The Los Angeles Times has taken a look at the October NPD numbers, which show that dancing games like Just Dance 3 and Dance Central 2 have grown in sales 326 per cent over last year. That far outpaces the next nearest fastest-growing genre, fighting games, which grew just 33 per cent over the same period of time.
The dance genre is still young, but looking at these numbers, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Kinect-, Wiimote- and Move-powered dancing games aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Part of the reason for the genre’s growth is that it’s reaching new gamers — according to the NPD report, almost 8 out of 10 dancing game players are female, and many are younger than the average video game player. Doubtless, another contributing factor is that dancing games, particularly the super-slick Dance Central 2, are a whole hell of a lot of fun.
In addition to speaking with a few (lady) people who have come to love using Zumba Fitness 2 and Just Dance 3 as part of their fitness regimen, the Times speaks with well-known games industry analyst Michael Pachter, who admits that while he initially thought dancing games were a fad, he now acknowledges that they are going to stick around a bit.
My favourite part is at the end, when Pachter “sheepishly” admits to playing dancing games at home. That means I can go ahead and sheepishly admit to doing the same thing! I feel like a total goof, but fun is fun, and Dance Central 2 is a great way to shake things up after long periods of Skyrim.
Dance fitness video games boogie their way to success [LA Times]
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