does anyone have the dance video games?
alisonslp
DD fell in love with a dance video game at an arcade we went to
recently. It the one where there are five large circles on the floor
that light up and tell you where to put your feet. In front of you
there is a video screen with a dancer doing the moves. The dance steps
get progressivley more difficult and faster. While my dd didn't try it
(she thought it might be too hard, even though I told her it was for
fun and didn't matter if she couldn't keep up), she came home and
began doing some play related to it, using a toy that has several lit
buttons with music, saying that she's practicing so the next time
see's at the arcade she can try it..
I know there are some video games that have this dance thing. I've
seen them on the TV but I don't know if they are any good or if they
are designed for older kids (she's 6). We don't have any of the
traditional video games (game boy, nintendo, etc) and prefer to keep
them out of our house as long as we can. Neither of them have any
interest in them at this point anyway. When they do, then we will look
into them.
If anyone has one of these dance games, could you let me know what
your experiences have been? I'm going to check the reviews on amazon
as well...thanks!
Alison
recently. It the one where there are five large circles on the floor
that light up and tell you where to put your feet. In front of you
there is a video screen with a dancer doing the moves. The dance steps
get progressivley more difficult and faster. While my dd didn't try it
(she thought it might be too hard, even though I told her it was for
fun and didn't matter if she couldn't keep up), she came home and
began doing some play related to it, using a toy that has several lit
buttons with music, saying that she's practicing so the next time
see's at the arcade she can try it..
I know there are some video games that have this dance thing. I've
seen them on the TV but I don't know if they are any good or if they
are designed for older kids (she's 6). We don't have any of the
traditional video games (game boy, nintendo, etc) and prefer to keep
them out of our house as long as we can. Neither of them have any
interest in them at this point anyway. When they do, then we will look
into them.
If anyone has one of these dance games, could you let me know what
your experiences have been? I'm going to check the reviews on amazon
as well...thanks!
Alison
Schuyler
We have a nintendo gamecube with Mario's Dancemat and game. Linnaea, who is
also 6, loves it. It isn't desperately hard, but can be if you want it to.
Gamecubes are really cheap, so you can probably get one and the mat for not
too much money. I don't know what they cost in the U.S., but in the U.K. we
replaced our broken one with a new one for about 30 pounds. You can do
alternate trials, and, I imagine, you could get two mats and go head to
head. It is really fun.
Schuyler
www.waynforth.blogspot.com
also 6, loves it. It isn't desperately hard, but can be if you want it to.
Gamecubes are really cheap, so you can probably get one and the mat for not
too much money. I don't know what they cost in the U.S., but in the U.K. we
replaced our broken one with a new one for about 30 pounds. You can do
alternate trials, and, I imagine, you could get two mats and go head to
head. It is really fun.
Schuyler
www.waynforth.blogspot.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "alisonslp" <alisonslp@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, December 02, 2006 4:54 PM
Subject: [unschoolingbasics] does anyone have the dance video games?
> DD fell in love with a dance video game at an arcade we went to
> recently. It the one where there are five large circles on the floor
> that light up and tell you where to put your feet. In front of you
> there is a video screen with a dancer doing the moves. The dance steps
> get progressivley more difficult and faster. While my dd didn't try it
> (she thought it might be too hard, even though I told her it was for
> fun and didn't matter if she couldn't keep up), she came home and
> began doing some play related to it, using a toy that has several lit
> buttons with music, saying that she's practicing so the next time
> see's at the arcade she can try it..
>
> I know there are some video games that have this dance thing. I've
> seen them on the TV but I don't know if they are any good or if they
> are designed for older kids (she's 6). We don't have any of the
> traditional video games (game boy, nintendo, etc) and prefer to keep
> them out of our house as long as we can. Neither of them have any
> interest in them at this point anyway. When they do, then we will look
> into them.
>
> If anyone has one of these dance games, could you let me know what
> your experiences have been? I'm going to check the reviews on amazon
> as well...thanks!
>
> Alison
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
Joyce Fetteroll
On Dec 2, 2006, at 11:54 AM, alisonslp wrote:
LOVE it. It has gotten a lot of use. *Definitely* get 2 mats. The
PS2s (as well as the GameCubes come to think of it) should be cheaper
since the new game systems from both companies just came out. You can
get used ones on eBay as well as refurbished ones at gaming stores
like GameStop.
(At the time we were looking at getting DDR, I think the GameCube
version wasn't as good which may have changed since then. As far as
other video games go, the GameCube has gotten a lot more use, but the
used PS2 we bought just for DDR was well worth it for the amount of
time we've played it.)
The pads you need to get new. You're going to see a lot of mention of
failed pads in your research but lots of the pads are being used by
teens who quickly move up to levels the beginning pads aren't meant
to handle. We got ours at GameStop and they've held up well for less
than $20 each and should work fine for a 6 yo (and mom :-). (We're
ready to move onto better pads since they are beginning to fail.)
society see children sucked into games wasting time. Children know
better! They're hugely challenging puzzles! They're like a chess game
with new rules for each game. Games draw on mapping skills, 3D
visualization, reading, math concepts, strategy, planning .... Even
when kids "cheat" (eg, look at walkthroughs on line) they're using
good problem solving techniques. (As an adult if you know someone has
already found a solution to an annoying part of a problem it's good
strategy to check out that solution so you can move onto more
important and interesting parts of the problem.)
And it's been a bonding time too :-) I play Dance Dance Revolution
and Pokemon and Animal Crossing with my daughter. I even have my own
Nintendo DS (the upgraded Gameboy) and copy of Animal Crossing so we
can visit each others' towns. (I got it for Mother's Day :-)
There was a good discussion of a book on UnschoolingDiscussion recently:
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> If anyone has one of these dance games, could you let me know whatWe've Dance Dance Revolution for the PS2 for about 2 years and we
> your experiences have been? I'm going to check the reviews on amazon
> as well...thanks!
LOVE it. It has gotten a lot of use. *Definitely* get 2 mats. The
PS2s (as well as the GameCubes come to think of it) should be cheaper
since the new game systems from both companies just came out. You can
get used ones on eBay as well as refurbished ones at gaming stores
like GameStop.
(At the time we were looking at getting DDR, I think the GameCube
version wasn't as good which may have changed since then. As far as
other video games go, the GameCube has gotten a lot more use, but the
used PS2 we bought just for DDR was well worth it for the amount of
time we've played it.)
The pads you need to get new. You're going to see a lot of mention of
failed pads in your research but lots of the pads are being used by
teens who quickly move up to levels the beginning pads aren't meant
to handle. We got ours at GameStop and they've held up well for less
than $20 each and should work fine for a 6 yo (and mom :-). (We're
ready to move onto better pads since they are beginning to fail.)
> We don't have any of theI used to feel that way too. But it was a big mistake! Adults in
> traditional video games (game boy, nintendo, etc) and prefer to keep
> them out of our house as long as we can.
society see children sucked into games wasting time. Children know
better! They're hugely challenging puzzles! They're like a chess game
with new rules for each game. Games draw on mapping skills, 3D
visualization, reading, math concepts, strategy, planning .... Even
when kids "cheat" (eg, look at walkthroughs on line) they're using
good problem solving techniques. (As an adult if you know someone has
already found a solution to an annoying part of a problem it's good
strategy to check out that solution so you can move onto more
important and interesting parts of the problem.)
And it's been a bonding time too :-) I play Dance Dance Revolution
and Pokemon and Animal Crossing with my daughter. I even have my own
Nintendo DS (the upgraded Gameboy) and copy of Animal Crossing so we
can visit each others' towns. (I got it for Mother's Day :-)
There was a good discussion of a book on UnschoolingDiscussion recently:
> "Don't Bother Me Mom--I'm Learning" How Computer and Video GamesJoyce
> Are Preparing Your Kids For 21st Century Success--and How You Can
> Help!
> by Marc Prensky
>
> A profoundly counter-culture case FOR video games and how they help
> kids (and adults) learn. He describes kids as being Digital
> Natives while adults are Digital Immigrants, and how Immigrants
> teaching Natives causes problems. It's a compelling idea. Our
> kids have been born into technology while we have had to adapt to it.
>
> some quotes:
>
> "But perhaps the most important lesson you'll learn is how to
> augment and improve what your children are learning, by having
> conversations--that they want to have--about their games.
>
> I strongly believe that there is great benefit to all parties,
> young and old, from understanding more about this phenomenon that
> so engages our young people."
>
> "whenever I go to school I have to 'power down'" -- a student.
> "Today's game-playing kid enters the first grade able to do and
> understand so many complex things--from building, to flying, to
> reasoning--that the curriculum they are given feels to them like
> their mind is being put in a strait jacket, or that their milk is
> being laced with sedatives. Every time they go to school they
> must, in the words of one student, "power down."
>
> "It's not attention deficit--I'm just not listening! I believe our
> kids will start listening again when we begin to listen, and to
> value their passions and developing skills."
>
> some chapter titles:
>
> "What Kids Are Learning (On Their Own)"
> "Economics and Business Lessons for a 10-Year-Old From a Computer
> Game"
> "How Kids Learn To Cooperate In Video Games"
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Michelle Leifur Reid
On 12/2/06, alisonslp <alisonslp@...> wrote:
most of the Dance Dance Revolutions and require more dance like moves
(especially on the harder versions). I was afraid that Keon wouldn't
be able to do it, but he can and he loves it. Dances all the time on
it. (OK, it looks more like hopping around with him, but he can still
do it) There are also different versions like the one where it quits
whenever you make a mistake or continues going even if you do make a
mistake. The only thing I don't like about it is that it gives you a
grade at the end and Keon for a while was having a very hard time
getting over the fact that he was making an F. You could make an F if
you were too slow or missed even a few. There are definitely some
easier songs on it.
There was a Disney DDR that was released some time back for the Play
Station (the original PS not the PS2) and I don't think that it works
with the PS2, but the game systems for the PS are super cheap right
now on ebay (Gamestop and EB Games no longer carry refurbished PS1's)
We have gotten some PS1 games to work on our PS2 system, but not all
do. It's something to investigate.
The advantage that I can see in DDR over PIU is that PIU has (at this
time) only one version although quite a few songs on it while DDR has
several different versions which I see all the time at EB Games so you
can buy them used and sell them back if you don't like them. PIU,
though, has the arrows going diagonally front and back which feels
more natural than the DDR which are forward, back, and sides.
There are versions that you can get that are PC compatible. I don't
know too much about them. I just know that the kids have mentioned
it, but there isn't a good space in the hobby room to set up a mat.
Michelle
> DD fell in love with a dance video game at an arcade we went toWe have Pump It Up for PlayStation 2. It is much more difficult than
> recently.
most of the Dance Dance Revolutions and require more dance like moves
(especially on the harder versions). I was afraid that Keon wouldn't
be able to do it, but he can and he loves it. Dances all the time on
it. (OK, it looks more like hopping around with him, but he can still
do it) There are also different versions like the one where it quits
whenever you make a mistake or continues going even if you do make a
mistake. The only thing I don't like about it is that it gives you a
grade at the end and Keon for a while was having a very hard time
getting over the fact that he was making an F. You could make an F if
you were too slow or missed even a few. There are definitely some
easier songs on it.
There was a Disney DDR that was released some time back for the Play
Station (the original PS not the PS2) and I don't think that it works
with the PS2, but the game systems for the PS are super cheap right
now on ebay (Gamestop and EB Games no longer carry refurbished PS1's)
We have gotten some PS1 games to work on our PS2 system, but not all
do. It's something to investigate.
The advantage that I can see in DDR over PIU is that PIU has (at this
time) only one version although quite a few songs on it while DDR has
several different versions which I see all the time at EB Games so you
can buy them used and sell them back if you don't like them. PIU,
though, has the arrows going diagonally front and back which feels
more natural than the DDR which are forward, back, and sides.
There are versions that you can get that are PC compatible. I don't
know too much about them. I just know that the kids have mentioned
it, but there isn't a good space in the hobby room to set up a mat.
Michelle
alisonslp
Thanks everyone! You all have such great info.. I'm not sure what we
will do at this point. We really can't afford a whole gaming system
(though I'll have to check ebay for used systems), but I have found a
few dance only systems (for TV as well as PC) that are much cheaper
and appear to have good reviews. I think we will probably go that
route for Christmas, but we also have a huge consignment sale coming
up in Jan, where I might be able to find a used game cube or PS
system, and then just buy new mats.
alison
will do at this point. We really can't afford a whole gaming system
(though I'll have to check ebay for used systems), but I have found a
few dance only systems (for TV as well as PC) that are much cheaper
and appear to have good reviews. I think we will probably go that
route for Christmas, but we also have a huge consignment sale coming
up in Jan, where I might be able to find a used game cube or PS
system, and then just buy new mats.
alison
Amy
I see you have decided already but I just wanted to say that we too
bought the ps2 mainly for ddr and have had great fun with it (our
whole family and extended family as well). We too bought our system
game and pads from Game Stop and couldn't be happier. :-0 It is fun
and great exercise for the entire family when it is cold or rainy
outisde.
--- In [email protected], "alisonslp" <alisonslp@...>
wrote:
bought the ps2 mainly for ddr and have had great fun with it (our
whole family and extended family as well). We too bought our system
game and pads from Game Stop and couldn't be happier. :-0 It is fun
and great exercise for the entire family when it is cold or rainy
outisde.
--- In [email protected], "alisonslp" <alisonslp@...>
wrote:
>
> Thanks everyone! You all have such great info.. I'm not sure what we
> will do at this point. We really can't afford a whole gaming system
> (though I'll have to check ebay for used systems), but I have found a
> few dance only systems (for TV as well as PC) that are much cheaper
> and appear to have good reviews. I think we will probably go that
> route for Christmas, but we also have a huge consignment sale coming
> up in Jan, where I might be able to find a used game cube or PS
> system, and then just buy new mats.
>
> alison
>
Dawn Bennink
One piece of advice, Amy. I've been discussing a problem with PS2s with
some unschooling gamers recently, so it reminds me to tell you that if you
play DVDs in the PS2, there could be problems causing the whole unit to stop
functioning. It seems to be a fairly common issue. So just play games and
all should be well.
Dawn
Who only owns Nintendo stuff but has lots of PS2 and Xbox friends
some unschooling gamers recently, so it reminds me to tell you that if you
play DVDs in the PS2, there could be problems causing the whole unit to stop
functioning. It seems to be a fairly common issue. So just play games and
all should be well.
Dawn
Who only owns Nintendo stuff but has lots of PS2 and Xbox friends