Carrie Swidecki set the Guinness World Record for the longest video game marathon by playing “Just Dance” for 138 hours and 34 seconds. She is now training to attempt the title again. Photo courtesy of Guinness World Records
A California woman used her love of dance-based video games to break several world records, including the overall longest video game marathon ever — and she’s preparing to attempt it again.
Carrie Swidecki, a fourth-grade teacher, said her love of dance games started when she first attempted to play Dance Dance Revolution at an arcade in 2000.
“I quickly died after 10 steps and some guy came up to me and pointed at me and said, ‘You suck’ because I was a woman and obese. This moment struck a nerve with me and set me off on a journey to master the game. I had enough with people laughing at me due to my weight and I decided to fight back,” Swidecki told Guinness World Records.
Mastering Dance Dance Revolution led her to the game Just Dance, which became her favorite video game of all time. She said the games help her drop dozens of pounds and get into shape, leading her to introduce the games into after-school fitness programs for kids.
Swidecki ended up setting the Guinness World Records for the longest video game marathon playing a Just Dance game, longest video game marathon playing a rhythm game, longest video game marathon on a motion-sensing dance game and the longest video game marathon playing a dance game.
She also used Just Dance 2015 to set the record for the longest video game marathon ever: 138 hours and 34 seconds.
Swidecki broke that record in 2015, and she is now training to break it again.
“In June 2021, I was in a car accident that put me in physical therapy for two and a half years and caused me to gain over 70 pounds. Now that I am training again, I have lost 45 pounds, gone down four sizes,” she said.
“I’m training 45 hours a week, and have completed two practice 120-hour marathons. The only thing that kept me going during those two and a half years was my dream to break my iconic 138-hour Just Dance world record.”
