Online video game advertising system and method supporting multiplayer ads

• US 20060128469A1
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Willis, Daniel, Freedman, Gordon, Godse, Dhananjay
• Granted Patent: US 8,849,701 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/61 using advertising information
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5506 using advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location

Abstract

In a video game session supporting a set of gamers participating in the game from a variety of different locations, an opportunity to provide an advertisement is presented. The content of the advertisement is chosen based upon specific criteria such as data relating to one of the gamers, for example, the location of the gamer. The chosen content of the advertisement is provided within an advertising spot of the video game.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a game session of a game in execution and having a plurality of gamers engaged therein, the plurality of gamers playing in a plurality of locations, one remote from another;

providing an advertising spot within the game;

determining advertising content for being inserted within the advertising spot and based on data relating to at least one of the plurality of gamers; and

inserting the determined advertising content within the advertising spot during the game session.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the game session is in execution on a server

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the data relating to at least one of the plurality of gamers comprises geographic data relating to at least one of the plurality of gamers.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the geographic data relates to each of the plurality of gamers and wherein the advertising content is determined based on an analysis of the geographic data to determine advertising content best suited to the geographic data.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the analysis comprises determining an advertising content that is most profitable if impressed upon each of the plurality of gamers.

6. A method according to claim 2 wherein the game session is a session of a massively multiplayer online game.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the determined advertising content is the same for each gamer of the plurality of gamers.

8. A method according to claim 6 wherein the determined advertising content is the same for a known group of the plurality of gamers and different for another group of the plurality of gamers.

9. A method according to claim 6 wherein the determined advertising content is other than persistent throughout the game session.

10. A method according to claim 9 comprising:

providing a second advertising spot;

determining second advertising content for being inserted within the second advertising spot,

wherein the determined second advertising content is other than persistent throughout the game session while being impressed upon at least a gamer.

11. A method according to claim 6 wherein the determined advertising content is persistent throughout the game session while being impressed upon at least a gamer.

12. A method according to claim 6 wherein a persistence of the determined advertising content is based on characteristic data stored in association with data relating to the advertising spot.

13. A method according to claim 6 wherein the data relating to at least one of the plurality of gamers comprises geographic data relating the plurality of gamers.

14. A method according to claim 1 wherein determining advertising content for being inserted within the advertising spot and based on data relating to at least one of the plurality of gamers includes determining characteristics of the advertising spot based on data stored in association with the advertising spot.

15. A method according to claim 1 wherein determining advertising content for being inserted within the advertising spot and based on data relating to at least one of the plurality of gamers includes searching advertisements associated with the advertising spot, the advertisements searched based on characteristics thereof stored in association therewith.

16. A method according to claim 1 wherein the game session is a multiplayer game hosted by a player of the multiplayer game.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the data comprises geographic data relating to the player.

18. A method according to claim 16 wherein the data comprises geographic data relating to each of the plurality of gamers and wherein the advertising content is determined based on an analysis of the geographic data to determine advertising content best suited to the geographic data.

19. A method comprising:

providing a game session of a game in execution and having a plurality of gamers engaged therein, the plurality of gamers playing in a plurality of locations, one remote from another;

providing an advertising spot within the game;

determining advertising content for being inserted within the advertising spot; and

inserting the determined advertising content within the advertising spot during the game session, at least a predetermined plurality of the plurality of gamers having a same advertising content within a virtual world thereof at approximately a same time within the game session.

20. A method according to claim 19 wherein the inserted determined advertising content is inserted within the virtual world of all of the gamers engaged therein during an approximately same period of time.

21. A method according to claim 19 wherein the inserted determined advertising content is inserted within the virtual world of a subset of the gamers engaged therein during an approximately same period of time, the subset less than the whole.

22. A method according to claim 19 wherein the period of time is based on characteristic data stored in association with the advertising spot.

23. A method according to claim 19 wherein the period of time is based on characteristic data stored in association with the advertising content.

24. A method according to claim 19 wherein the advertising content is unrelated to the game.

25. A method according to claim 19 wherein the advertising content is changed within a game flow of the game session, the game flow forming part of a storyline within a virtual space of the game session.

26. A method according to claim 19 wherein the advertising content is changed within a virtual space of the game session when the advertising content is other than being impressed on a gamer of the plurality gamers.

27. A method according to claim 19 wherein the advertising content is changed within a virtual space of the game session when the advertising content is other than being impressed on any gamer in execution of the game session.

28. A method according to claim 19 wherein the advertising content is changed within a virtual space of the game session through gamer interaction with the advertising spot.

29. A method according to claim 19 wherein the advertising content is persistent for a predetermined period of time.

30. A method according to claim 19 wherein the advertising content is persistent for a predetermined one of a number of impressions and a quality of impressions.

31. A method according to claim 19 wherein the advertising content is persistent for a predetermined number and quality of impressions.

32. A method comprising:

providing a game session of a game in execution and having a plurality of gamers engaged therein, the plurality of gamers playing in a plurality of locations, one remote from another;

providing an advertising spot within the game;

determining advertising content for being inserted within the advertising spot; and

inserting the determined advertising content within the advertising spot during the game session, the advertising content inserted with a persistence relating to a characteristic of at least one of the advertising spot and the advertising content.

33. A method according to claim 32 wherein the persistence relates to a characteristic stored in association with the advertising spot.

34. A method according to claim 32 wherein the persistence relates to a characteristic stored in association with the advertising content.

35. A method according to claim 32 comprising:

providing a second advertising spot within the game;

determining second advertising content for being inserted within the second advertising spot; and

inserting the determined second advertising content within the second advertising spot during the game session, the second advertising content having a second persistence relating to a characteristic of the second advertising spot, the second persistence differing from the persistence.

36. A method according to claim 35 wherein after a persistence of the first advertising content in game session events act to change the advertising content.

37. A method according to claim 36 wherein gamers within the game session perform actions to one of change and remove the first advertising content.

38. A method according to claim 37 wherein gamers within the game session are provided incentives to perform the actions.

39. A method according to claim 36 wherein the game session events relate to gamer interaction with the advertising spot.

40. A method according to claim 32 wherein the advertising content is other than related to the game.

41. A method according to claim 32 wherein the persistence relates to in game session events other than an elapsed time.

42. A method according to claim 32 wherein the persistence relates to one of an elapsed time in the game session and an elapsed time independent of the game session.

43. A method comprising:

providing a game session of a game in execution and having a plurality of gamers engaged therein, the plurality of gamers playing in a plurality of locations, one remote from another;

providing an advertising spot within the game;

determining first advertising content for being inserted within the advertising spot;

inserting the first advertising content within the advertising spot for a duration of time less than the game session;

determining second advertising content for being inserted within the advertising spot and for replacing the first advertising content; and

inserting the second advertising content to replace the first advertising content within the advertising spot for a duration of time less than the game session and for a duration of time after the first advertising content was inserted.

44. A method according to claim 43 wherein the second advertising content is inserted when the first advertisement is other than being impressed.

45. A method according to claim 43 wherein the second advertising content is inserted after a predetermined period of time during which the first advertising content is inserted.

46. A method according to claim 43 wherein the second advertising content is inserted after the first advertising content is impressed upon at least one of the plurality of gamers for a predetermined period of time.

47. A method according to claim 43 wherein the second advertising content is inserted after the first advertising content is impressed upon each of the plurality of gamers for a predetermined period of time.