Sleeping in Short Bursts for 1-2 Hours, Gaming Non-Stop for Six Days
Longest 'Video Game Marathon' Record Set
A Hungarian man has broken the Guinness World Record by playing the game 'Dance Dance Revolution' (DDR) non-stop for six days. On November 12, Yonhap News, citing the British broadcaster BBC, reported that a man named Szabolcs Csepe from Budapest set a new Guinness World Record last month in Hungary by playing DDR continuously for six days. With this achievement, he surpassed the previous record of 138 hours and 34 seconds set in 2015 by American Carrie Swidecki, who played 'Just Dance.' During his attempt, he completed over 3,000 songs and burned 22,000 kilocalories. The Guinness World Records committee has officially recognized Csepe's new record.
Csepe decided to attempt the new record after watching the challenge of the previous record holder, Swidecki. However, success did not come easily. According to the rules, he was allowed a 10-minute break for every hour of gameplay, which he could accumulate to take one to two hours of sleep. Csepe said he underwent six months of physical training before the attempt, and declared, "If my record is ever broken, I will definitely return to defend my crown."
Within the gaming community, Csepe is known as 'GrassHopper,' a nickname he earned as a child because he was 'always running around.' As an IT engineering expert and gamer, GrassHopper holds Guinness records in several different games. In 2021, he set the longest marathon record in the Naruto game category by playing 'Naruto: Ultimate Accel 2' for 28 hours, 11 minutes, and 32 seconds, and in the same year, he set a new record in the puzzle game category by playing 'Tetris Effect' for 32 hours, 32 minutes, and 32 seconds. In 2023, he set a new record in the racing simulator category by playing 'Gran Turismo 7' for 90 hours.
GrassHopper stated, "This was the most physically demanding challenge I have ever attempted," but added, "I am happy to finally add the longest video game marathon record to my collection, and I have completed a years-long bucket list that connects my favorite video games." He continued, "DDR has always been a fun game for me, but this challenge was an 'enjoyably monotonous' experience."
DDR is a rhythm-based dance game that first appeared in Japan in 1998, where participants step on arrows displayed on a dance platform in time with the rhythm to score points. Since then, various versions have been released, making it a popular home game. It has been used in school physical education programs in the United Kingdom and the United States, and was even designated an official sport in Norway. In Korea, it was extremely popular in arcades from 1999 to the early 2000s. Currently, DDR is once again gaining attention in the esports scene, with competitions being held worldwide.
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