Why do you play rhythm games?

I've noticed in games like this, there's usually a LOT of try hards, and I understand, I have been a try hard, I think everyones does at some point, but is there a reason why you guys mainly play like that?

Personally, I stopped doing that so often because when I play like a In The Groove or a PIU, I want to dance, jump, move around, yk, not being stiff and grabbing the bar 24/7 for a perfect score. But I still have fun with that sometimes, I mean, that's the whole point.

Do you prefer tryhards or freestyling? I think both can coexist in one long session

I mostly play rhythm games as a form of physical therapy to stave off my motor deterioration, I'll never be a top player and I don't really want to be, I just want to play them for as long as I'm able to.

I play DDR because the movement is fun and I like the music, and if I don't like a song, I likely won't play it more than once. I don't grind out songs to get PFCs. My best score on a song increases each time I play, so naturally I'll get there eventually.

One of my biggest things I like is it's kind of you vs yourself and to test your limits as to how far you can go. Also I love music, I love gaming. So it's a great mix of the two.

Plus being healthy is always a plus.

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I play because:

- It helps me de-stress from life, because life ain't easy as we all know.
- The music is amazing and a big part of my musical life is rhythm game music, I listen to it on a daily basis, more than the radio or mainstream music.
- The challenge and constantly climbing ladders to new clears and goals keeps me going.
- The games are just a visual feast to watch and explore. The companies really know how to make engaging and pretty interfaces and themes to match the gameplay.
- The community around rhythm games has really helped my mental health and breaking me out of my shell and being more social and I've met some really amazing people along the way.

It wasn't easy for me growing up in school life before I found rhythm games, I tried to take my own life after being severely bullied and abused in every way possible by kids I tried to fit in with, it got so bad to the point where I snapped, I thought just jumping off the roof on my school would be my only way out of the horrors, but as I got to the roof door, something snapped in me, and I didn't do it thankfully, and after that, when i got away from the bad, when I got to high school, met better people, got my first car, and went out to arcades and met some amazing people who loved rhythm games, who didn't judge me or hurt me or want to make my life a living hell, embraced me and wanted to get to know me and wanted to be friends, everything changed and I haven't had a self harming thought since.

I owe rhythm games and the amazing people I met along the way my life, and I don't think I would be here today if rhythm games didn't play a part in being there for me when I needed them. One day also I would love to meet my favorite artists like Ryu*, kors k, L.E.D., Nekomata Master and others and thank them for making my life what it is today and making music that I will cherish forever for years to come.

Music and video games are two of my favorite things, so having them mixed together as a genre is perfect for me. Rhythm games (primarily DDR) also first expanded my awareness of the myriad of musical genres out there and led to me discovering lots of unique music throughout my life. These games also help with keeping my sense of rhythm intact, as I used to play an instrument when I was younger, plus I perform in musical theatre from time to time and it’s helped me quickly catch on to various types of choreography. Especially tap dancing, which I attribute DDR to helping me good at (not that I’m a master tap dancer, but I do believe playing DDR as much as I did when I was younger helped me catch on to it when I first learned how to tap).