Dance Dance Revolution and Me

My entry for that Konami contest

I first played DDR sometime in 2000 at a miniature golf place. The second time I played DDR was in someone's garage (someone I didn't especially like either!). Then I played a version of Konamix in a demo kiosk. Every time I came across the game I knew it was something special and I wanted it in my home. Unfortunately for me, I never had a PS1 and not a PS2 until 4 years after the release. Once I did though, nothing stopped me from playing the hell out of each and every release as they appeared.

I mostly lost interest in playing around 2006 but continued to buy every new release. I still maintain this habit because it's amusing to me to know that I own every US released version of DDR. I recently fell out of this pattern with the newest releases of "DanceDanceRevolution" on PS3 and 360, but those will be coming into my collection soon enough. I must say though I don't like how Konami is so stingy with DLC and how much it costs. Why pay for it when I can play Stepmania or my hacked In The Groove with all the songs?

Anyway, even though I stopped playing in 2006 I still found myself playing from time to time. Whenever I come across DDR in an arcade I must play. I still manage to impress the unsuspecting with a few heavy songs, but honestly, after that I nearly pass out. I'm no longer a teen! It's the culmination of these events and renewed interest in the series that I figured it was time to start playing again. I can't play the hardest songs for more than 2 or 3 rounds now, but that's what playing it again will help. So I'm playing the game for 20 minute bursts (increasing weekly) on the medium difficulty. I'm hoping this'll increase my stamina enough to get back into proper DDR-ing form.

What am I doing this for? Me, basically. There are now official Konami-sponsored DDR competitions now, but they are soulless. Besides, anyone who was once big in the scene really has moved onto other things by now. If I really wanted to I'm pretty sure I could place in regional tourneys, but that's not what I seek. I'm playing to rekindle my relationship with the game and maybe get some exercise in the process.