Dance Dance Revolution returns… as a fitness tool for schools

Here’s some barmy news to round up your Friday: Dance Dance Revolution is back, and targeted specifically at schools.

Konami has been demonstrating Dance Dance Revolution: Classroom Edition, a new version of the once-dominating music game, all this week at technology show BETT at London’s ExCeL centre.

The game was released in the US a couple of years ago, and gives schools and fitness centres the ability to encourage entire classes to exercise using Dance Dance Revolution. Classroom Edition is a PC-based SKU of the game, which links up to 48 wireless dance matts and retains the time-tested formula of stomping on arrows in time with those displayed on the screen.

Teachers can use the game to track key statistics for each of their students, such as steps taken, calories burned and an estimated Body Mass Index. They can even program their own sessions. Students, meanwhile, store their progress on a card in order to monitor each of their sessions.

The BETT demonstration was the first time Classroom Edition has been used in the UK. If it proves to be popular, it could see a release.

Might be worth a mention at your next PTA meeting.