VR fitness has many benefits and serves as meaningful movement for people, many of whom have not been able to stick to other fitness regimens in the past. Its effectiveness has been studied and well documented.
However, one limitation of VR fitness is the lack of social interaction. By not traveling to a physical gym, users miss out on casual conversation and potential motivation that working out with other people can bring.
FunFitLand is the latest VR fitness app to introduce a multiplayer mode on the Meta Quest platform. While it follows a familiar formula, it implements it in a way that feels authentic to FunFitLand's unique personality.
FunFitLand Multiplayer Trailer. Video: FunFitLand
Your Workout, Your Choice
All of FunFitLand's workouts can be played in multiplayer mode, which include CombatFit (boxing), GrooveFit (dance), SwingFit (flow with bats), FlowFit (zen, tai-chi inspired movement), and even Space (meditative virtual environments with no workout).
This gives users a wide variety of experiences that can be tailored to their specific mood. Want to hit something hard? Dial up some CombatFit (which I consider to be the best-executed VR rhythm boxing workout). Want to just chill and chat, maybe for a cool-down? Choose a Space and hang out together.
This gives FunFitLand a social component that is missing in other VR fitness apps. The space to make social connections and chill together adds a depth to an app that is seeking to become a wellness destination as well as a fitness program.
Late To The Party? No Problem.
Another problem that FunFitLand has solved is the lobby issue: when you want to play multiplayer, but no other users are online for multiplayer at that time. In other VR fitness apps the multiplayer workouts are only available once a group has assembled. In FunFitLand's implementation, a user can start an open room by themselves, begin a workout, and others can join along while the session is in progress. Up to three users can join a session.
When I spoke with FunFitLand founder Dr. Meng Zhang, he explained that his team worked hard to solve the technical challenge of allowing new users to join a workout already in progress. “So the team spent like three weeks doing only one thing. The thing is, can I join you exactly at where you are? Even you are at the very last five seconds on cooldown, I'm there.”
His team has also taken steps to accommodate their global user base. Language tags can be attached to rooms, letting users know if others can speak their language.
"It's a place that you can meet different people. And not just people from Europe or the States. It's like everywhere, every single corner of this world. It's beautiful to connect with people in different cultures, speaking different languages.", Zhang said.
Avatars That Can Reflect Your Mood
FunFitLand leans into its quirky, inviting personality with its unique take on multiplayer avatars. They offer a range of head shapes and "faces" for the cute cartoon avatars, as well as customizable color accents.
Zhang explained that they designed the avatars to reflect how users are feeling, and give the ability to change it up with their mood. “We encourage you to have more than one avatar that fits you best on that day, for your mood", Zhang told me.
The privacy afforded by avatars, a major advantage of VR workouts for some users, allows users to work out with abandon without feeling self-conscious. Other fitness apps have implemented various avatar solutions; FitXR uses Meta avatars, while the legacy version of Supernatural used "fuzzy" body models to represent the users. The new version of Supernatural has not revealed their multiplayer mode yet.
Zhang said that the avatar design was the result of many rounds of feedback from both FunFitLand's internal team and external beta testers from the app's Facebook community.
In practice it works exceedingly well. The ability to change my avatar shape, colors, and "face" to reflect my mood that particular day is a fun bit of whimsy.
Multiplayer In The Round
Another unique feature of FunFitLand's multiplayer implementation is the inclusion of multiple target lanes, with up to 360º of movement. The details matter here: when the side lanes open and send targets, your workout partner's avatar turns translucent, allowing a clearer view of incoming targets. That translucency was also a result of user testing and feedback, according to fitness coach Mike Pistilli.
It's subtle, works well, and if Pistilli didn't call it out during our multiplayer workout beta test session, I might not have noticed right away.
Another great convenience feature is the inclusion of a “skip cooldown” option, great for stacking group workouts back to back.
Shifting lanes in multiplayer mode. Video: FunFitLand
A Place You Come Back To
FunFitLand's multiplayer represents a big step toward its founder's vision to build something meaningful that connects people through exercise, mindful movement, and supportive community.
Zhang says there is more to come in the future. Describing his vision for the multiplayer mode, Zhang said, "It's like serving as the thread, connecting the dots. It's just a very critical piece that enables a lot of magic to happen."
FunFitLand is available on Meta Quest with a free download, with subscriptions to the service available for $9.99 monthly or $99.99 annually.
