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⬅️ Previous capture (2021-12-04)
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I try to exercise frequently, and I have a passion for music games. These interests converge in the Andamiro game Pump It Up, or PIU for short. The game consists of two dance pads, each with five arrow panels arranged in an X pattern, and the player is required to step on the panels in time to music. Arrows corresponding to the panels appear on screen, telling the player which panels to step on as they scroll into a hit zone. "Single" charts use only one of the pads, and "double" charts use both pads, requiring the player to move back and forth between them. Some PIU players specialize in one type of chart or another, but I like to play both.
Charts are assigned a number based on difficulty, starting at 1. At the time of writing, I believe the highest difficulty is 28. I can play continually at levels 11 to 13, but I have cleared both single and double charts as high as 17 before.
A friend of mine has a collection of PIU arcade cabinets, and I bought one from him about four years ago. When local arcades were shuttered during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was still able to play at home and keep up on exercise. That has helped my mental and physical state quite a bit over the last few months. It has also given me an opportunity to practice difficult charts or try various gameplay options, without worrying about failing the chart and wasting a game credit in an actual arcade.
The one part of the arcade experience I can't emulate at home is playing with friends. I have many friends who went to arcades regularly, and some who still do, while taking the necessary precautions. Clearing a particularly tough chart and hearing my friends cheer me on is a great feeling, and I miss it. Once I receive my second vaccination dose, I'd like to start going back to arcades and playing with them again.
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[Last updated: 2021-10-28]