. Grimes loaned Ellen a heart rate monitor and anything else she might need to conduct her experiment. When the Science Fair rolled around, Ellen set up her experiment in the King hallway. 

“Students were drawn to it,” says Grimes. “They all wanted to give it a try. Some were good at it right away; others kept trying. While parents watched the experiment, I asked them if they thought it was a good idea for my classes to use DDR.”

Parents were fascinated by a video game with health benefits; so, with a aid of a PTA donation, Grimes purchased DDR equipment and introduced it into her classes in fall 2006.

The game is played on a dance pad plugged into a TV screen. The pad has four arrow panels – left, down, up, and right – that are pressed using the player’s feet. The arrows are synchronized to the rhythm of a chosen song, and success depends on the dancer’s ability to mimic what he or she sees on TV.

The higher the level, the tougher the technique, the more the player sweats. Users choose which song and level they would like to play. Home versions of the game can calculate and keep a diary of how many calories a player burns.

On a recent winter day, energetic King fourth-graders were engrossed in the patterns rolling across the TV screen in the gym. Familiar with the procedure, their feet quickly found the correct places on the few available dance pads while others followed the patterns on the bare gym floor. The beat of the music pounded out; and students followed along, forgetting the long-term benefits of their exercise and simply enjoying the challenge.

“I dance for 15-30 minutes at a time, and I love it,” says Natalie Mitchell, whose older sister Ellen started King’s exercise revolution. “I have better coordination because of this game.”

Breana Vinson, face flushed from the exertion of completing a tricky routine, seconds Natalie’s opinion, “This game gives me more muscle. It’s my favorite … along with jumping rope. I go to the gym with my mom, and now I have an easier time keeping up with her.”

Tory Kovalchick, who grooves to DDR for an hour at a time, liked the game so much that he saved his money and bought his own version for playing at home. Tory credits DDR with better hand-eye — or foot-eye — coordination and feels the game will help keep him healthy.

“Anything that gets kids moving is a good thing,” says Grimes. “My students love it; and I’ve seen wonderful benefits, from increased coordination and more energy to enthusiasm for physical exercise.”

↓ Click on "Other APS Links" below for the complete links list.