DDR is all about having fun, so I always say

[the gattchoon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o67WAyfQwwA

I found this in my files; I made it last year. Just compiled a few clips from videos I had and some old pictures. It doesn't wholly represent the "old school" DDR Freak scene, but just the point I always try to make, about how DDR is supposed to fun. I mean, after all, it is just a game.

I might make a new one, longer, and more of a variety of the NorCal old school DDR'ers that I know and whatnot.

=)

[danc1005]

Pretty cool, but how come you only showed the freestyle aspect of DDR. Lol PA is fun, too!

-Dan

[SoDeepPolaris]

Pretty cool, but how come you only showed the freestyle aspect of DDR. Lol PA is fun, too!

-Dan

PA was less influential back then than Freestyle was. Atleast where I played it was.

[the gattchoon]

Pretty cool, but how come you only showed the freestyle aspect of DDR. Lol PA is fun, too!

-Dan

Now honestly, why would I stock up on clips of people PA'ing? Does it really help to watch people PA against each other? I mean, it's not gonna make me better or give me ideas or anything. =P

Unless, of course, it was a PA/Freestyle competition, both at once! Hahaha. =P

[Arka]

It is my firm belief that all freestyles should (theoretically) allow their performers to pull a full perfect combo. However, PA in and of itself isn't usually that interesting to me unless something else happens (e.g., two competitors are very badly matched, one makes a point of "dying" at the end of the song, one does something weird during the PA)... I've seen a few really entertaining freestyles that masqueraded as PAs, though. (Heck, I was involved in one once, though it went... interestingly.)

Re: the video - aww...

It was interesting to watch the photo section, because I've always thought of DDRFreak as this incredibly large, primarily distributed community. You must have had a very, very different experience of it.

And the freestyle videos were, as always, very cool. Yours were among the highlights, but the 1, 2, 3, 4... routine looked promising, and the shot where the two guys tackled each other off the pad was just funny.

Keep them coming! Create new ones if necessary!

[the gattchoon]

It was interesting to watch the photo section, because I've always thought of DDRFreak as this incredibly large, primarily distributed community. You must have had a very, very different experience of it.

Again, DDR Freak is very large now. I continued being a part of the community up until it was probably the size that IndyDDR is now. Or maybe a little bit more.

And then again, I can't take pictures of everyone, and I had my group of people that I mainly hung out with/talked to (and mostly still talk to). The people in the pictures were probably the people I was closer to and did more with.

And the freestyle videos were, as always, very cool. Yours were among the highlights, but the 1, 2, 3, 4... routine looked promising, and the shot where the two guys tackled each other off the pad was just funny.

I know, and my brother is in it a lot too... haha! Oh that's why I said I needed to make a new one! I was really just messing around with Windows Movie Makers... that was one of few videos I made when I messed around... the other two are like clips of family home videos. This one was supposed to turn out just a family thing, but then it started to include others! Hahaha! =P

[Arka]

It was interesting to watch the photo section, because I've always thought of DDRFreak as this incredibly large, primarily distributed community. You must have had a very, very different experience of it.

Again, DDR Freak is very large now. I continued being a part of the community up until it was probably the size that IndyDDR is now. Or maybe a little bit more.

And then again, I can't take pictures of everyone, and I had my group of people that I mainly hung out with/talked to (and mostly still talk to). The people in the pictures were probably the people I was closer to and did more with.

Yes, I understand - and intellectually, I suppose I was aware that DDRFreak probably started small and got bigger in general terms - but it was interesting to *see* it. That statement didn't really make sense, did it? Bah, I give up, too tired to be coherent.

And the freestyle videos were, as always, very cool. Yours were among the highlights, but the 1, 2, 3, 4... routine looked promising, and the shot where the two guys tackled each other off the pad was just funny.

I know, and my brother is in it a lot too... haha! Oh that's why I said I needed to make a new one! I was really just messing around with Windows Movie Makers... that was one of few videos I made when I messed around... the other two are like clips of family home videos. This one was supposed to turn out just a family thing, but then it started to include others! Hahaha! =P

Heh. Yay for Windows Movie Maker. Yay for project evolution, too! It could be worse; it could have started out a family memory and ended up an AMV.

[The X]

My .02 is PA only shows that the only way to have fun in DDR is to compete with one another, and I HATE competition, but am somehow goaded into it.*THANKS CASEY LOL *

Actually, I agree. DDR SHOULD be about fun and only fun. It a game, and should be treated like one. It about time SOMEONE gets the message around here, as it rapidly seems to be dying out.

But I will also add, people see fun in many ways. To some, playing freestyle is fun. To others, PA is fun. I, personally, just love the game. I can do both PA and FS. I just find FS funner, although I will gladly do either. The challenge of PA is fun in itself. I also like to see just how much I can push myself before I drain out. FS is always funner, though. It's never the same thing twice, and even if it is, It's still fun to do.

Now, if only I could do it without all the preppy girls calling me a showoff.....

[the gattchoon]

But I will also add, people see fun in many ways. To some, playing freestyle is fun. To others, PA is fun. I, personally, just love the game. I can do both PA and FS. I just find FS funner, although I will gladly do either. The challenge of PA is fun in itself. I also like to see just how much I can push myself before I drain out. FS is always funner, though. It's never the same thing twice, and even if it is, It's still fun to do.:

True, PA and FS are both fun. Of course, I have more fun with FS. PA is fun when you're actually (physically) competing with someone in an arcade, at home or whatever, whether in a tournament or not. But, in my opinion, competing is not listing what songs you can or cannot do and posting your scores online. I could say right here, right now that I AAA'ed [insert song here] on heavy, and none of you may never know if I can do such thing because none may ever see me! Of course, I haven't done anything. If I'm not freestyling, I'm not PA'ing either... I'm freaking exercising!

So my point is, DDR's true fun comes down to socializing in person and playing the game. Not reading a few or more people say that they're hella good... even if they do post a picture of their game score. Though, I'm not saying there's a problem with that if you find personal achievement in doing that. Just when you start to act somewhat elitist or all "up there."

Of course, forums are fun, but posting bulletins is certainly not the same as playing DDR. =P

[Ho]

I really appreciate your attitude. The fun and friendship aspect of DDR is what has kept me with it for so long. We both seem to have started out in a time when DDR was new, in our own respective regions. The community was small and close-knit.

As it has grown and become more mainstream, it's no wonder that the community relationships around the game aren't as tight as they used to be. And in the process, some of the fun that we remember from the early days seems to have disappeared.

The X makes a good point about different things being fun to different people. Part of our perception of people missing the fun may simply be that things aren't the way we remember them.

I'm really speaking for myself here, but I hope my use of the word 'we' isn't putting words in your mouth. I'm just identifying with you because the little bit that I've learned about you makes me feel that we may have had similar early DDR experiences.