Konami Partners with NASPE to Bring DDR, Walk It Out! to Schools

Console games publisher Konami has partnered with the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) to bring the company's fitness games Dance Dance Revolution and Walk It Out! to public schools in North America. Konami's Dance Dance Revolution series challenges players to step to the beat of high-energy dance music, as indicated by on-screen cues. The franchise spans multiple console generations, and has been a part of physical fitness programs at select schools throughout the United States. The recently released Walk It Out! for the Nintendo Wii uses either Konami's Dance Dance Revolution mat peripheral or Nintendo's Wii Fit Balance Board to track player movement and activity during in-game walking challenges. Konami will provide awards and copies of both games to schools participating in the NASPE STARS program, which honors physical education courses meeting high activity standards. "Dance Dance Revolution and Walk It Out! have been proven to be extremely effective ways of promoting weight loss among today's young people and the games fit in perfectly as part of the physical education curriculum in our nation's schools," said Shinji Hirano, President of Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. Hirano continues: "Dance Dance Revolution and Walk It Out! are not only innovative fitness games, but they are fun and entertaining ways for kids and adults to develop healthy habits and a fitness-oriented lifestyle."