GOLDEN GLOVES VR PREMIERES MULTIPLAYER AT USA BOXING OLYMPIC TRIALS IN LAFAYETTE .
TULSA, Okla. November 22, 2023 – Golden Gloves VR, a virtual reality boxing game, has entered the burgeoning eSports arena with the addition of a multiplayer function, allowing two human players to compete via their avatars in the same virtual game environment, says Aaron Sloan, founder of Tulsa-based tech company, Engine Room VR.
Through an eSports initiative with USA Boxing, the National Governing Body for Olympic-style boxing in the United States, GGVR will begin testing multiplayer at the USA Boxing Olympic Team Trials in Lafayette, La., Dec. 4-9 (demonstrations will take place Dec. 4-6). During the event, top-level amateur boxers from across the nation will have the opportunity to demo the feature through virtual boxing matches, paving the way for corresponding eBoxing Tournaments at future real-world USA Boxing and Golden Gloves of America events. The multiplayer function will be available as an in-game option in early 2024.
ESports are enormously popular and have experienced exponential growth over the last decade. Earlier this month, world viewership for the 2023 League of Legends World Championship, one of eSports most prestigious tournaments held this year in Korea, peaked at more than 6.4 million viewers. The eSports market is expected to have a total of 924 million users by 2028, with worldwide market revenues reaching $3.8 billion this year.
During the 141st International Olympic Committee Session in Mumbai, India, the IOC announced it’s exploring plans to create an Olympic eSports Games. The IOC’s announcement builds on several previous Olympics initiatives in eSports.
“We are thrilled to be on the ground floor of the virtual reality fitness, gaming and eSports industry,” says Sloan. “Adding multiplayer to our Golden Gloves VR game allows us to build on our existing relationships with two of the best known organizations in amateur boxing to create exciting eSports competitions that will be open to athletes and gamers across the world.”
In addition to multiplayer, one of the most requested gaming features, GGVR features a scoring system specifically designed to reward proper boxing form and technique. After launching multiplayer, GGVR plans to host official qualifying, ranked eSports events with in-game and real world prizes at both virtual and in-person tournaments. Players will be able to use these same features to organize their own non-qualifying tournaments, or play casually with friends. GGVR also offers a single player career mode, male and female boxing characters, mixed reality, an in-game fitness tracker, and in-game training videos. Live, virtual fitness classes are in development. For the latest news on GGVR, visit the GGVR Discord page.
