Electronic investment and trading game with entertainment and educational purpose

• US 20090233718A1
• Filed: 03/12/2009
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sylvester Martin Shelton
• Original Assignee: Sylvester Martin Shelton
• Inventors: Shelton, Sylvester Martin
• Granted Patent: US 7,846,014 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 18/16 Control of vehicle drives by interaction between vehicle and track; Control of track elements by vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis

Abstract

A computer-implemented financial investment and trading game comprising a Game Economy, a Player Interface and a Master Game Control Program which comprises computer-readable instructions on a computer-readable medium for defining, operating and managing play iterations, the Game Economy and the Player Interface, wherein the Game Economy comprises a plurality of Player Accounts, a Bank, an Exchange, a Corporations Database, an Opportunities Database, and a Directives Database, the Game Economy defined by one or more indicators that are automatically updated by the Master Game Control Program at play iteration, the Player Interface comprising instructions for continuously and automatically displaying the indicators, the play iteration involving a selection and execution of action items from one or more of the Opportunities Database and the Directives Database.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented financial investment and trading game comprising a Game Economy, a Player Interface and a Master Game Control Program which comprises computer-readable instructions on a computer-readable medium for defining, operating and managing play iterations, the Game Economy and the Player Interface, wherein the Game Economy comprises a plurality of Player Accounts, a Bank, an Exchange, a Corporations Database, an Opportunities Database, and a Directives Database, the Game Economy defined by one or more indicators that are automatically updated by the Master Game Control Program at a play iteration, the Player Interface comprising instructions for continuously and automatically displaying the indicators, the play iteration involving a selection and execution of action items from one or more of the Opportunities Database and the Directives Database.

2. The game per claim 1 hosted on the Internet for online, interactive play by multiple players.

3. The game per claim 2 wherein the Player Interface comprises a player award feature comprising instructions enabling a player to directly input and specify a new and unique corporation record into the Corporations Database, the feature being enabled by the Master Game Control Program when the player has attained a predetermined value in the Player'"'"'s Account, the new corporation record thus being incorporated into the Game Economy as a new corporation and made available for game play.

4. The game per claim 2 wherein the Player Interface comprises a player award feature comprising computer-readable instructions enabling a player to directly input and specify a new and unique corporation record into the Corporations Database, the corporation record being linked to a real life business entity in which the player has a controlling interest, the feature being enabled by the Master Game Control Program when the player has attained a predetermined value in the Player'"'"'s Account, the new corporation record thus being incorporated into the Game Economy as a new corporation and made available for game play.

5. The game per claim 1 wherein the Player Interface further comprises instructions for enabling a player to customize an initial Game Economy of a player-selected complexity level, the instructions comprising steps allowing a player to select a unique number of corporations from the Corporation Database, select a unique number of securities from the Securities Database, select a unique number of economic indicators from the Economic Indicators Database, and select a unique number of actors from a group of actors comprising a federal agency, a supreme court, a banking institution, a branch of government, and a corporation.

6. The game per claim 1 wherein the Game Economy at the start of the game play is an Initial Game Economy whose attributes are randomly set by the Master Game Control Program and are accessible to players via the Player Interface.

7. The game per claim 1 wherein the Player Interface further comprises computer-readable instructions for enabling a player to pause a play iteration to selectively view a textual explanation relating to the action item presented at the play iteration.

8. The game per claim 2 wherein the Player Interface further comprises computer-readable, computer-executable instructions for enabling a player to freeform input an action item into the Opportunities Database, the action item intended to cause a negative impact on the value of the Player Account of another player, the action item being made available for selection and presentation by the Master Game Control Program in future play iterations.