ADAPTIVE LIVE COMMENTARY IN HOSTED GAME

• US 20090286604A1
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Whitten, Marc R., Clowes, Jo
• Application Number:
  US12/122,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20090286604A1
• 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 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/207 for accessing game resources from local storage, e.g. streaming content from DVD
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5533 using program state or machine event data, e.g. server keeps track of the state of multiple players on in a multiple player game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/57 details of game services offered to the player
• 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 2300/6009 for importing or creating game content, e.g. authoring tools during game development, adapting content to different platforms, use of a scripting language to create content
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6081 generating an output signal, e.g. under timing constraints, for spatialization
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video

Abstract

A live commentary experience is provided to a plurality of users participating in a multiplayer game hosted by a gaming service. A live output stream comprising live commentary on the game play is providing by a human being from the gaming service. A gaming device determines which of three types of commentary—pre-recorded game commentary, periodic commentary and live commentary from a human being—to provide to the user for a live commentary experience.

Claims

1. A method for providing a live commentary experience in a video game executing on a client device coupled to a network, comprising:

receiving game state information from the game that the game is in a state requiring commentary on the game;

determining whether a stream of live commentary generated by a human viewing data about the game is available via the network;

determining whether to provide the stream of live commentary or a source of pre-recorded commentary to provide a commentary to the user responsive to the game state information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the source of pre-recorded commentary comprises one of temporally recent periodic content or pre-recorded game event commentary.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the temporally recent periodic content comprises recorded comments reflecting real-world events relevant to actions in the game which have occurred within a time period prior to execution of the game.

4. The method of claim 2 further including retrieving a temporally recent periodic content file at intervals defined by a game service provider.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the stream of live commentary is generated by a gaming service provider receiving game state information for a plurality of users all concurrently executing the video game.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of (c) comprises determining whether the game state information requires a live comment type, a temporally relevant content type or a pre-recorded content type, and further includes determining whether network bandwidth is available to retrieve the stream.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the stream of live commentary includes at least a first set of comments provided by a gaming service provider relevant to the game and a second source of comments provided by a third party, and the method further includes determining whether to provide the second set of comments to the user.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein a first group of users and a second group of users are commonly executing the video game in a common gaming experience, and the stream of live commentary includes a first set of comments directed to a first group of users and a second set of comments directed to a second group of users, and the method further includes the step of determining membership of the user in the first group or the second group and accessing a set of comments based on said step of determining membership.

9. A method for providing a simulated live commentary gaming experience in a multiplayer gaming environment, comprising:

receiving a periodic commentary data file;

receiving a live commentary data stream, the live commentary stream including comments generated by a human being interacting with a multiplayer game in progress;

responsive to a call from an executing game application to determine whether to provide a comment from the periodic commentary data file, selecting a comment from the pre-recorded commentary file, the live commentary data stream or a pre-recorded game content file, and outputting the file to a user.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the temporally recent periodic content comprises recorded comments reflecting real-world events relevant to actions in the game which have occurred within a time period prior to execution of the game.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the stream of live commentary is generated by a gaming service provider receiving game state information for a plurality of users all concurrently executing the video game.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of selecting comprises determining whether the game state information requires a live comment type, a temporally relevant content type or a pre-recorded content type, and further includes determining whether network bandwidth is available to retrieve the stream.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the stream of live commentary includes at least a first set of comments provided by a gaming service provider relevant to the game and a second source of comments provided by a third party, and the method further includes determining whether to provide the second set of comments to the user.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein a first group of users and a second group of users are commonly executing the video game in a common gaming experience, and the stream of live commentary includes a first set of comments directed to a first group of users and a second set of comments directed to a second group of users, and the method further includes the step of determining membership of the user in the first group or the second group and accessing a set of comments based on said step of determining membership.

15. A method for providing live commentary in a gaming experience, comprising:

receiving game status information for a plurality of users participating in a multiplayer game environment, the multiplayer game environment ensuring all users are participating in the same game;

generating a live commentary data stream, the live commentary stream including comments provided by a live host comprising human being interacting with a multiplayer game in progress;

recording at least one periodic commentary file including temporal commentary for the multiplayer game;

streaming the live commentary data stream to a network, said plurality of users being coupled to said network;

outputting the periodic commentary file to the network.

16. The method of claim 15 further including the step of aggregating game status information according to one of a plurality of statistical categories and providing said aggregated game status to the live host.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the temporally recent periodic content comprises recorded comments reflecting real-world events relevant to actions in the game which have occurred within a time period prior to execution of the game, and wherein the method further includes the step of outputting the periodic content file at intervals defined by a game service provider.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the game status information is received from a console service hosting the game environment.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the stream of live commentary includes at least a first set of comments provided by a gaming service provider relevant to the multiplayer game and a second source of comments provided by a third party.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein a first group of users and a second group of users are participating in the multiplayer game, and the stream of live commentary includes a first set of comments directed to the first group of users and a second set of comments directed to the second group of users.