Breaking a Guinness World Record (Longest Dance Game Marathon)

So it's Thursday, two days after successfully completing the certified Guinness Longest Dance Game Marathon World Record. Aleta and I have almost recovered; shoulders still hurting and feet swollen, but ready to share our experience in setting this record....

The Attempt

• WHAT - To play a video dance game for 48 hours.
• WHO - My wife Aleta and I
• WHEN - January 2013
• WHERE - Las Vegas, Nevada in Gemini Arcade Palace
• HOW - Using Guinness' Help, an Arcade Dance Machine and Steaming Media Software
• WHY - BECAUSE WE OBVIOUSLY HATE OURSELVES! (and LOVE the game somewhat!)

18th May 2012 - Initial Interview in London, UK

The process kicked off in May last year, we contacted Guinness via. Facebook and received a response. As I was living in Central London at the time, and working in King's Cross, we arranged to meet up at my local arcade: Las Vegas, in Soho. Four members of the Guinness team arrived to shoot an interview regarding our attempt: The Longest Dance Game Marathon. The record was currently at 20 hours, set in the very same arcade! (This was later broken by a girl in the US, raising it to 24 hours!)

We shot the interview and kept a close relationship with the team throughout the year. We originally planned to break the record in London on a Pump It Up (PIU) machine. However, due to recent circumstances, this turned into breaking the record in Las Vegas, NV on an In The Groove (ITG) machine. Due to the evolution of the game over the past 5-6 years, ITG has been surviving heavily of User Generated Content (UGC). We discussed this with Guinness in detail, and agreed upon various condition where our record would be accepted. These gaming records have been inherited from Twin Galaxies, and therefore have experienced recent changes, but we got there in the end. They were always very helpful!

Evidence Required

Media Company
We expected to break the record earlier in the year, but due to many life changes, the attempt was forwarded to January 2013. Guinness put us in touch with a media company called Across The Pond Productions, based in London. We are a media company within Guinness that films record breakers across the world. Great! Haven't had this much excitement since the filming of Lord of the Dance Machine, filmed with BBC3 from 2005 to 2006! (Funnily enough, this is where I met Aleta, my wife, whom I'm breaking the record with!). So Media Company to film in on board! Great!

Location - Gemini Arcade Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

Julie was kind enough to let us use her arcade for the attempt! Guinness requires that the attempt is made in a place open to the public, so this was truly amazing for us!! Check out the Gemini Arcade Palace Website!

Software Evidence Required

Here is a short list of the software evidence used to support our claim. Thanks to Tushar for letting us use his desktop and webcam for the HD evidence!

• 720p HD Video of the whole attempt
• Webcam Video of the whole attempt
• One set of time lapsed pictures taken at 30 second intervals (in HD)
• A second fail over set of time lapsed pictures taken at 30 second intervals
• Private UStream feed from another angle of the entire attempt
• Public Twitch.tv Stream - Thanks Don!

Paperwork Evidence Required

We also required TWO witnesses rotating on 4 hour shifts for the whole attempt. They were required to fill out log sheets of rest breaks taken and gained. Also, any other notable information. This was the hardest requirement for us to meet!! We were let down by some people, but some other people we didn't expect showed up! We tried to co-ordinate with people while playing, so there was a huge mental strain on organisation as well as doing the actual attempt itself!

Thanks to the following people for helping us out with this!... Danny, Marquee, Roberto, John, Eric, Julie, Don, Ollie, Xero, Nate, Alma, Lani, Dylan, Josh and anybody else I have missed out!

Record Related Evidence
Here is a quick list of the record specific terms we were required to abide by.

• Allow 20 seconds for input between songs (Results screen, new song choice AND modifications menu)
• Play at Medium Difficulty or higher for it's entirety
• Play the final hour with no breaks

Preparations

So with everything almost in place as far as the record is involved, we were ready to make sandwiches, LITERALLY! (Thanks Aleta! ;)

Food and Software
Aleta prepared the food, and I was obtained the software that would record our attempt while taking pictures. I thought this would be the easy part, but oh no! I tried about 15 different programs: UStream Producer, iSpy, XSplit, FME... you name it, I tried it! We didn't want to rely on streaming because the internet may cut out (It actually did!), we just wanted to record locally while taking pictures (and have the current time and date within the video). iSpy seems to do all of this, but it kept crashing. UStream and XSplit were very limited. We also needed to compress the video as it was recording and make sure new videos were created every 30 minutes (In case the system crashed and we didn't have to rely on ONE huge file).

So for ALL of this, and hours of research, I came to a very small piece of software (7MB) called "NCH Debut Video Capture Software". However, it didn't take snap shots, however it did EVERYTHING else! So luckily, being a Software Engineer, 10 minutes later, it was taking time lapsed snap shots every 30 seconds direct from the webcam source, Brilliant!

Song Pack
While doing all of this, we needed to create a song pack that we could play during the attempt. We managed to gather about 300 songs and Danny helped us test each and everyone just in case there were problems with the songs or files. Due to the large number of user generated songs... Consistency and reliability are in the hands of it's users... Just like Wikipedia! Somebody could create a bogus file, or the difficulty might be considered too hard or too easy for it's rating or it simply may not work on the machine! So there was a lot of effort into putting this altogether until we have a trusted pack of 300 songs!

The songs were mostly 9-10 footers. The record states that you must play Medium difficulty (5-6 footer songs). We figured if we get tired, we can switch to ITG Official songs as all songs and charts have been tested as part of the original release.

Misc Preparations
Like anything else, there were final preparations involved, and things put in place if anything bad happens! Aleta designed us both Tank Tops with custom fabric painted designs, these looked absolutely amazing!

We also purchased a 500W flood flight fro Wal-Mart as the arcade is quite dark. However, we realised that 500W on for 2 days is going to run a little too hot. Luckily, the webcam's managed to get a good shot, we it wasn't needed in the end.

Also, there's nothing like a GOOD BUFFET the night before! (at M Casino, Las Vegas) and YES, that is an OX's tail!

Let's break that record! - The BIG Day!

Due to all of the preparations and last minute testing, we missed a night of sleep 2 days before the attempt! We ONLY managed to get a quick 3 hours before the attempt, so we were very tired before we even started. NOT GOOD!

We arrived at the arcade around 5pm to finish setting up. The media company was due to film at 6:30pm, then begin the record at 7:30pm!

Oli and James from the media company arrived with Rob from Guinness World Records just before 7pm, and started to interview us about the attempt. We took some shots in and outside of the arcade and captured some portfolio pictures!

Just before the attempt was due to start, Oli wanted a battle with us on the machine. He wanted to play the hardest song on the pack we had chosen for the attempt! We actually included some 12 footer songs, so we Played Battle of the Mind [12] THREE TIMES! Mainly because they needed to get all the shots in for the filming! Three 12's on no warm up and without much sleep is ok, but no when 48 more hours lies ahead of you!!

After the filming and Rob checked over the equipment, we were good to go, but 2 hours later than expected! We begun the attempt at 9:33pm! The film company left 20 minutes later, and soon the staff, until it was just us and our witnesses in a dark arcade!

The Start! - 0 Hours
We started with 9 and 10 footer songs, playing solely Expert Level songs. Despite only needing to play 5-6 footer songs, though we needed to Wake Up!! We didn't have a strategy for rest breaks, we gain 10 minutes for every hour completed so we'll go from there! We did realise that we needed fail safe time. If the machine fails for any reason, then we need 30 minutes to reboot and move the equipment to the secondary machine if there are any problems, otherwise, the record would be invalidated! So that's 3 hours for nothing basically! So we started to get some time stored up!

4 Hours In!
After the first FOUR HOURS, we decided to take our first break, for only 5 minutes! We felt a bit rough but still ok. It's hard when you only have 5 minutes to rest, but during this time you need the toilet or to grab a vending machine supplement! So quick toilet break and some Good and Plenty (Liquorish Torpedos) then onwards we go!

6 Hours In!
Six hours into the attempt, the tiredness was setting in. Energy levels were fine, but the legs were feeling like tree trunks because of the warm up! We both decided to play in socks for the attempt. This would give us less weight to pick up each time, but the trade off would be stepping on Plexi-Glass and metal brackets for 48 hours. There's no real answer to this problem! Our friend Marquee arrived with Gatorades for us! Thank you! Never tried cucumber flavour before, but it tasted pretty good!

We were managing to play for 2 straight hours and having a 10 minute break in between these 2 hour sets. This carried on over the first night and seemed like a good strategy to save up some rest time for the later parts of the attempt! 10 minutes seemed like a good amount of time for toilet and a lie down. During these breaks, we collapsed into sweaty heaps with each other, sharing a sofa until our personal alarm told us that we had one minute to get back on there!

8 Hours In!
For the first 8 hours I devised a good strategy for saving break times, and that was to eat while playing! I managed to devour my day's food supply in 8 hours, oops! I guess I was hungry (See bottom of this blog for what we ate during the whole attempt!). Aleta was totally the opposite, to the point where I tried to make her have a bite of something between songs. We managed to hold it together through the night, and the sun was starting to rise....

12 Hours In! - Halfway for the current record!
So we made it halfway to the current record!!!! However, still only a quarter of the way through our anticipated goal of 48 hours! The media company were due to arrive Tuesday evening at 9pm, so I guess there was no way out!

In the planning phase of the record, we always planned to use the bar to support ourselves during the attempt and thus, make the record less tiring. However, we had to soon mix this up between playing without and with the bar. By holding the bar, there is less effort into stepping, but more strain on the back and shoulders. Without the bar, there is more leg and general all-round effort involved. We did a good 50-50 split between both stances through the attempt. This was something we didn't fully anticipate!

22 Hours In!
Up until this point, we had played for 2 hours, then took a 10 minute break. Tiredness was setting in and we started to take our full rest as it was earned. We had already accumulated over 1.5 hours, so we were good to go!

24 Hours, 2 Minutes and 45 Seconds In!

WE DID IT!!!! New Record Holders! The people in the arcade gave us a round of applause and we felt pretty good. However, knowing we were only HALFWAY, we didn't give it the celebration it fully deserved! That's for sure... We didn't take a break or anything, we simply finished the song, 10 seconds later, started playing another! :\

30 Hours In!
This was a HUGE turning point in the whole attempt. We decided we needed to sleep, or at least try to. We decided it would be best to sleep on the hard floor and set 2 alarms. We planned to take a 30 minute break, the longest yet! We put our legs onto a chair in a raised position and I began to fall asleep. Aleta, however, didn't manage to sleep at all.

30 minutes later, I woke up with a dead arm and I couldn't walk. I had already 2 pairs of socks on, but for some reason, the TOP of both my feet were very swollen and red. The veins were purple and it looked like they belonged to somebody suffering from a venomous spider bite! I hobbled over to the bathroom and placed my feet into a sink of cold water to reduce the swelling. The bottoms of both of our feet were very sore also. We had already beaten the record by 6 hours, should this be enough!?

I knew quitting wasn't part of my nature, I just needed a plan. While soaking them in cold water, I tried to wonder why it was the tops of my feet, it didn't make sense! I then realise, I had been arching my feet for 30 hours putting my full weight on that the bones and ligaments in the middle were constantly being pushed upwards. Here is a picture of the swelling still 2 DAYS AFTER the attempt.

I pulled my feet out of the water, pushed 2 pairs of socks back on, and decided to put my shoes on. This seemed 200% harder at first, but I knew it was the only way to continue. 69 minutes later, and almost out of our rest time save up, we were back on the machine! Let's hope nothing goes wrong!

32 Hours In!
After bickering's, tiredness, seeing various inanimate objects around the room (Including: Upside-down stools, pirate ships, flowers, sky scrapers, Donald Duck's face and various other things that DIDN'T EXIST!), we decided to call the media company and end our anticipated goal early. We felt a bit defeated and I knew we both couldn't carry on, but without incentive or a goal to beat, we were struggling to find motivation.

We aimed to go for 38 hours, 10 off our anticipated time, but still, 14 MORE HOURS onto the current record. We had to realise this ourselves to realise that it wasn't failure at all, it was the best feeling ever!

Aleta called the media company and we arranged to complete the attempt at noon, just over 38 HOURS into the attempt!

THE FINAL HOUR
37 hours in, and we started the FINAL HOUR. As per the guidelines, we can't take any breaks during this time. During our final hour, the media company walks into the arcade and proceed to set up and film the end of the attempt! At 12 Noon, we had FINISHED!

We couldn't believe it! It it wasn't for each other and everybody who helped out, we wouldn't be Guinness World Record holders! Our final time: 38 hours 13 minutes and 30 seconds playing a Dance Machine at level Medium or higher. In our case, it certainly was higher!

Julie (The arcade owner) and our last witness, Alma, were there for the end of the attempt. We managed to give some final interviews to the media company, and receive our Guinness World Record certificate.

Thanks

This is supposed to be where I sum up all of my thoughts and feelings, but I'm so tired of typing! But I do want to say, a BIG THANK YOU for everybody who helped make this event and record possible!

A BIG THANK YOU TO....

Our witnesses: Danny, Marquee, Roberto, John, Eric, Julie, Don, Ollie, Xero, Nate, Alma, Lani, Dylan, Josh and anybody else I have missed out.

Guinness World Records and Across The Pond for helping us make this possible.

My friends and family

Banty Bruisers and Team Leicester for the beginning of it all! Shout outs to the Skegness Pier massive from 1999!

My dog Fuji who is in Finland

and last but not least, my wife and love of my life Aleta for making this all possible! I knew I would have a record someday, but I couldn't possibly dream that I would get to share the moment with you.

Check out Aleta's blog post here: http://jokrlovesbbc.blogspot.com/2013/01/breaking-longest-dance-game-marathon.html

WHAT WE ATE

I had...
7 Bananas
Gallon of Tampico (juice)
2 liter of Pepsi max
2 bottles of water
9 sandwiches
3 gatorades
1.2 monster cans
1/2 pound of pretzels
a Slice of pizza
3 boxes of liquorice torpedoes
2 boxes of lemon heads
0.4 litres of Mountain Dew code red
1 liter of coca cola
0.8 milky bar
1 bag of salt and vinegar crisps
Sherbert
15 cheese cubes

Aleta had...
1.5 bananas
1.5 sandwiches
1/2 slice of pizza
1.8 cans of monster
3 gatorades
15 pretzels
1 bottle of water
1.6 litres of Mountain Dew code red
0.2 milky bar
4 coffee candies

Final Pictures