Zwift is the Swiss army knife of cycling apps. The ZWIFT Revolution has been met with open arms by the global cycling community, providing a healthy outlet for exercise and entertainment from the comforts of your own warm, cozy abode. There are many, many different ways you can use it, and there are riders of all different capabilities and ages using the app whenever you log on. The concept is an addictive, reward-based gamification system that has caught fire in more than 150 countries around the world, with beautiful and realistic locations on offer such as their very own ‘Watopia’ world, as well as Paris, London, and a replica of the world-famous Alpe d’Huez rebranded as ‘Alpe du Zwift’.
Gone are the days of having to suffer from black ice encounters on dodgy roads that make us think twice about riding out in the Winter for fear of gravel burns or sliding in front of traffic on slippery bends. The constant worry of wear and tear on our expensive gear outside can let us down at any given moment, not to mention the weight on our wallets, but today’s software is reliable, effective, and constructed for the long term.
“Bulky gym equipment, spins bikes and manually adjusting your resistance with the help of an archaic knob positioned somewhere on the bulky frame of an uncomfortable static lump of metal has been replaced with Smart Trainers, virtual cycling worlds, replica world championship courses, and opportunities to ride with Tour de France winning cyclists.”, says Lee.
Metaverse gamification culture is only just revving up its engine, and as it expands, we foresee the virtual reality space blowing up in the near future as demand for technology continues to follow this sharp rise. Technology that paves the way for accessibility to everyone at a simple subscription-based fee, the way you would pay for Spotify or Netflix, but as a means of investing in your health, which one could argue holds the highest precedence in our own personal portfolios.
Mental health has been an important topic this year and people have drastically become more cognizant of that, especially since COVID times began. There is some level of debate on whether gamification of physical activities for young children will follow similar principles of concern that we’ve seen in the rest of the video gaming industry over the course of the last few years, but there is no debating the importance of exercise altogether. We will just have to wait and see how the Metaverse plans on constructing healthful governance and finding ways to motivate our youth to engage in physical activities.
Tune in next week for Part-2 of this discussion, where we will be talking about similar business wellness models, the front-runners of the Metaverse race, and how to get started with ZWIFT from the application of a professional virtual cyclist.