The way we play digital games is secretly influenced by the advancement of the technology. While new technology inspired new play mechanics, obsolete technology also take away play mechanics we took for granted. One of the better known examples happened in early 2000 when TV technology transitioned from CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) to LCD. This advancement killed off the light gun genre in its entirety because the traditional light-gun technology requires CRT to position the light gun pointer on the TV screen. This tragic loss on mainstream consoles didn’t resolve till 2007 when Nintendo Wiimote came out.
The subject of this post is another example – barcode battler. When it comes to scanning linear barcodes, the card swiping action is the coolest! Recently, barcode related interactions are done with either a build-in camera or a hand-held barcode scanner. The card swiping action is gone!!
QRE1113
QRE1113 IR Reflective Photo Interrupter features an easy-to-use analog output, which will vary depending on the amount of IR light reflected back to the sensor. The QRE1113 is comprised of two parts – an IR emitting LED and an IR sensitive phototransistor. When you apply power to the VCC and GND pins the IR LED inside the sensor will illuminate. Because dark colors will bounce back less light, the sensor can be used to tell the difference between white and black areas and can be used in robots as a line follower.
https://www.newark.com/on-semiconductor/qre1113gr/object-sensor-phototransistor/dp/34C1691
https://www.ebay.com/itm/144367101969
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/onsemi-Fairchild/QRE1113
ROB-09453
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/sparkfun-electronics/ROB-09453/5762422
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9453
ROB-09454
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/sparkfun-electronics/ROB-09454/5725749
QRE1113GR 
ROB-09453 
ROB-09454
I found out recently that both US and Japanese version of the Goseiger (天装戦隊ゴセイジャー) henshin toy Tensouder (テンソウダー) uses 2 QRE1113 to read the double decked barcode on the side.
Tensouder 
QRE1113 IR reflectance sensor and ESP8266 example:
http://www.esp8266learning.com/qre1113-ir-reflectance-sensor-and-esp8266-example.php
Barcode Binary Card Reader
https://hackaday.io/project/9129-barcode-binary-card-reader