Restaurant chain Dave & Buster’s has decided to try and reach its customers when they are outside its restaurants by launching a series of mobile games based on some of the most popular arcade games in its restaurants. According to the news release, the three games, Big Bass Wheel (Free), Speed of Light (Free), and Tippin’ Bloks (Free), aren’t simply faithful reproductions of the arcades but, rather, have been expanded with new features and optimized for all kinds of screen sizes. Also, the developers claim that these games have been made to feel native to mobile.

What I find more interesting in this endeavor is Dave & Buster’s attempt to bridge the virtual with the real by linking the games to its Power Card, the card you can purchase and use at the restaurants to add money for the arcades and store winning tickets. According to Kevin Bachus, senior vice president of entertainment and games strategy, they wanted to make sure that the company’s mobile games offer players the ability to play in the virtual world but win tickets and prizes in the real world. I find the company’s idea quite interesting as it manages to lengthen the brand’s reach in a way that TV ads cannot; by making its advertising more interactive and translating a physical, in-store item into a virtual one that will be accessed by many, Dave & Buster’s acted, I think, quite cleverly.