Managing game metrics and authorizations

• US 10,293,262 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2016
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Harris, Adam P., Schneider, Steve C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Garner, Werner G
• Application Number:
  US15/391,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20170266560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/75 Enforcing rules, e.g. detecting foul play or generating lists of cheating players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5586 for enforcing rights or rules, e.g. to prevent foul play
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00

Abstract

Various metrics as may be deployed in an active, passive, or hybrid validation architecture are disclosed. A computing device configured to monitor network game activity may identify an inconsistency between user game data and a particular game metric governing a particular aspect of the network gaming environment. Upon identification of an inconsistency between game data and a game metric, which may indicative of illicit game play, a validation process (e.g., active, passive, and/or hybrid) may be implemented to further confirm the existence of illicit game. Alternatively, an action to maintain integrity of the gaming community may be executed without further confirmation whereby a purportedly illicit game device may be ejected from the network.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a user device in a gaming network, the method comprising:

assigning validation responsibilities to a first subset of client devices from a plurality of client devices in the gaming network, wherein the first subset of client devices monitors in-game behaviors of at least one client device participating in a network game in the gaming network not assigned validation responsibilities, wherein the first subset of client devices monitors for pre-defined activity associated with cheating within the network game, and wherein the validation responsibilities are randomly re-assigned from the first subset of client devices to a second subset of client devices from the plurality of client devices in the gaming network at pre-determined intervals of time;

receiving monitoring information from a current subset of client devices that are assigned the validation responsibilities for monitoring the in-game behaviors of the at least one monitored client device, wherein the received monitoring information from the current subset of client devices indicates that the at least one monitored client device participating in the network game has been detected as having been engaged in the pre-defined activity associated with cheating by at least one client device of the current subset of client devices;

identifying that the at least one client device of the current subset of client devices has not validated the at least one monitored client device for continued participation in the network game from the received monitoring information; and

preventing the at least one monitored client device from continuing to engage in the pre-defined activity associated with cheating within the network game by modifying software associated with the network game absent validation from the current subset of client devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the validation responsibilities is based on available bandwidth of the first subset of client devices in the gaming network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the validation responsibilities is based on available processing power of the first subset of client devices in the gaming network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the current subset of client devices that are assigned the validation responsibilities identify the in-game behaviors of the at least one monitored client device as corresponding to the pre-defined activity associated with cheating based on a stored library of predefined rules.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the stored library of predefined rules further includes at least one rule that is based on observations of gameplay within the network game from the at least one monitored client device.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising updating the stored library of predefined rules based on a predetermined schedule.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the stored library of predefined rules includes at least one rule specifying a data signature associated with the pre-defined activity associated with cheating.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a query for the at least one monitored client device participating in the network game based on the received monitoring information indicative of the in-game behaviors corresponding to the pre-defined activity associated with cheating.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein preventing the at least one monitored client device from continuing to engage in the pre-defined activity associated with cheating comprises modifying the software associated with the network game used to carry out the pre-determined activity.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the validation responsibilities assigned to the first subset of client devices includes assigning leadership responsibilities amongst a subset of the first subset of client devices, and wherein the leadership responsibilities directs the assigned subset of the first subset of client devices to perform actions in response to the received monitoring information associated with the at least one monitored client device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying that the current subset of client devices assigned validation responsibilities that have not validated the at least one monitored client device for continued participation in the network game corresponds to a required number of the current subset of client devices, and wherein the required number is at least two different client devices of the current subset of client devices.

12. A system for monitoring a user device in a gaming network, the system comprising:

a plurality of client devices; and

a server that includes instructions stored in memory, the instructions being executed by a processor to;

assign validation responsibilities to a first subset of client devices from the plurality of client devices, wherein the first subset of client devices monitors in-game behaviors of at least one client device participating in a network game in the gaming network not assigned validation responsibilities, wherein the first subset of client devices monitors for pre-defined activity associated with cheating within the network game, and wherein the validation responsibilities are randomly re-assigned from the first subset of client devices to a second subset of client devices from the plurality of client devices in the gaming network at pre-determined intervals of time,

receive monitoring information from a current subset of client devices that are assigned the validation responsibilities for monitoring the in-game behaviors of the at least one monitored client device, wherein the received monitoring information from the current subset of client devices indicates that the at least one monitored client device participating in the network game has been detected as having been engaged in the pre-defined activity associated with cheating by at least one client device of the current subset of client devices,

identify that the at least one client device of the current subset of client devices has not validated the at least one monitored client device for continued participation in the network game from the received monitoring information, and

prevent the at least one monitored client device from continuing to engage in the pre-defined activity associated with cheating within the network game by modifying software associated with the network game absent validation from the current subset of client devices.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein identifying that the current subset of client devices that have not validated the at least one monitored client device for continued participation in the network game in the gaming network corresponds to a required number of the current subset of client devices, and wherein the required number is at least two different client devices of the current subset of client devices.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for monitoring a user device in a gaming network, the method comprising:

assigning validation responsibilities to a first subset of client devices from a plurality of client devices in the gaming network, wherein the first subset of client devices monitors in-game behaviors of at least one client device participating in a network game in the gaming network not assigned validation responsibilities, wherein the first subset of client devices monitors for pre-defined activity associated with cheating within the network game, and wherein the validation responsibilities are randomly re-assigned from the first subset of client devices to a second subset of client devices from the plurality of client devices in the gaming network at pre-determined intervals of time;

receiving monitoring information from a current subset of client devices that are assigned the validation responsibilities for monitoring the in-game behaviors of the at least one monitored client device, wherein the received monitoring information from the current subset of client devices indicates that the at least one monitored client device participating in the network game has been detected as having been engaged in the pre-defined activity associated with cheating by at least one client device of the current subset of client devices;

identifying that the at least one client device of the current subset of client devices has not validated the at least one monitored client device for continued participation in the network game from the received monitoring information; and

transmitting a patch to the at least one monitored client device, wherein the patch is directed at preventing the at least one monitored client device from continuing to engage in the pre-defined activity associated with cheating within the network game by modifying software associated with the network game absent validation from the current subset of client devices.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein identifying that the current subset of client devices that have not validated the monitored client device for continued participation in the network game in the gaming network corresponds to a required number of the current subset of client devices of the plurality of client devices, and wherein the required number is at least two different client devices of the current subset of client devices.