Method and system for temporarily incentivizing user participation in a game space

• US 10,252,150 B1
• Filed: 06/19/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Inventors: Kim, John, Glover, Peter, Jodway, Jay, Ambrosini, Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Galka, Lawrence S
• Application Number:
  US15/627,007
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence

Abstract

A system and method for temporarily altering the determination of gameplay metric values in a game space, and distributing awards based on the relative change in gameplay metric values during the temporary time.

Claims

1. A system for providing offers in a game space, the system comprising:

one or more processors configured by machine-readable instructions to;

execute an instance of a shared game space that is common to users, and to implement the instance to facilitate presentation of views of the shared game space to users, wherein the shared game space is configured to facilitate interaction of the users with the shared game space and/or each other by performing operations in the shared game space in response to commands received from the users, wherein a first user is associated with a first user grouping comprising a plurality of users;

determine gameplay metric values of a gameplay metric for the users, wherein the gameplay metric values quantify achievement within the shared game space such that a first gameplay metric value determined for the first user quantifies achievement of the first user in the shared game space;

alter determinations of the gameplay metric values during an event time period to magnify changes to the gameplay metric values, wherein, during the event time period, the determination of the gameplay metric values is altered to magnify the changes to the gameplay metric values such that the impact of achievement in the shared game space is magnified;

determine, based on increases in the gameplay metric values of the users during the event time period, a ranking of the first user grouping; and

determine, based on the ranking of the first user grouping, awards to be provided to the individual users of the first user grouping, wherein the awards include virtual items to be distributed for use in the shared game space such that a first award is determined to be provided to a first user based on the ranking of the first user grouping during the event time period.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions such that the determination of the gameplay metric is reverted to its unaltered state after the event period.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the gameplay metric includes a type of measurement of a type of action in the shared game space and/or a measure of progression, and wherein the gameplay metric values indicates value of the gameplay metric and includes a number of points relating to an achievement and/or the number of points accumulated by a user.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions such that, during the event period, the determination of the gameplay metric values associated with achievements for a first user are altered to magnify the impact of the achievements such that the gameplay metric values are different than if the achievements occurred outside the event period.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to determine an award for each of multiple categories of gameplay metric values to be distributed to the users with the greatest increase in each of the multiple categories of gameplay metric values.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to determine multiple awards for a single category of gameplay metric values, and multiple users are provided awards based on their increase in the single category of gameplay metric values.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to differentially alter the determination of the gameplay metric values of a first user responsive to the first user purchasing an in-game benefit.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to distribute at least an award.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the determination of the gameplay metric values is altered to magnify the changes to the gameplay metric values for a temporary period of time, and wherein the temporary period of time begins at a start of the event time period and ends at an end time of the event time period.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the determination of the gameplay metric values is altered to magnify the changes to the gameplay metric values for a temporary period of time, and wherein the temporary period of time overlaps the event time period.

9. A computer implemented method for providing offers in a game space, the method being implemented in a computer system that includes one or more processors configured by machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:

executing an instance of a shared game space that is common to users, and implementing the instance to facilitate presentation of views of the shared game space to users, wherein the shared game space facilitates interaction of the users with the shared game space and/or each other by performing operations in the shared game space in response to commands received from the users, wherein a first user is associated with a first user grouping comprising a plurality of users;

determining gameplay metric values of a gameplay metric for the users, wherein the gameplay metric values quantify achievement within the shared game space such that a first gameplay metric value determined for the first user quantifies achievement of the first user in the shared game space;

altering determinations of the gameplay metric values during an event time period to magnify changes to the gameplay metric values, wherein the determination of the gameplay metric values is altered to magnify the changes to the gameplay metric values such that the impact of achievement in the shared game space is magnified;

determining, based on increases in the gameplay metric values of the users during the event time period, a ranking of the first user grouping; and

determine, based on the ranking of the first user grouping, awards to be provided to the individual users of the first user grouping, wherein the awards include virtual items to be distributed for use in the shared game space such that a first award is determined to be provided to a first user based on the ranking of the first user grouping during the event time period.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determination of the gameplay metric is reverted to its unaltered state after the event period.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the gameplay metric includes a type of measurement of a type of action in the shared game space and/or a measure of progression, and wherein the gameplay metric values indicates value of the gameplay metric and includes a number of points relating to an achievement and/or the number of points accumulated by a user.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein during the event period, the determination of the gameplay metric values associated with achievements for a first user are altered to magnify the impact of the achievements such that the gameplay metric values are different than if the achievements occurred outside the event period.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein awards are determined for each of multiple categories of gameplay metric values to be distributed to the users with the greatest increase in each of the multiple categories of gameplay metric values.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein multiple awards are determined for a single category of gameplay metric values, and multiple users are provided awards based on their increase in the single category of gameplay metric values.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the determination of the gameplay metric values of a first user are differentially altered responsive to the first user purchasing an in-game benefit.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising distributing at least an award.

19. The method of claim 9, wherein the determination of the gameplay metric values is altered to magnify the changes to the gameplay metric values for a temporary period of time, and wherein the temporary period of time begins at a start of the event time period and ends at an end time of the event time period.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein the determination of the gameplay metric values is altered to magnify the changes to the gameplay metric values for a temporary period of time, and wherein the temporary period of time overlaps the event time period.