USA Today's AR app is playfully encouraging consumers to practice their social distancing skills, with interactive quizzes and educational experiences that leverage technology to offer entertainment for teens and adults.
After downloading the app, users can point their phone at any surface to launch the augmented reality experience. The narrative-based game takes place over the course of five simulated days, in which players find themselves inside of a small town. Players are fronted with a variety of choices, and tasked with making the choice that best adheres to social distancing guidelines. These choices include ordering food, meeting with friends and exercising outside.
At the end of the game users are able to see how well they followed social distancing guidelines with a "high risk" or "low risk" scoring system.
Image Credit: USA Today
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Augmented Reality Experiences
- Opportunity for businesses to create interactive and immersive experiences through AR technology.
- Gamification of Social Distancing
- Opportunity to utilize gamification techniques to encourage and educate people about social distancing practices.
- Narrative-based Games
- Opportunity to develop story-driven games that incorporate social distancing as a central theme.
Where This Applies
- Mobile App Development
- Potential for developers to create AR apps that offer engaging and educational experiences.
- Entertainment and Gaming
- Opportunity for entertainment and gaming companies to integrate social distancing messages and practices into their products.
- Health and Wellness
- Opportunity to incorporate social distancing education and motivation into health and wellness platforms and services.
