Konami, developers of the Dance Dance Revolution series of arcade machines, has entered into a deal with the state of West Virginia to make DDR a part of the physical education cirriculum at every one of the state's public schools. For the schools' part, it will be used as part of a program to help combat obesity and a sedintary lifestyle in kids, and for Konami, it will act as a testing ground to analyze DDR's potential benefit to schools. The information collected will be passed along to Konami and published in professional journals. If the project goes well, they could expand the idea to schools across America.

Sounds like a plus for all involved, though the schools will probably have to deal with kids who'd rather stay inside and play DDR than go out and play kickball. The schools will have to also teach the kids that sunlight and fresh air are important as well. Maybe Konami could start handing out copies of Boktai too.

Source: Next Generation

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Fiirst fast food chains, now arcade machines. Golden Tee, the extremely popular trackball golf game and one of the few consistantly successful arcade series left, will soon be able to accept credit cards alongside the traditional coins and tokens.

The newest iteration of the series, Golden Tee Live, will also sport online play, customizable characters and cash prizes for tournaments. In addition, machines will also be able to display local advertisements. There's currently no word as to whether a snack bar will be added in the future.

Source: Gamasutra

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