METHOD FOR VIRAL INVITES AS GAME AND DISCOVERY MECHANIC

• US 20090239666A1
• Filed: 03/24/2008
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Howland, Travis, Trussel, Bryan, Van, Linh, Thiel, Debra, Hall, Gary, Howard, Joshua
• Granted Patent: US 8,758,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• 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 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• 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 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/408 Peer to peer connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• 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 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed for methods of providing a gaming experience including an in-game viral invite mechanic. In accordance with the present system, inviting others to join in the playing of a game is an objective of the game itself. Thus, a user is encouraged by the game to invite his or her friends, who are in turn encouraged to invite their friends, etc., so that a game may cascade pyramid-fashion to a potentially huge viral fan-out.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of encouraging invites of users to join a game in a gaming system, comprising the step of:

(a) running a software game on a processor of the gaming system, the software game having as an object of the game the invitation of players to join in the playing of the game, and for invited players to invite other additional players to join in the playing of the game.

2. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step (b) of communicating invitations between players via a communications network.

3. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step (c) of storing information in a central database regarding each of the players joining a game and a status of the game.

4. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 3, further comprising the step (d) of communicating a traversal map to the invited players showing information from the central database about one or more players previously invited to join the game.

5. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step (e) of enabling real time interaction between all players invited to the game, said step (e) of enabling real time interaction including at least one of voting on an aspect of the game or game play, cheering or booing an aspect of the game or game play and the ability to change from a first side to a second side opposed to the first side in the game.

6. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step (f) of playing the game synchronously where invites are made and accepted in real time.

7. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step (g) of playing the game asynchronously where a game continues when one or more of the players who have accepted invitations to join a game are off-line.

8. A computer implemented method of encouraging invites of users to join a game in a gaming platform, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a gaming system allowing the invite of one or more additional players to join a game;

(b) running a software game on a processor of the gaming system, the software game having as an object of the game the invitation of players to join in the playing of the game; and

(c) communicating information with an invite including information about one or more players previously invited to join the game.

9. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 8, the software game running in said step (b) having as a further object of the game for invited players to invite other additional players to join in the playing of the game.

10. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 8, said step (c) of communicating information with an invite further including an identifier uniquely identifying a game session of the game.

11. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 8, said step (c) of communicating information with an invite further including an identifier uniquely identifying an invited player'"'"'s position in the chain of invites relative to other invited players.

12. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 8, said step (c) of communicating information with an invite including information about one or more players previously invited to join the game comprising the step of including information about at least one of a country of origin, gender and age for each of the one or more players previously invited to join the game.

13. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 8, said step (c) of communicating information with an invite including information about one or more players previously invited to join the game comprising the step of communicating information in an invite to a potential player only about players in a chain of invites that led to the potential player.

14. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 8, further comprising the step (d) of communicating geometric invites to additional players via a peer-to-peer network.

15. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 14, further comprising the step (e) of storing and updating a status of the game via direct communication between one or more players and a central database.

16. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 15, wherein each accepted invite results in a sub-game of the overall game, the sub-game being between the inviting player and the player accepting the invitation, each sub-game being separate from each other sub-game.

17. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 16, further comprising the step (f) of partitioning the central database in a hierarchy matching a hierarchy of sub-games in the peer-to-peer network.

18. An environment for supporting a software game, the environment including:

a plurality of computing devices capable of interacting with each other via a communications network;

a software game capable of being executed by a processor on each of the plurality of computing devices, the software game having as an object the invitation of a plurality of players to join in the playing of the software game; and

a database for storing data relating to players joining the game and a status of sub-games between players joining the game.

19. An environment as recited in claim 18, wherein a computing device receives data relating to the software game from at least one of other computing device via a peer-to-peer network and the database receives data relating to the software game via a client/server network.

20. An environment as recited in claim 18, wherein the software game communicates a traversal map to a new player invited to join a game, the traversal map including at least one of country of origin, age and gender of players in the chain of invites preceding the invite to the new player.