Fallsnewspress.com - Playing video game helps Falls man win car in contest

by Jeff Wheeler

Correspondent

Cuyhaoga Falls -- Last month, a Cuyahoga Falls resident learned that playing video games can pay off in a big way.

Joseph Chase, a one-year resident of Cuyhaoga Falls, won a new 2010 limited-edition GTI MkVI vehicle from Volkswagen of America by playing a racing app for his I-Phone.

Chase, 32, said he first "found out about the contest on the [Volkswagen Web site]."

The free app was the Real Racing GTI and was available on I-Phones and I-Touches. A person could download the free app and then register to be eligible for the contest.

According to the Volkswagen Web site, the contest ran from Oct. 22 through Dec. 2. There were six 2010 limited-edition MkVI vehicles available in the contest. Each week of the competition a winner was selected. Each player was able to enter up to seven times per week for that week's drawing. To be entered, the player had to complete one lap in the game per day.

Chase said he was notified through an e-mail in November that he had won the first of the six 2010 limited-edition GTI MkVI cars. Chase said he was "very skeptical" of the e-mail he had received. According to Chase, the e-mail was asking for him to send a notarized letter back with personal information on it, including his Social Security Number.

Chase said he started looking into the matter by checking out the Volkswagen Web site and even called a Volkswagen salesman he had recently bought a car from to figure out if he had actually won. To Chase's delight, the salesman confirmed that he did indeed win the 2010 limited-edition GTI MkVI.

Chase said he was very excited when he found out he was a winner because "I never win anything," and added he "at first figured only 20 or so people downloaded the app." According to Volkswagen there was more than 3 million downloads globally, but the contest was only open to American gamers.

The new GTI is expected to arrive around New Year's Day, explained Chase. He also commented that he was very pleased with the racing app itself stating that "I'm not much of a gamer by any means, but [Real Racing GTI] is a lot of fun."

Charlie Taylor, general manager of digital marketing for Volkswagen of America Inc., explained the Real Racing GTI App "was created by Volkswagen with leading game developer, Firemint, to act as the sole launch medium for the all-new 2010 GTI."

"With the personalization of media and the difficulty that's inherent in reaching constantly-connected consumers, we challenged ourselves to rethink the way we launch vehicles in order to engage our consumers in a meaningful way," said Taylor. "The Real Racing GTI App for the iPhone / iPod Touch was formed directly out of that thinking, and the extensive research that Volkswagen conducted to truly pinpoint the 2010 GTI's target consumers ... The game's and contest's success solidify Volkswagen's decision to break free from more traditional launch methods and activities."

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