EXTRINSIC INCENTIVIZED SCAFFOLDING IN COMPUTER GAMES VIA ADVERTISING RESPONSIVE TO INTRINSIC GAME EVENTS

• US 20140278853A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tapjoy, Inc. (Unity Software, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tapjoy, Inc. (Unity Software, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, Hans-Frederick, Mihelic-Booth, Shane
• Granted Patent: US 10,740,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game

Abstract

In an embodiment, a data processing method comprises receiving, by a mobile app, incentive data comprising one or more app event types, wherein each app event type is associated with an incentive frequency value and a reward type; detecting an occurrence of an app event of the mobile app, wherein the app event is associated with a particular app event type of the one or more app event types; determining, based on the incentive frequency value for the particular app event type, whether to generate a scaffolding event comprising displaying an advertisement and providing a reward of the reward type associated with the particular app event type; displaying the advertisement and providing the reward; wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

Claims

1. A data processing method comprising:

receiving, by a mobile app, incentive data comprising one or more app event types, wherein each app event type is associated with an incentive frequency value and a reward type;

detecting an occurrence of an app event of the mobile app, wherein the app event is associated with a particular app event type of the one or more app event types;

determining, based on the incentive frequency value for the particular app event type, whether to generate a scaffolding event comprising displaying an advertisement and providing a reward of the reward type associated with the particular app event type;

displaying the advertisement and providing the reward;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to generate the scaffolding event further comprises determining (a) a number of occurrences of app events of the particular app event type, and (b) a number of scaffolding events generated in response to an occurrence of an app event of the particular app event type.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining a historical scaffolding event frequency value based on a ratio of (a) the number of occurrences of app events of the particular app event type and (b) the number of scaffolding events generated in response to an occurrence of an app event of the particular app event type;

wherein determining whether to generate a scaffolding event further comprises determining that the incentive frequency value exceeds the historical scaffolding event frequency value.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the number of occurrences of app events of the particular app event type is based on one of:

a current session of the mobile app, a plurality of sessions of the mobile app.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile app is a game app, and wherein each of the plurality of app event types represents a gameplay related event.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein one or more of the one or more app event types comprises one of a game currency punishment event, a game life punishment event, a game termination event, a game level setback event, a custom game event.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the reward is associated with the game app and comprises one or more of:

an increase of in-game currency or in-game energy, an increase of available in-game lives, advancing a user of the mobile app to a particular in-game level, granting the user an in-game item, and a custom reward.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining to generate a scaffolding event, sending a request to an advertisement server for an advertising unit comprising a particular ad;

determining whether a user of the mobile app interacts with the particular ad;

in response to determining that the user interacts with the particular ad, providing the reward.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, to a server, a message comprising identifiers of one or more of the mobile app, a user of the mobile app, and the particular app event type.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, based on the incentive data, that the app event type is an incentivized app event type.

11. A data processing method comprising:

receiving, by a game app, incentive data comprising one or more adverse gameplay event types, wherein each adverse gameplay event type is associated with an incentive frequency value and a game reward type;

detecting an occurrence of a gameplay event of the game app, wherein the gameplay event is associated with a particular adverse gameplay event type of the one or more adverse gameplay event types;

determining, based on the incentive frequency value associated with the adverse gameplay event type, whether to generate a scaffolding event including displaying an advertisement and providing a game reward of the game reward type associated with the particular adverse gameplay event type;

displaying the advertisement and providing the game reward;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more of the one or more adverse gameplay event types comprises one of a game currency punishment event, a game life punishment event, a game termination event, a game level setback event, a custom game event.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the game reward comprises one or more of:

an increase of in-game currency or in-game energy, an increase of available in-game lives, advancing a user of the game app to a particular in-game level, granting the user an in-game item, and a custom game reward.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

in response to determining to generate a scaffolding event, sending a request to an advertisement server for an advertising unit comprising a particular ad;

determining whether a user of the mobile app interacts with the particular ad;

in response to determining that the user interacts with the particular ad, providing the game reward.

15. A data processing method comprising:

receiving, from a mobile device, a message indicating an occurrence of a gameplay event of a game app, wherein the gameplay event is associated with a particular adverse gameplay event type of one or more adverse gameplay event types;

retrieving incentive data associated with the one or more adverse gameplay event types, wherein the incentive data indicates, for each of the one or more adverse gameplay event types, an incentive frequency value and a game reward type;

determining, based on the incentive frequency value associated with the particular adverse gameplay event type, whether to cause the mobile device to generate a scaffolding event including displaying an advertisement and providing a game reward of the game reward type associated with the particular adverse gameplay event type;

causing the mobile device to display the advertisement and to provide the game reward;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

receiving, by a mobile app, incentive data comprising one or more app event types, wherein each app event type is associated with an incentive frequency value and a reward type;

detecting an occurrence of an app event of the mobile app, wherein the app event is associated with a particular app event type of the one or more app event types;

determining, based on the incentive frequency value for the particular app event type, whether to generate a scaffolding event comprising displaying an advertisement and providing a reward of the reward type associated with the particular app event type;

displaying the advertisement and providing the reward.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein determining whether to generate the scaffolding event further comprises determining (a) a number of occurrences of app events of the particular app event type, and (b) a number of scaffolding events generated in response to an occurrence of an app event of the particular app event type.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more instructions further comprise instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform:

determining a historical scaffolding event frequency value based on a ratio of (a) the number of occurrences of app events of the particular app event type and (b) the number of scaffolding events generated in response to an occurrence of an app event of the particular app event type;

wherein determining whether to generate a scaffolding event further comprises determining that the incentive frequency value exceeds the historical scaffolding event frequency value.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the number of occurrences of app events of the particular app event type is based on one of:

a current session of the mobile app, a plurality of sessions of the mobile app.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the mobile app is a game app, and wherein each of the plurality of app event types represents a gameplay related event.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein one or more of the one or more app event types comprises one of a game currency punishment event, a game life punishment event, a game termination event, a game level setback event, a custom game event.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the reward is associated with the game app and comprises one or more of:

an increase of in-game currency or in-game energy, an increase of available in-game lives, advancing a user of the mobile app to a particular in-game level, granting the user an in-game item, and a custom reward.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more instructions further comprise instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform:

in response to determining to generate a scaffolding event, sending a request to an advertisement server for an advertising unit comprising a particular ad;

determining whether a user of the mobile app interacts with the particular ad;

in response to determining that the user interacts with the particular ad, providing the reward.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more instructions further comprise instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform sending, to a server, a message comprising identifiers of one or more of the mobile app, a user of the mobile app, and the particular app event type.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more instructions further comprise instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform determining, based on the incentive data, that the app event type is an incentivized app event type.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

receiving, by a game app, incentive data comprising one or more adverse gameplay event types, wherein each adverse gameplay event type is associated with an incentive frequency value and a game reward type;

detecting an occurrence of a gameplay event of the game app, wherein the gameplay event is associated with a particular adverse gameplay event type of the one or more adverse gameplay event types;

determining, based on the incentive frequency value associated with the adverse gameplay event type, whether to generate a scaffolding event including displaying an advertisement and providing a game reward of the game reward type associated with the particular adverse gameplay event type;

displaying the advertisement and providing the game reward.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein one or more of the one or more adverse gameplay event types comprises one of a game currency punishment event, a game life punishment event, a game termination event, a game level setback event, a custom game event.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the game reward comprises one or more of:

an increase of in-game currency or in-game energy, an increase of available in-game lives, advancing a user of the game app to a particular in-game level, granting the user an in-game item, and a custom game reward.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the one or more instructions further comprise instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform:

in response to determining to generate a scaffolding event, sending a request to an advertisement server for an advertising unit comprising a particular ad;

determining whether a user of the mobile app interacts with the particular ad;

in response to determining that the user interacts with the particular ad, providing the game reward.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

receiving, from a mobile device, a message indicating an occurrence of a gameplay event of a game app, wherein the gameplay event is associated with a particular adverse gameplay event type of one or more adverse gameplay event types;

retrieving incentive data associated with the one or more adverse gameplay event types, wherein the incentive data indicates, for each of the one or more adverse gameplay event types, an incentive frequency value and a game reward type;

determining, based on the incentive frequency value associated with the particular adverse gameplay event type, whether to cause the mobile device to generate a scaffolding event including displaying an advertisement and providing a game reward of the game reward type associated with the particular adverse gameplay event type;

causing the mobile device to display the advertisement and to provide the game reward