Anthony - Alumnus
How has the DDR Machine / Dance Games at Berkeley impacted you?
When I first found the DDR machine in lower MLK in 2022, I was happy to see that there was support for the game in Berkeley. I enjoyed playing and reliving some memories as I used to play in elementary school. I made some friends and got to be a part of a community that is open to many who share their love for the game. I was sad to hear when Berkeley decided to remove the machine from MLK, as it was an accessible location for members and the public to approach and try the game out. When the machine was brought back to Eshleman 312, I was happy to see support for machine as there became a dedicated area for the machine, while being next to open space for accessibility to others. I have been able to meet and make new friends, as well as share my love for the game through a shared space.
How has the removal of the DDR Machine from Eshleman 312 affected you?
The removal of the DDR Machine makes it harder to meet others regarding DDR. While we have been able to communicate online through our previous connections, the abrupt removal of the machine brought a sudden slow down in communication within the community. Since then, I have not been able to meet others regarding DDR in a common space on campus.
Omid - Community Member
How has the DDR Machine / Dance Games at Berkeley impacted you?
It's a perfect communal space to connect with newcomers to the game. When I was college aged, dance gaming helped me in so many ways it's unimaginable to think about life without it! It helped me make friends, stay in shape, fall in love with music, learn how to compete respectfully, and more. The Cal spot reminded me of what I sort of wish I could have built for myself back in the day.
How has the removal of the DDR Machine from Eshleman 312 affected you?
Well, as someone on the outside, it seems as if the space was taken away for quite asinine reasons. There's a problem if the DDR community was misbehaving and not listening to the needs of the greater Cal community. They abided by everything asked of them and seemed to have the rug swept out from under them literally overnight. This just seems… wrong. I can't think of another word for it. Unjust, maybe? I feel for the community since it was that utopian space I experienced (in my prior paragraph above) and then overnight it was just removed. That's painful. It's unfair. And it's just… stupid. Why not just share feedback with DDR club admins and allow them to rectify any and all issues with the existing setup? Very childish.
Anonymous - Senior
How has the DDR Machine / Dance Games at Berkeley impacted you?
I've made friends and overall increased my levels of social activity as well as exercise, so the presence of the DDR and its community has greatly improved my mood/mental health and engagement on campus.
How has the removal of the DDR Machine from Eshleman 312 affected you?
I've been more withdrawn from campus and felt a lost sense of community and a significant decrease in mood/mental health. I genuinely miss it pls bring it back.
Cristian Moran Becerra - Senior
How has the DDR Machine / Dance Games at Berkeley impacted you?
The DDR Machine is how I met most of my current friends. It's the most
effective community-builder I've seen in my four years on campus. You
could do your homework in between sets, socialize with the people around
the machine, and on top of all that the machine was free to play. I
would regularly visit the machine in between classes, and I could
reliably expect to see the same faces there every time I went. Out of a
shared passion for the game, we grew closer and built friendships that
I'm sure will last for years to come.
In addition, playing DDR has several benefits. It's a healthy way to
stay active, and getting better at the game teaches you habits and
lessons that aren't just exclusive to the game--they can help you with
school as well. Getting better at the game has shown me that I can
become pretty good at something as long as I put in deliberate
practice."
How has the removal of the DDR Machine from Eshleman 312 affected you?
To be frank, it was devastating. I was left without a community space. This is my last semester at Berkeley, and I was expecting to graduate and leave Berkeley on a good note, with a robust community to come back to at any time. But the machine's sudden removal tarnished that, and left a bad taste in my mouth.
Anonymous - Sophomore
How has the DDR Machine / Dance Games at Berkeley impacted you?
It was how I met my friend / roommate at berkeley, I played it with her during GBO. It was also a good structured place I could go when I didn't have anything else.
Thomas Lee - Senior
How has the DDR Machine / Dance Games at Berkeley impacted you?
Prior to the introduction of the DDR machine at UC Berkeley, I had zero experience with playing DDR. The DDR community here UC Berkeley was very welcoming, and I had a gentle introduction to the machine. With the help of the more active members, I learned how to operate the machine. After going a few times, I even got pretty good! I had so much fun that back when the machine was still in the student union, I would make that spot the weekly meeting spot for me and my friends to do homework. They ended up enjoying playing the game a lot too, and I was able to build a community there for myself.
How has the removal of the DDR Machine from Eshleman 312 affected you?
It is truly heartbreaking. The DDR machine and the DDR community at Berkeley was a wonderful escape from the day-to-day struggles of class. It was very disappointing to learn that we cannot ever have anything nice.
Anonymous - Junior
How has the DDR Machine / Dance Games at Berkeley impacted you?
When it was publicly available I had a lot of fun taking people to the machine and playing with friends. I was a casual enjoyer but it was such a special and fun game that always was popular. The new games in mlk can't compare to the good energy that DDR brings to a space and to my day when I stop by to play it.
How has the removal of the DDR Machine from Eshleman 312 affected you?
I never got to play it because it was taken out so quickly. Eventually I went there with a friend I had told about it and was increasingly disappointed to find out it wasn't there. I just want to be able to play DDR and have a good time with my friends.
Anonymous - Senior
How has the DDR Machine / Dance Games at Berkeley impacted you?
I met so many friendly and welcoming people that made me feel accepted
into the community. They taught me how to navigate the ITG system on the
DDR machine and I've been obsessed ever since.
When the DDR machine was still at MLK, I went almost daily. I changed my
sleeping schedule so I could come in the mornings to play before my
class at 9am on Fridays. After my ballroom practices on Mondays and
Tuesdays, I would walk by MLK and I would queue up to play a game of
DDR.
The reason why I came so often was not only because I enjoyed the game,
it was also because everyone who was part of the community was welcoming
and friendly. Greg would come and bring Yi Fang to everyone. Rita would
make funny maps and skins and share it with the community. And all of
the officers would interact with new members, and we'd all recognize
each other's faces. It's amazing.
How has the removal of the DDR Machine from Eshleman 312 affected you?
It has affected me greatly.
When I received the notification that the DDR machine was going to be
removed AGAIN because of the student union, I was devasted. I just came
out of the hospital, and I was hoping to go back to the DDR machine the
next week to destress - only to realize that I could never play it again
for the rest of the school year. It's just terrible.
Being at the DDR machine was a way for me to meet new people and
socialize with others while getting a cardio workout. It was destressing
and fun. My mental health has been the worst yet in my 4 years at
Berkeley and now I lost one of the main ways I destress on this campus.
Richard Tan - Sophomore, Community Member
How has the DDR Machine / Dance Games at Berkeley impacted you?
I am a kinesiology student at SFSU. Back in high school and even a bit now, I was an extremely shy person. Going to a college by myself without my one best friend was extremely horrifying for me. I've played at the DDR machine back when it was still in MLK but it wasnt until i was in college that i started interacting withthe DG@B community. They've been such a great help for my phyche and has been one of the friendliest and welcoming communities i've been in. If it wasn't for the kindness of the officers and fellow club members, I would have stayed a loner in SFSU. The DDR machine provided a great outlet for socializing and finding new people while encourging healthy habits and exercising. DDR helps build cardio, legs and even upper body at higher levels. After discovering DG@B I've lost weight and gotten more in shape which has helped me feel more confident and more comfortable in my own body. The space created in MLK as well as ESH was a nice space to study or hang out to destress. Kinesiology is really taxing and being able to just dance away really helped with getting me through the semesters. The CS majors could probably say the same.
How has the removal of the DDR Machine from Eshleman 312 affected you?
When it was announced that DDR was returning through ESH, it was like a ray of hope had finally shown down. Both my mental and physical health were declining and it was hard to find a reason to return to UCB. Currently as I am sitting in ECH, i only regularly see 2 of my friends from DG@B. I used to look forward to going to UCB, but now ECH has become just another study spot. But above being sad, I am extremely livid towards the decisons made towards DG@B. We were kicked out because we were unwelcoming and territorial???? I was at ECH almost every day of the week. And from what I have witnessed and done, we have done none of that. I understand if some of the better players could be intimidating but does that have to do with us not welcoming people. Its like saying CS students in berkeley are too smart, lets not hire them. Also the fact that all of the "complaints" were hidden from the officers was disgusting. In part 4c of the the MoU that both ASUC and DG@B agreed to, ASUC is responsible for "contacting DG@B in a timely manner should any concerns arise about the DDR machine". If any of the complaints were delivered, the club collectivly would have tried to resolve the issue, but none of it was brougt to light until we were kicked out. The eviction also gave 2 days to move the machine. Furthermore, a grand opening was held the day after we moved out? It was like ESH stabbed us in the back.
Samantha Ceja - Senior
How has the DDR Machine / Dance Games at Berkeley impacted you?
I have made my first ever friends through the inclusive culture surrounding the DDR machine. I really don’t know where I would be without it.
How has the removal of the DDR Machine from Eshleman 312 affected you?
It has made my quality of life significantly worse. I no longer have a safe third space to go to during or after classes. I feel like a significant portion of the community I once identified with has been striped away from me.
Remy White - Senior
How has the DDR Machine / Dance Games at Berkeley impacted you?
I stumbled upon the DDR machine in MLK during GBO, and I was super excited to see this game here since I've never been to an arcade but recently really wanted to play. Looking back, I don't know if I would have had such a great group of friends if not for the DDR machine. I'm a shy person, and during my first semester at Cal, I really just studied next to the DDR machine and played my set. But everyone was really friendly and they helped me get better at the game too, so it brought me out of my shell a lot. It was a space to play DDR, but it was also a study space where we could go between classes, where we would see familiar faces, eat together, and just hang out. The community here is great, and it's a way different atmosphere than an arcade, where people tend to just play their set. People teach one another how to pass difficult songs, help make custom charts for the game, and some of us also learned how to modify the sensitivity of the arrow panels. Somehow, getting passionate about DDR also helped me learn more about a lot of different things, like music, engineering (building my own pad!), and software. Not only that, but the DDR machine was completely free, and run by students. Normally at an arcade, it costs $1-2 to play 3 songs, and most of the time, the machine is not maintained well because there isn't always someone there who knows how to improve the playing experience. I think bringing a whole DDR machine to Cal is amazing, and a serious amount of work, and it makes it even more meaningful that it was done by a small but passionate group of students that has been growing ever since. I can honestly say that the DDR machine completely changed my experience at Cal for the better.
How has the removal of the DDR Machine from Eshleman 312 affected you?
I feel devastated that I need to write one of these testimonies again, first for the removal of the machine for MLK, and second, for the removal from Eshleman 312 that happened recently. I lost an important community space with 48 hours notice. As an officer, I was unavailable to help move the machine within that time frame as it was midterm season, and it was very lucky that we found people available to move it in time. We were not notified in a timely manner about any complaints about the DDR machine, and it's affected me a bunch, since I've tried really hard to make the space comfortable and inviting (and from what I saw, it was a good fit for the space, and people were interested in playing!). Our club has spent a whole year sending emails, talking to people, trying to find a new place for the DDR machine, and finally we found 312, only to get removed abruptly after ~1 month due to communication issues. I don't really see my friends from DG@B on week days because we don't have this space to go anymore, so I really only see them on the weekends if they can make the trip to go to Hayward Round1 or if we collectively organize a meetup. Now Eshleman 312 is just another study space.
David Guan - Community Member
How has the DDR Machine / Dance Games at Berkeley impacted you?
DGAB has been by far the most invested I have ever been in a club, and I don't even go to berkeley for school. What it has basically done for me was "oh look a DDRmachine" to "oh this is my life now". Before I started going to DGAB meetups I was a very shy person and was uncomfortable going out of my way to talk to anyone. Now this club and community has turned into kind of like a second family for me. The people I've met were all really kind and supportive of any new faces regardless of skill level with the club itself having a diverse range of beginner, intermediate and advanced players. The best part about being in DGAB was witnessing your peers and yourself improve at the same time. Two years ago we were all tripping over our own feet and didn't know what a footswitch is. Now we're consistently improving our form and timing precision. I am very grateful for DGAB because it has opened up a can of worms for me I really enjoy. Ever since moving out of state, DDR has become my main and only workout. In an arcade I frequent, I wouldn't be as close of friends with some of the people I now know if it wasn't for the groundwork that DGAB has paved for me. From learning which arrow pad to press to being able to mentor intermediate players and participating in local tournaments, the experiences and interactions I had in DGAB were priceless.
How has the removal of the DDR Machine from Eshleman 312 affected you?
The removal of the DDR machine was a very big blow to take in. For the past 2-3 years I solely commuted to Berkeley just to play DDR. DGAB offered an outsider like me a safe space to learn and have fun with other peers. It has also made organizing meetups difficult because back then we would gather around the DDR machine with a few new faces every time. Now with the machine gone, our main option is to just grab a bite together. There are many familiar faces I have not seen in a long time that I wish to hang out with again.
