DanceDanceRevolution West Virginia State Championship Tournament
Konami to sponsor it.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - June 2, 2010 - As the finalists prepare to show their best moves in the first-of-its-kind DanceDanceRevolution West Virginia State Championship Tournament, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced new details including structure, location and dates for the championship round, along with information on the coveted awards ceremony for the winner. More than 100 schools across the state signed up to show their DanceDanceRevolution skills competing for a number of great prizes highlighted by college scholarships. To help ensure that this first-class event has all the necessary frills and excitement, two high-profile sponsors have come on board including West Virginia Children Health Insurance Program and Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
"It's great to see the students get so interested in this event which gives them the opportunity to be competitive and have a good time while being physically active," said Shinji Hirano, president of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "I am thrilled that DanceDanceRevolution can further our partnership with the state of West Virginia, and now the West Virginia Children Health Insurance Program, to promote such an important cause."
According to a study in 2007 conducted by the Center for Disease Control, only 34.7 percent of school-aged children meet the recommended levels of physical activity. But recently, significant national and regional health initiatives have emerged sighting DanceDanceRevolution and its ability to get this population more active in a fun and immersive environment.
" DanceDanceRevolution is a powerful game that allows kids to express themselves, participate with their friends in a fun and safe atmosphere, and most importantly, move to their own beat," says Sharon Carte of the West Virginia Health Insurance Program. "With our partners, we are excited to be a part of Konami Digital Entertainment's powerful program. We wouldn't be surprised if the popularity of DanceDanceRevolution and the West Virginia State Championship doesn't sweep kids off their couches across the country."
About The Tournament
The Tournament was offered to all enrolled students grades 3-12 in West Virginia public schools. It expands on Konami's existing relationship with the state, which began back in 2005 when the DanceDanceRevolution video game series was introduced into public schools' curriculum in an effort to encourage kids to get in shape while also having fun. Each competition will be run similarly - the arrow speed and difficulty levels of the games will be preselected by the division administrator, according to grade division, and the competitor with the highest score wins. The participants, however, will have the opportunity to select their own song from the list, letting them jam out to their favorite tunes!
The best performers are moving on to the State Championship Tournament on June 17th at the State Capital Rotunda! The State Champions will be treated like real superstars, driven in limos from the State Capital building to the 2010 WV Physical Activity Symposium. Following exhibition they will again board their limousine to the Governor's Mansion to attend a special awards ceremony where the Governor and First Lady of West Virginia will present them with their prizes!
The State Championship Tournament will be as follows:
Eligible Divisions:
Elementary Division: Students in Grades 3-5
Middle School Division: Students in Grades 6-8
High School Division: Students in Grades 9-12
State Championship Tournaments
Championships will be held at the Capital Complex in the Capital in the state capital of Charleston on June 17th Winners of the Regional Championships will compete against each other Participants are also asked to then participate in an exhibition demonstration at the 2010 WV Physical Activity Symposium at a nearby hotel The top three are awarded trophies and prizing The State Champions are awarded with scholarships and prizes at the Award Ceremony following the championships and demonstrationAbout DanceDanceRevolution
Since it was first introduced to North American video game consoles in 2001, DanceDanceRevolution has received a tremendous amount of exposure for its health benefits. Each version of the game has a unique workout mode that allows users to track calories burned and conduct their own fitness regiment. A major part of the new trend in gaming that takes players off of the couch and away from the joystick, DanceDanceRevolution has recently been introduced as part of the physical fitness curriculum in multiple school districts in the United States. Additionally, it has been a part of numerous research studies on childhood obesity.
In 2005, as childhood obesity rose to epidemic proportions in the state, the West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) and West Virginia University's (WVU) Motor Development Center were inspired to enter into a partnership with Konami after experiencing positive results in increasing children's levels of physical activity with its clinically based Games for Health research project. As part of the initiative, the state developed a school-based DanceDanceRevolution curriculum and collected data in order to analyze and report on the health and academic benefits of using DanceDanceRevolution in schools. Representatives of PEIA, WVU's Motor Development Center, the West Virginia Department of Education, Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield and Konami oversaw the project. Today, the program has been integrated successfully into physical education programs throughout West Virginia and is supported by Joe Manchin III, West Virginia's 34th Governor and his wife, Mrs. Gayle Manchin.
For more information, please visit: http://www.konami.com/ddr.
About Konami
Konami is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties. Konami's titles include the popular franchises Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, DanceDanceRevolution and Castlevania, among other top sellers. The latest information about Konami can be found on the Web at www.konami.com. KONAMI CORPORATION is a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan with subsidiary offices, Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. in the United States and Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany. KONAMI CORPORATION is traded in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol KNM. Details of the products published by Konami can be found at www.konami.com.
KONAMI is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION.
About The West Virginia Children's Health Insurance Program
The mission of the West Virginia Children's Health Insurance Agency is to provide quality health insurance to eligible children in a cost-effective manner and to strive for a health care system in which all West Virginia children have access to health care coverage.For more information, please visit: http://www.wvchip.org.
About Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation ® game console, the PlayStation ® 2 computer entertainment system, the PSP ® (PlayStation ® Portable) system, the ground-breaking PLAYSTATION ® 3 computer entertainment system and its online and network services the PLAYSTATION ® Network and PLAYSTATION ® Store
Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. markets the PlayStation Family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PS one game console, the PlayStation 2 system and the PSP system for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. serves as headquarters for all North American operations and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Media Contacts
Brandon Cox
Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
(310) 220-8674
Cb32603@konami.com
Bender/Helper Impact
Marisa Gross / Marion Wallace
212-689-6360
Marisa_gross@bhimpact.com / Marion_wallace@bhimpact.com