We recently released one of our biggest game updates ever! Nearly every part of the experience has been updated to give you the best workout battles yet. Please continue to send us your feedback through email, in-person, and in your workout ratings.
Our passionate team of software engineers, animators, designers, writers, and game developers has been focused on making the experience more exciting, more immersive, more intuitive, and more strategic. We are working as hard as we can to quickly release the important features that you’ve been asking for.
We plan to continue to deliver many updates to the game and app over the next six weeks as we prepare for the New Year’s gym rush.
Thank you for being a founding member of the world’s first virtual reality fitness experience! This is just the beginning.
See you in the Arena!
Ryan and Preston
Founders, Black Box VR
Gym Updates
Thank you for your continuous feedback and excitement as we roll out new features in the game. We cannot wait to show you what we have in store for you coming up!
We have been loved seeing users experiment with outside equipment to make their workouts more challenging within the past several weeks! In order to keep everyone safe while they workout we ask that if you want to add any equipment or gear in your workout that you email sf@blackbox-vr.com so that we can confirm that it is compatible with the machine and will keep all users safe within their workout.
Happy Holidays!
As we approach the holiday season please be aware of a few days where Black Box VR will be closed to allow our staff to enjoy the holidays with their family and friends.
San Francisco and Boise’s location will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
Athlete of the Month
Username: monofuel
Hero level: 12
Arena level: Silver League arena 10
Background: I typically play real-time strategy games, Black Box VR gets me to think strategically while also working out.
Why I love Black Box VR: I love how my stats are tracked in the app, and give me immediate feedback on how I’m getting better and how I can improve. I also love the cool mint towels we get to cool down after each match.
Physical results so far: I have a lot more energy overall and have gotten compliments on how much better my muscles look.
Favorite champion: Chill Bill, I wish I knew his secret for being so chill all the time!
Favorite direct damage exercise: Cold Fusion (stiff leg deadlift) It’s a great AoE attack that is challenging and works many different muscles.
Game-play tip: Getting a good night’s sleep and a good meal is the best way to win. Don’t forget to chose your power-ups before each match, Using the berserk upgrade on Chill Bill is a fast way to take down gates!
Fun personal facts: I love 3D printing and making spreadsheets for EVE Online. I’ve built my own 3D printed Gameboy, and a talking toaster: https://youtu.be/CeTM4jQWmZM
Battle Updates
Ahoy Black Box Heroes!
Another month has gone by and I’m sure you’ve noticed we’ve pushed out a major game update (along with some hotfixes for good measure).
I hope you are enjoying the new arenas, UI refactor, daily quests and more! We are depending on your feedback for the new AI brain to see how it feels to perform against. We’ve been intentionally pushing it to make smarter choices in prep for a future gameplay mode such as true asynchronous multiplayer and more.
On the horizon this month are big updates to the champions. Each will be getting a good once-over, and they will all become much more unique and strategic. For example, Ember will set her foe on fire, then move to the next target until all enemies on the field are roasting in a toasty blaze. Big Tszu will draw enemies toward him, slap them up a bit, and finally explode on death!
It’s going to be a blast. I can’t wait to roll it out to all of you!
“Captain” Duane Mathes
SVP of Game Development
Black Box VR
Exercise Science
Are people really too busy to exercise? Or do they just prefer to do other things during their free time? A new study may show the truth behind the excuses:
“Americans may not be too busy to exercise after all. A new RAND Corporation study finds that Americans average more than 5 hours of free time each day, with men generally having a bit more free time than women.
But instead of being physically active during their free hours, Americans report they spend most of that time looking at screens (televisions, phones or other devices) with no gender or economic group spending even 7% of their free time on physical activity.”
Many of us on the Black Box VR team have spent our entire careers in the fitness industry. It’s obvious that for most people, exercising is not something that they want to do. They know they need to, but working out is difficult, boring, and time-consuming.
Something has to change. We know that using the psychology of serious Esports gaming mixed with effective exercise science will be the revolution that the world needs.
Hero Trainer of the Month
Username: Lpegross
Hero level: 13
Arena: 10 Silver League
Background: I am studying to improve my graphic and gaming design skills. I am in the process of making games right now. One is more of an app game and the other is an open-world adventure. I also have this goal to travel to a new country or two every year. So far I have been to five and I enjoyed everything about those trips.
Why I love Black Box VR: I am a gamer and always will be until the day I die, but there isn’t enough time in the day to play games, workout, be social, and go on hikes. BBVR has combined some of these for me and that is great. Working out while playing games was something I thought was never going to happen any time soon. Then BBVR came and showed me that both can be achieved.
Physical results so far: When I hurt my back about 7 years ago I lost 20lbs in muscle. I tried different types of workouts to try to gain it back, but nothing. After being here for a few months I have definitely noticed my chest and back increase. I have also gained 15 lbs.
Favorite champion: Water owl, because flying splash damage. Also, most air champion that would be to take out water owl I can easily take out first.
Favorite direct damage exercise: Row would be my favorite. I like how the lightning looks when attacking.
Gameplay tip: Learn the movement speed of each champion. There have been times where I sent out some tanky champion out first, but Chill Bill would run in front thinking he is a tank and gets destroyed. Learn the speed of each character and maybe wait before you deploy another one.
Personal fun fact: I can do a 20ft long jump and people tell me I float a little when I jump.
Fitness Tip
Switching from high-calorie drinks to zero-calorie drinks can help you lose fat very quickly. When you drink sugary sodas, juices, or coffees, you take in hundreds of calories but you don’t feel full. If you were to eat the same number of calories but in the form of lean meats, vegetables, or almost any other whole food, your brain would receive the signal to reduce your hunger pangs. High-calorie liquids don’t trigger that same response so you continue to be hungry and continue to eat.
Join Our C0mmunity
Join our active Discord community and share your Black Box VR experiences.
https://discordapp.com/invite/taWr6wm
