R . Jay Hanscom is a man on fire. Or, rather, a pair of feet on fire. It’s Friday afternoon and the twentysomething is doing what looks like aerobic tap dance in the E-Sports Arcade at the University of Maine in Orono. The tall, gangly guy, in a T-shirt and jeans, is moving so fast to the techno beat that his black Converse All-Stars are a blur.

Hanscom has several favorite songs he likes to dance to on the hot video game “Dance Dance Revolution,” popularly known as “DDR.”

“It’s somewhere between the fast-paced and technical ‘Be Lovin” and the smooth, mellow, bossa-nova style track ‘Mobo Moga,'” the Bangor man says, describing the different tunes you can dance to. “But, as long as the steps are fun, the song is catchy and the bass is funky, there isn’t much that I don’t enjoy playing.”

Inside the arcade, a crowd has gathered to watch the DDR guru and others play the game. People shake their heads, marveling at Hanscom, who rapidly spins and skips like a whirling dervish all by himself between two pads. It’s an intimidating sight for those with less than perfect coordination. Most players like to double up like tennis partners and dance on the same machine.

A small, dimly lit corner of Memorial Union, the arcade offers more traditional games such as pinball, shoot’em-ups and driving games, as well as the behemoth that is a DDR machine. The game, which reaches nearly to the ceiling, is bright and loud, churning out song after song of sugary, caffeinated dance music. A long line of players waits in front of it, using their quarters to secure their place in line, as well as some curious spectators, drawn by the throbbing music, laughter and rhythmic footwork.

After taking off in Japan in the late 1990s, DDR was launched in the United States in 1999. Now, across the country, legions of DDR players meet at arcades and homes to dance along to the high-energy, interactive game produced by Konami Digital Entertainment. DDR is so popular that it has become a community of sorts. Web sites have sprung up, from the national site www.ddrfreak.com, which has a machine locator and tips on how to improve your game, to www.ddrmaine.com, just for Maine players.

Jason Enos, product manager for Konami Digital Entertainment America, says DDR has developed a cult following in the United States.

“It’s a unique game in that it’s a spectator game,” Enos said. “It’s entertaining to both watch and play it. In arcades, there will always be one or two on the machine, but five or ten watching.”

Enos said another unique feature is that DDR requires players to be physically active, unlike most video games.

“On a certain level, people don’t want their games to be a passive experience – they want it to be interactive, and [they want] to be immersed in that realism,” Enos said. “With the issue of obesity today, this is a great way to get people into being fit. People will play DDR for 30 minutes and not think anything of it because it’s so fun. It makes exercise entertaining.”

According to an Associated Press story, a West Virginia insurance agency conducted a study to determine if DDR would help kids lose pounds and stay active. Preliminary results suggest the game enabled some obese teens to lose five to 10 pounds in a few weeks after playing the game daily. While Konami officials don’t know of any other state or insurance agency using the game to cut costs, some elementary and high schools across the country are beginning to use DDR to encourage physical activity.

It’s not just teens who play the game, though. You’ll see as many adults as middle schoolers in arcades.

Hanscom is among them. A former New England School of Communications student, he keeps his long brown hair tied back in a ponytail and out of his eyes while dancing. After a couple rounds of the game, he’s sweaty and flushed, but that certainly doesn’t stop him from continuing. He is gregarious and talkative, offering advice and encouragement to less gifted DDR players. He’s a DDR wizard. There has to be a trick.

To the uninitiated, DDR appears deceptively simple. There’s a dance pad with four directional buttons – ones for up, down, left and right – much like on a video game controller. Players stand on the pad and select their ability level – beginner, light, standard or heavy – and pick one of hundreds of songs to accompany the game involving foot-eye coordination. A person can play alone, though most people prefer to play with a buddy.

The song begins, and a series of arrows scroll from bottom to top across the screen. When the arrow that corresponds to the button on the dance pad hits the arrow at the top of the screen, the player instantly must tap the button on the pad with their foot.

Fail, and you’re met with a flashing “miss” sign on the screen, or even worse, boos and hisses from the machine. Get it right, and you’re greeted with a “perfect” sign – the coveted symbol of DDR supremacy.

Before he discovered DDR, Hanscom was a video game addict.

“I played all the time,” he confessed. “But with DDR, it’s perfect. It’s like using a regular controller, but with your feet instead of your fingers. It’s the best of both worlds – playing video games and being active. It was a pretty simple transition.”

Up and running at UMaine for only a few months, DDR has quickly become a big attraction. In the campus arcade, two large fans have been installed to cool down some of the more zealous DDR players.

In Memorial Union, the game costs 50 cents to play one round of three songs. At the Bangor Mall, DDR costs $1 per turn in the Space Port arcade.

Paul Stern, UMaine’s director of campus recreation, says the college-run arcade originally was supposed to have a sports theme, but some different games were eventually included.

“The No. 1 game that all students asked for was DDR,” Stern said. “It took us a year to get it here, and when it finally came in, it just took off. I’m delighted to have it. The amount of participation and the kind of good, clean fun it brings with it has been a huge asset for everyone – staff and students.”

Hanscom is not the only DDR master around. Several others show off their skills in an equally impressive way.

Michael Gant, a UMaine student who hails from New York City, has been playing DDR for several years.

“I played at an arcade in the city for a while before I came here,” he said. “Even though I play on the heavy level, I still consider myself a beginner. There are some people who play in DDR tournaments that I just can’t compete with.”

UMaine graduate Kevin Paul discovered the game four and a half years ago in Ohio.

“I always say I’m the one that brought DDR to Maine,” said Paul. “I played it in an arcade and immediately bought the first version available for the original PlayStation.”

Paul said that one of the best parts about DDR is the sense of community it inspires.

“We’ve got this great little group where we all play together,” he said. “Whether we’re at an arcade or at home, we get together to do it.”

To R. Jay Hanscom, DDR is a kind of Zen. He often plays the game without even looking at the screen. He’s played so much he’s memorized all the moves. Is it that simple, or is it some mystical union of man and machine?

“It’s a question of memorizing a pattern,” he said. “You have to remember which foot to start on, and then it’s just remembering a left-right pattern. Anyone can do it.”

While most players aren’t at the level that Hanscom is at, the point of the game isn’t competition – it’s simply fun.

Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.

The DDR console game retails for $39.99, or $59.99 with a dance pad, and can be purchased at most electronics stores. It is available for PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. DDR machines are located at UMaine, in the Bangor Mall and at various other locations around the state.