Pennsylvania convenience store Wawa has rolled out an augmented reality game to go along with its kids’ meals. But customers won’t need a plastic toy to play because along with the shorti hoagie, a bag of apple slices and a small chocolate milk, for example, comes a digital goose.
Store mascot "Wally Goose” is the star of the augmented reality game. To launch it, customers scan a QR code on the mascot’s trading cards, which come with every meal.
Matt Marsters heads up creative strategy for Neo-Pangea, the Reading-based group that created the game. He knows how the tech works.
“Augmented reality brings digital components out of an experience and into your world. So, you can go into your living room, point your phone, and play a game on your table or see a character appear life-size on your floor,” he says.
To win, the player must collect digitized Wawa kids’ meals that float on red balloons.
Right now, there are no prizes for top players. But Marsters says Wawa is considering awarding coupons in the future.