Systems and methods for providing offers within a game space that decrease in value based on previous acceptances of the offers

• US 10,210,708 B1
• Filed: 05/26/2017
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Inventors: McLellan, Sam, Pieron, Luc, Schultz, Stephanie, Swift, Dylan
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US15/607,297
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3269 Timing aspects of game play, e.g. blocking/halting the operation of a gaming machine

Abstract

Offers provided within a game space may decrease in value based on previous acceptances of the offers. A game instance of a game space may be executed to facilitate presentation of views of the game space to users to enable interaction of the users with the game space and/or each other by performing operations in the game space in response to commands received from the users. Offers may be provided within the game instance of the game space that decrease in value based on previous acceptances of the offers. The offers may include a first offer having a first value that progressively decreases based on an amount of users that have previously accepted the first offer in order to incentivize early acceptance of the first offer.

Claims

1. A system for providing offers within a game space that decrease in value based on previous acceptances of the offers, the system comprising:

one or more processors configured by non-transitory computer readable instructions to;

execute a game instance of a game space to facilitate presentation of views of the game space to users to enable interaction of the users with the game space and/or each other by performing operations in the game space in response to commands received from the users; and

provide chance-based offers within the game instance of the game space for prizes that decrease in value based on an amount of users that have previously won the prize, such that the value of the prize, which is to be received by the users that accept the chance-based offers and win the prize, decreases progressively based on previous winners of the prize, the offers including a first offer having a first value that progressively decreases based on an amount of users that have previously won a first prize associated with the first offer in order to incentivize early acceptance of the first offer such that the value to be received by a first user upon winning the first prize progressively decreases based on the amount of other users that have previously won the first prize.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein accepting the first offer includes obtaining a chance to win the first prize associated with the first offer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the amount of users that have previously won the first prize includes a number of users that have previously won the first prize associated with the first offer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the value of the first offer includes a quantity associated with the first prize such that a first user winning the first prize will gain more virtual items associated with the first prize relative to a second user winning the first prize after the first user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein odds of winning the first prize decrease based on the amount of users that have previously won the first prize such that the first user obtaining a chance to win the first prize will have better odds of winning relative to a second user obtaining a chance to win the first prize after the first user wins the first prize.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first user purchasing a chance to win the first prize will pay less relative to a second user purchasing a chance to win the first prize after the first user wins the first prize.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first offer is for a virtual item such that accepting the first offer includes purchasing the virtual item.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the value of the first prize includes a quantity associated with the virtual item such that the first user purchasing the virtual item will gain more virtual items relative to a second user purchasing the virtual item after the first user wins the first prize.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first user purchasing the virtual item will pay less relative to a second user purchasing the virtual item after the first user wins the first prize.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the prizes further include a second prize such that the first value of the first prize progressively decreases based on an amount of users that have previously won either the first prize or the second prize.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first value of the first prize decreases for a first group of users and remains the same for a second group of users.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the decrease in the first value of the first prize occurs with individual wins of the first prize.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the decrease in the first value of the first prize is tiered based on successive sets of winning the first prize.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by computer readable instructions to effectuate presentation of visual indications of offers to users of the game instance of the game space, the visual indications including a first visual indication of the first offer, the first visual indication conveying information associated with the decrease of the first value of the first prize.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the information associated with the decrease of the first value of the first prize includes one or more of:

a visual illustration of a decreasing prize associated with the first offer;

an indication of a total number of users that have won the first prize;

or

an indication of a total number of remaining chances to win the first prize.

16. A computer-implemented method for providing offers within a game space that decrease in value based on previous acceptances of the offers, the method being performed by one or more processors configured by non-transitory computer readable instructions, the method comprising:

executing, at the one or more processors, a game instance of a game space to facilitate presentation of views of the game space to users to enable interaction of the users with the game space and/or each other by performing operations in the game space in response to commands received from the users; and

providing, at the one or more processors, chance-based offers within the game instance of the game space for prizes that decrease in value based on an amount of users that have previously won the prize, such that the value of the prize, which is to be received by the users that accept the chance-based offers and win the prize, decreases progressively based on previous winners of the prize, the offers including a first offer having a first value that progressively decreases based on an amount of users that have previously won a first prize associated with the first offer in order to incentivize early acceptance of the first offer such that the value to be received by a first user upon winning the first prize progressively decreases based on the amount of other users that have previously won the first prize.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein accepting the first offer includes obtaining a chance to win the first prize associated with the first offer.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising effectuating, at the one or more processors, presentation of visual indications of offers to users of the game instance of the game space, the visual indications including a first visual indication of the first offer, the first visual indication conveying information associated with the decrease of the first value of the first prize.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the information associated with the decrease of the first value of the first prize includes one or more of:

a visual illustration of a decreasing prize associated with the first offer;

an indication of a total number of users that have won the first prize;

or

an indication of a total number of remaining chances to win the first prize.