On-line gaming spectator

• US 20030220143A1
• Filed: 05/24/2002
• Published: 11/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Schmitt, Michael, Shteyn, Yevgeniy E.
• Application Number:
  US10/155,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20030220143A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/32 using local area network [LAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• 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: A63F 2300/302 specially adapted for receiving control signals not targeted to a display device or game input means, e.g. vibrating driver's seat, scent dispenser
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/404 characterized by a local network connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5513 involving billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/577 for watching a game played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

Participatory spectator roles are provided to on-line gaming systems. The degree of a spectator'"'"'s participation can vary from that of an observer to that of a critic. Similarly, the degree of effect that the spectator can have on the active-players of the on-line game may also vary. The spectator receives input at various sense levels, video, audio, touch, and so on, and may provide feedback to the active-players of the on-line game using the same or different sense levels. The spectator may also be able to effect changes in the on-line game environment, by modifying landscapes and obstacles, providing clues, defining new rules or challenges, interacting with the active-players, and so on.

Claims

1. A method of providing entertainment to a user, including:

receiving a request from the user to be a spectator at an on-line game that is effected by one or more active-players, and

providing stimuli to the user corresponding to activities of the on-line game.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the stimuli includes at least one of:

audio stimuli,

visual stimuli, and

tactile stimuli.

3. The method of claim 1, further including

receiving feedback from the user, and

providing the feedback to at least one active-player of the one or more active-players.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein

the feedback includes at least one of:

audio feedback,

visual feedback,

tactile feedback, and

a change of environment within the game.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein

the feedback corresponds to a measure of contribution to at least one active-player of the one or more active-players, and

a performance characteristic of the at least one active-player is based at least in part on the measure of contribution.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein

providing the feedback to at least one active-player is effected while information related to the on-line game is being communicated to a receiving device of the at least one active-player.

7. The method of claim 1, further including

assessing a fee to the user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein

the fee is based on at least one of:

a level of participation of the user,

a level of player-effects allowed to the user,

a level of game-effects allowed to the user,

a duration of participation by the user,

a time-of-day of the on-line game,

a classification of the on-line game,

a classification of the user, and

a type of connection to the user.

9. The method of claim 1, further including:

downloading select game-related information to the user prior to providing the stimuli.

10. The method of claim 1, further including

providing a guide to available on-line games, from which the user selects the on-line game.

11. The method of claim 1, further including

enabling transactions between the user and at least one of the one or more active-players.

12. The method of claim 1, further including

enabling communication between the user and one or more other spectators to the on-line game.

13. The method of claim 12, further including

modifying the game based on a composite feedback of the user and the one or more other spectators.

14. A computer program that, when executed on a computer system, causes the computer system to:

receive player-input from one or more active-players of an on-line game,

update a state of the on-line game based on the player-input,

transmit updated game information to the one or more active-players, based on the state of the on-line game, and

transmit updated spectator information to one or more spectators, based on at least one of;

the player-input, and

the state of the on-line game.

15. The computer program of claim 14, wherein

the spectator information includes at least one of:

audio information,

visual information, and

tactile information.

16. The computer program of claim 14, which further causes the computer system to:

receive spectator-input from the one or more spectators, and

transmit the spectator-input to at least one of the one or more active-players.

17. The computer program of claim 14, which further causes the computer system to:

receive spectator-input from the one or more spectators, and

further update the state of the on-line game based on the spectator-input.

18. The computer program of claim 14, which further causes the computer system to:

receive spectator-input from the one or more spectators, and

update a performance characteristic of at least one of the one or more active-players, based on the spectator-input.

19. The computer program of claim 14, which further causes the computer system to:

facilitate communications among the one or more spectators.

20. The computer program of claim 14, which further causes the computer system to:

assess fees to at least one spectator of the one or more spectators, based on at least one of;

a level of participation of the at least one spectator,

a level of player-effects allowed to the at least one spectator,

a level of game-effects allowed to the at least one spectator,

a duration of participation by the at least one spectator,

a time-of-day of the on-line game,

a classification of the on-line game,

a classification of the at least one spectator, and

a type of connection to the at least one spectator.

21. The computer program of claim 14, which further causes the computer system to:

transmit a guide to available on-line games to a user,

process a selection of the on-line game from among the available on-line games by the user, and

allow the user to be a spectator of the one or more spectators of the on-line game.

22. An on-line gaming system comprising:

a first software component for implementation on a host system that is configured to control an on-line game in response to inputs from one or more active-players of the on-line game,

a second software component for implementation on each computer system of the one or more active-players that is configured to render a state of the on-line game corresponding to each of the one or more active-players, and to communicate the inputs from each of the one or more active-players to the host system,

the first software component being further configured to modify the state of the on-line game in response to the inputs from each of the one or more active-players, and,

a third software component for implementation on each computer system of one or more spectators to the on-line game that is configured to render the state of the on-line game corresponding to each of the one or more spectators.

23. The on-line gaming system of claim 22, wherein

the third software component is also configured to communicate feedback from each of the one or more spectators to the host system.

24. The on-line gaming system of claim 23, wherein

the first software component is further configured to modify the state of the on-line game in response to the feedback from at least one of the one or more spectators.

25. The on-line gaming system of claim 23, wherein

the first software component is further configured to communicate the feedback from the at least one of the one or more spectators to at least one of the one or more active-players.

26. The on-line gaming system of claim 23, wherein

the first software component is further configured to modify a perfomance characteristic of at least one of the one or more active-players, based at least in part on the feedback from at least one of the one or more spectators.