Billboard-sized video gameplay via smartphone app

If you think electronic billboard ads are repetitive and boring, you may change your mind after playing an innovative game of digital Pong on a billboard via your smartphone. In Sweden, a billboard for a McDonald's outlet at a public square was used for "Pick n 'Play," where smartphone owners "register" online to play the game. An English translation of the "Pick n 'Play" site requires players to be in the vicinity of the fungus at Stureplan area at a specified time and date. "Sign in to picknplay.se and steer (the Pong paddle) with your smartphone," it said (www.picknplay.se). A video of the game posted on video-sharing site YouTube shows players visiting a website, picknplay.se, instead of having to download an app to play the game. The progress of two players playing digital Pong was shown on the large electronic billboard. "If you managed to last 30 seconds without being defeated, you would get a coupon for something delicious at Ronald's house," said CNET's Chris Matyszczyk. "Particularly delightful about this little wheeze was that you didn't have to go through the cumbersome process of having to download some unwieldy app," he added. CNET also noted another interactive billboard campaign that encouraged smartphone owners to capture flying food with their smartphone cameras and show their photos to the McDonald's crew for free food items. — TJD, GMA News