Spectator interactions with games in a specatating system

• US 10,345,897 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2015
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Verfaillie, David Hendrik, Leung, Hok Peng, Gilmore, Patrick, Evans, Ethan Zane, Willette, Michael Anthony, Dury, Christopher Paul, Davis, Collin Charles, Bantegui, Richard, Surjo-Subagio, Francis Xavier, Frazzini, Michael Anthony, George, Michael Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Torimiro, Adetokunbo O
• Application Number:
  US14/755,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20170003740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 463 1, 463 20, 463 22, 463 25, 463 31, 463 39, 463 40, 463 42, 715716, 715718, 715719
• 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 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5372 for tagging characters, objects or locations in the game scene, e.g. displaying a circle under the character controlled by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/86 Watching games played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883

Abstract

A spectating system that generates game inputs based on spectator inputs and interactions, and provides the game inputs to game systems according to an application programming interface (API). The spectating system may allow spectators to interact with and affect a game being broadcast via inputs to and interactions with user interface (UI) elements presented on the spectating UI. Spectators may affect or influence the game, objects within the game universe, events within the game, or the players in the game via the UI elements on the spectating UI. The spectators may become involved in the games being broadcast by influencing game play via the spectating inputs. Game play for the players may be enhanced by providing interesting variations in game play based on the spectating inputs.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more computing devices configured to implement a spectating system configured to;

broadcast video received from a broadcaster device to a plurality of spectator devices, wherein the video includes game play of a respective broadcaster participating as a player in a game executing on a game system, wherein the plurality of spectator devices participates as non-player spectators of the game;

generate broadcast content at least in part according to game metadata for the game obtained from the game system according to an application programming interface (API) of the spectating system;

provide, to the plurality of spectator devices, a spectating user interface (UI) including the video and the broadcast content, wherein the broadcast content includes UI elements for interacting with the game executing on the game system;

obtain, from the plurality of spectator devices, spectator interactions with the broadcast content according to the spectating UI, wherein the spectator interactions include inputs to the UI elements from the plurality of spectator devices indicating interactions with the game executing on the game system;

generate game inputs at least in part according to collection and analysis of the inputs to the UI elements from the plurality of spectator devices indicating interactions with the game executing on the game system;

provide the game inputs to the game system according to the API; and

broadcast additional video received from the broadcaster device to the plurality of spectator devices, wherein the video includes additional game play of the game as modified, at the game system, by the game inputs.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the spectating system is configured to:

iteratively perform said obtain, said generate, and said provide during the broadcast;

detect a change in the inputs to the UI elements while iteratively performing said obtain and said generate; and

change a value of at least one of the game inputs in response to said detecting.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the spectating system is further configured to:

obtain spectator chat inputs from the plurality of spectator devices, wherein the spectator chat inputs include one or both of audio chat inputs or text chat inputs for a plurality of spectators associated with the plurality of spectator devices;

process the spectator chat inputs to determine chat content specifying interactions with the game executing on the game system;

generate additional game inputs according to the determined chat content indicating interactions with the game executing on the game system; and

provide the additional game inputs to the game system according to the API.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the broadcast content includes one or more UI elements for communicating game information to broadcasters, wherein the spectator interactions include spectator inputs to the one or more UI elements specifying game information to be provided to the broadcaster, and wherein the spectating system is further configured to provide the specified game information to the broadcaster device for display to the broadcaster.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the broadcast content includes one or more of:

one or more UI elements for adding content to a game world of the game, and wherein the game inputs include inputs specifying content to be added to the game world;

one or more UI elements for affecting an environment of a game world of the game, and wherein the game inputs include inputs specifying one or more effects on the environment of the game world;

one or more UI elements for affecting events in the game, and wherein the game inputs include inputs specifying one or more effects on the events in the game;

or

one or more UI elements for specifying parameters of the game, and wherein the game inputs include inputs specifying values for one or more parameters of the game.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the broadcast content includes one or more UI elements for providing players in the game with in-game content or information, and wherein the game inputs include inputs from one or more spectator devices specifying in-game content or information to be provided to specified players.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the broadcast content includes one or more UI elements for searching for objects in a game world of the game, and wherein the game inputs include inputs specifying locations to be searched in the game world.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the spectator interactions further include interactions with one or more of controller devices, joysticks devices, motion tracking input devices, or gesture-based input devices of the spectator devices, and wherein the spectating system is further configured to generate additional game inputs at least in part according to the interactions.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the spectating system comprises a game interaction module for the game executing on the game system, the game interaction module configured to:

define the UI elements for interacting with the game;

define the game inputs for the game; and

map inputs to the UI elements for interacting with the game to values for the game inputs.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the game metadata includes information describing or representing game content for the game, and wherein at least some of the UI elements correspond to or represent the game content.

11. A method, comprising:

performing, by a spectating system implemented on one or more computing devices;

streaming one or more broadcasts received from one or more broadcaster devices to a plurality of spectator devices, wherein each broadcast shows game play of a respective broadcaster participating as a player in a game executing on a game system, wherein the plurality of spectator devices participates as non-player spectators of the game;

generating broadcast content for the broadcasts at least in part according to game metadata describing or representing game content, wherein the broadcast content includes user interface (UI) elements for interacting with the game executing on the game system;

providing, to the plurality of spectator devices, a spectating UI including the one or more broadcasts and the broadcast content;

obtaining, from the plurality of spectator devices, spectator interactions with the broadcast content, wherein the spectator interactions include inputs to the UI elements from the plurality of spectator devices indicating interactions with the game executing on the game system;

generating game inputs at least in part according to collection and analysis of the inputs to the UI elements from the plurality of spectator devices; and

exposing the game inputs to the game system according to an application programming interface (API) of the spectating system; and

streaming one or more additional broadcasts received from the one or more broadcaster devices to the plurality of spectator devices, wherein each additional broadcast includes additional game play of the game as modified, at the game system, by the generated game inputs.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising obtaining, by the spectating system, at least some of the game metadata from the game system according to the API of the spectating system.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

obtaining, by the game system, values for the game inputs according to the API; and

affecting execution of the game on the game system according to the obtained values.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

obtaining spectator chat inputs from the plurality of spectator devices;

processing the spectator chat inputs to determine chat content specifying interactions with the game executing on the game system;

generating additional game inputs according to the determined chat content indicating interactions with the game executing on the game system; and

providing the additional game inputs to the game system according to the API.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the spectator chat inputs include one or both of text chat inputs or audio chat inputs for a plurality of spectators associated with the plurality of spectator devices.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

obtaining video or image inputs of spectator eye motion, body motion, or facial expression from the plurality of spectator devices;

processing the video or image inputs to determine metrics specifying interactions with the game executing on the game system;

generating additional game inputs according to the determined metrics indicating interactions with the game executing on the game system; and

providing the additional game inputs to the game system according to the API.

17. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the broadcast content includes one or more UI elements for communicating game information to broadcasters, wherein the spectator interactions include spectator inputs to the one or more UI elements specifying game information to be provided to the broadcaster, and wherein the method further comprises providing the specified game information to the broadcaster device for display to the broadcaster.

18. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the broadcast content includes one or more UI elements for adding content to a game world of the game, and wherein the game inputs include inputs specifying content to be added to the game world.

19. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the broadcast content includes one or more UI elements for affecting an environment of a game world of the game, and wherein the game inputs include inputs specifying one or more effects on the environment of the game world.

20. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the broadcast content includes one or more UI elements for specifying parameters of the game, and wherein the game inputs include inputs specifying values for one or more parameters of the game.

21. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the broadcast content includes one or more UI elements for providing players in the game with in-game content or information, and wherein the game inputs include inputs from one or more spectator devices specifying in-game content or information to be provided to specified players.

22. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein the broadcast content includes one or more UI elements for purchasing in-game content or information for players, and wherein the game inputs include inputs from one or more spectator devices purchasing in-game content or information for specified players.

23. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the broadcast content includes one or more UI elements for searching for objects in a game world of the game, and wherein the game inputs include inputs specifying locations to be searched in the game world.

24. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the broadcast content includes one or more UI elements for causing or affecting events in the game, and wherein the game inputs include inputs causing one or more events in the game or specifying one or more effects on the events in the game.

25. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the spectator interactions further include interactions with one or more of controller devices, joysticks devices, motion tracking input devices, or gesture-based input devices of the spectator devices, the method further comprising generating additional game inputs at least in part according to the interactions.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that when executed on one or more computers cause the one or more computers to implement a game interaction module for a spectating system configured to:

generate broadcast content for a broadcast received from a broadcaster device, wherein the broadcast shows game play of a respective broadcaster participating as a player in a game executing on a game system, wherein the broadcast content includes user interface (UI) elements for interacting with the game executing on the game system;

provide, to the plurality of spectator devices, a spectating UI including the broadcast and the broadcast content;

obtain, from the plurality of spectator devices, spectator interactions with the broadcast content, wherein the spectator interactions include inputs to the UI elements from the plurality of spectator devices indicating interactions with the game executing on the game system;

generate values for game inputs according to collection and analysis of the inputs to the UI elements from the plurality of spectator devices indicating interactions with the game executing on the game system;

wherein the game inputs are exposed to the game system according to an application programming interface (API) of the spectating system; and

provide an additional broadcast received from the broadcaster device to the plurality of spectator devices, wherein the additional broadcast includes additional game play of the game as modified, at the game system, by the game inputs.

27. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 26, wherein the game interaction module is further configured to:

obtain spectator chat inputs from the plurality of spectator devices, wherein the spectator chat inputs include one or both of audio chat inputs or text chat inputs for a plurality of spectators associated with the plurality of spectator devices;

process the spectator chat inputs to determine chat content specifying interactions with the game executing on the game system; and

generate additional game inputs according to the determined chat content indicating interactions with the game executing on the game system.