Several days after the National Post appearance in Playdium, Emi and Rage went to New York for their studies. I prayed luck for them, but I sensed something would go wrong on them. In the mean time, I prepared myself for university in University of Waterloo. According to the database in DDR Freak, there is a store, inside the Student Life Centre inside the campus, called Campus Cove, with a DDR USA machine. I did not care about the machine itself much, but I knew that since it is inside the campus, I may end up knowing DDRers there, if there is any.
I moved in the dormitory in the beginning of September. I lived in West 5 of Village 1 inside campus where I met my neighbours Morgan, Greg and the Don Samara, who asked us to put up a picture of ourselves on our room doors to let everyone know who we were. For some fun, I decided to put up the DDR article in National Post with a sign stating I was in the picture behind some person. I also put a picture of myself playing DDR. It caught some attention from other people upstairs. Since I lived in the basement level the atmosphere is somewhat relaxed and I can have some fun on that.
When I opened my door to go to bathroom for
a shower, I saw two boys from upstairs in front of my door.
¡¨What are you doing here?¡¨ I asked.
¡¨Seeing what can basement people can do on these pictures.¡¨
¡¨Heh. This is it.¡¨
¡¨As I can see, you are pretty much addicted to DDR.¡¨
¡¨Say whatever you want.¡¨
Maybe that guy was right I was too addicted to DDR. Soon enough, on the first day of university, I went to Campus Cove between my classes. Student Life Centre was just next to Mathematics and Computer Building, where I had most of my classes, after all, so it was convenience to me. It was still in the morning, so not many people were there and the DDR Stage was empty. I wondered who would open an arcade there, inside a university.
Campus Cove was fairly small comparing to other arcades. It was in a semi-circle with DDR, GF and DM on the left, with Daytona, an air-hockey table, a PunchMania and the counter on the back wall. Billiard tables were on the centre and other games was on the far right.
The place for the Cove is not bad, but the place is underdeveloped to do well. Campus Cove was on the lower level of CLS directly facing the interior courtyard and the staircase to the lower level with the Used Bookstore next to it. Also, on main level there is the Breubakers cafeteria, the 24-hour coffee stand Turnkey Desk, Bombshelter Pub and Ground Zero restaurant. Since University of Waterloo is famous in computer and engineering studies, a majority of its students are male and many would want to have a game or two after having lunch, since it is quite close to where most have classes and it is not always convenience to go back to home for lunch.
As I left the Cove, I saw a white student with long hair. He went to the DDR machine and put in credits. As I can see, he is a DDR expert. I was not surprised in that since I knew very well that there were many more DDR experts beyond the DDR online community.
I saw
Morgan when I returned to dormitory from classes.
¡¨Morgan, how is your first day of classes?¡¨ I asked.
¡¨Good. Well, the first day of classes, after all. Who knows what will happen to
the future? By the way, interested in going to the Fed Hall coming Thursday?¡¨
¡¨That Student Federation run club house? I am not interested in that kind of
stuff, really. So no thanks.¡¨
¡¨I can see. You would rather dance in the Cove instead of Fed Hall.¡¨
We both laughed.
¡¨So where are you going?¡¨ I asked.
¡¨Just out for a smoke. However, I doubt that you are interested though. Playing
DDR needs one to be healthy since it is an aerobic exercise.¡¨
¡¨I don¡¦t smoke ¡V just to tell you, and most of my friends, whether they play DDR
or not, don¡¦t smoke neither.¡¨
¡¨Well, it is sometimes hard for outsiders to understand those DDR players.¡¨
¡¨I think you better just go out and have your smoke then, Morgan.¡¨ I said.
¡¨The first day of university is just like the first day of grade nine.¡¨ my
friend once told me. What happened to Emi and Rage in their first day of
classes?
