Predatory Behavior Detection and Alert in Virtual Worlds Based on Spatial and Temporal Criteria

• US 20100180214A1
• Filed: 01/14/2009
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Garbow, Zachary A., Bates, Cary L., Chen, Jim C., Young, Gregory E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,239,776 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/757
• 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 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/58 by computing conditions of game characters, e.g. stamina, strength, motivation or energy level
• 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 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for protecting a user from being followed by an avatar within an immersive virtual environment. To detect a following avatar, any avatars within a specified range of the user may be identified. Historical data may then be examined to determine if any of the identified avatars has been in the same recent virtual locations as the user. In order to rule out coincidental movements, the likelihood of both avatars being in the same places at the same time may be evaluated. Further, the following avatar may be tested by transporting the user to another location, and then monitoring to determine whether the following avatar also transports to the same location. Upon confirming that the following avatar is actually following the user, avoidance actions may be performed in order to avoid the following avatar.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

initiating a search for at least one avatar following a target avatar within a virtual world;

as a result of the search, identifying one or more avatars suspected of following the target avatar based on predetermined criteria;

determining one or more characteristics of movements of the identified one or more avatars within the virtual world; and

identifying, based on the determined one or more characteristics, at least one of the one or more avatars that is following the target avatar, the target user being under the control of a user of and the one or more avatars being under the control of respective other users.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more avatars suspected of following the target avatar comprises at least one of:

(i) identifying one or more avatars present in the same virtual location as the target avatar, and (ii) identifying one or more avatars within a defined hearing range of the target avatar.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising excluding, from the one or more avatars suspected of following the target avatar, any avatars that represent at least one of:

(i) a friend of the user, (ii) an acquaintance of the user, and (iii) a second user engaged in a conversation with the user via their respective avatars.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more characteristics of movements of the identified one or more avatars comprises determining whether at least one of the identified one or more avatars was present in at least one virtual location during at least some of the time that the target avatar was also present at the same at least one virtual location.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising, upon determining that at least one of the identified one or more avatars was present in at least one virtual location during at least some of the time that the target avatar was also present at the same at least one virtual location:

calculating a likelihood that the presence of at least one of the identified one or more avatars in at least one virtual location during at least some of the time that the target avatar was also present at the same at least one virtual location was due to random probability; and

upon determining that the calculated likelihood is below a predefined threshold, determining that the at least one of the identified one or more avatars is following the target avatar.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein calculating the likelihood is based on historical data describing avatar transitions within the virtual world.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the historical data describing avatar transitions within the virtual world comprises at least one of:

(i) starting locations of avatar transitions, (ii) ending locations of avatar transitions, (iii) frequency of occurrence of each type of avatar transition, (iv) keywords describing each starting location, and (v) keywords describing each ending location.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more characteristics of movements of the identified one or more avatars comprises:

determining one or more test locations within the virtual world that are unlikely to be destinations of an avatar located at the current location of the target avatar;

transitioning the target avatar to at least one of the one or more test locations; and

determining whether at least one of the identified one or more avatars followed the target avatar to the at least one of the one or more test locations.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising notifying the user that the target was followed to the at least one of the one or more test locations by the at least one of the identified one or more avatars.

10. A computer-readable storage medium containing a program, which when executed on a processor performs an operation, the operation comprising:

initiating a search for at least one avatar following a target avatar within a virtual world;

as a result of the search, identifying one or more avatars suspected of following the target avatar based on predetermined criteria;

determining one or more characteristics of movements of the identified one or more avatars within the virtual world; and

identifying, based on the determined one or more characteristics, at least one of the one or more avatars that is following the target avatar, the target user being under the control of a user of and the one or more avatars being under the control of respective other users.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein identifying one or more avatars suspected of following the target avatar comprises at least one of:

(i) identifying one or more avatars present in the same virtual location as the target avatar, and (ii) identifying one or more avatars within a defined hearing range of the target avatar.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, the operation further comprising excluding, from the one or more avatars suspected of following the target avatar, any avatars that represent at least one of:

(i) a friend of the user, (ii) an acquaintance of the user, and (iii) a second user engaged in a conversation with the user via their respective avatars.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein determining the one or more characteristics of movements of the identified one or more avatars comprises determining whether at least one of the identified one or more avatars was present in at least one virtual location during at least some of the time that the target avatar was also present at the same at least one virtual location.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, the operation further comprising, upon determining that at least one of the identified one or more avatars was present in at least one virtual location during at least some of the time that the target avatar was also present at the same at least one virtual location:

calculating a likelihood that the presence of at least one of the identified one or more avatars in at least one virtual location during at least some of the time that the target avatar was also present at the same at least one virtual location was due to random probability; and

upon determining that the calculated likelihood is below a predefined threshold, determining that the at least one of the identified one or more avatars is following the target avatar.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein calculating the likelihood is based on historical data describing avatar transitions within the virtual world.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the historical data describing avatar transitions within the virtual world comprises at least one of:

(i) starting locations of avatar transitions, (ii) ending locations of avatar transitions, (iii) frequency of occurrence of each type of avatar transition, (iv) keywords describing each starting location, and (v) keywords describing each ending location.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein determining the one or more characteristics of movements of the identified one or more avatars comprises:

determining one or more test locations within the virtual world that are unlikely to be destinations of an avatar located at the current location of the target avatar;

transitioning the target avatar to at least one of the one or more test locations; and

determining whether at least one of the identified one or more avatars followed the target avatar to the at least one of the one or more test locations.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, the operation further comprising notifying the user that the target was followed to the at least one of the one or more test locations by the at least one of the identified one or more avatars.

19. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory containing a program, which when executed by the processor is configured to perform an operation, the operation comprising the steps of;

initiating a search for at least one avatar following a target avatar within a virtual world;

as a result of the search, identifying one or more avatars suspected of following the target avatar based on predetermined criteria;

determining one or more characteristics of movements of the identified one or more avatars within the virtual world; and

identifying, based on the determined one or more characteristics, at least one of the one or more avatars that is following the target avatar, the target user being under the control of a user of and the one or more avatars being under the control of respective other users.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein identifying one or more avatars suspected of following the target avatar comprises at least one of:

(i) identifying one or more avatars present in the same virtual location as the target avatar, and (ii) identifying one or more avatars within a defined hearing range of the target avatar.