It’s no novelty for drivers to enjoy a quick video game or two on their cars’ infotainment system, when the car is not running, of course. The perfect example are Tesla drivers who were offered a few classic Atari games such as Asteroids, Centipede, Lunar Lander and Missile Command on the cars’ in-dashboard touch screens at the end of last year. Mercedes-Benz is also catching up on the trend and is now inviting innovators from all over the world to take up the In-Car Gaming Challenge, a competition to develop in-car video games for future Mercedes.

At the 2019 Mobile World Congress held last month, Mercedes showcased the latest CLA model and offered visitors an opportunity to play Mario Kart on the MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) infotainment system using the car’s steering wheel. While it was mainly for demonstrating purpose only, the automaker is showing interest to include in-car gaming in the near future.

The In-Car Gaming Challenge is open to students, developers, designers and startups. Each team of up to five persons can submit ideas for either passenger car, bus or mobile app, and Mercedes has not set limits on the experience – it could involve AR/VR, immersive gaming, streaming, multiplayer, etc. Finalists will have the chance to present their ideas to Mercedes in Stuttgart. Ideas should be submitted by 16 May 2019 and more competition details can be found at http://www.in-car-gaming.com/.