CHALLENGING PLAYERS IN ONLINE GAME TO COMPETE IN MODULAR GAME

• US 20150045104A1
• Filed: 04/15/2014
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Leslie, Sean, Kaminkow, Joseph E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,286,767 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3279 wherein the competition is one-to-one, e.g. match
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for allowing players to challenge other players in an online game to compete by playing a modular game within the online game. One method includes an operation for providing an interface to a first player for challenging a second player to compete in the modular game after detecting completion of the modular game by the first player. The modular game is played within an online game. Further, the method includes operations for sending a challenge to the second player, and for detecting that the second player completed the modular game in response to the challenge. The first player is rewarded a challenge award if the first player obtained a higher score than the second player in the modular game.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing an interface to a first player for challenging a second player to compete in a modular game after detecting completion of the modular game by the first player, the modular game being played within an online game;

sending a challenge to the second player;

detecting that the second player completed the modular game in response to the challenge; and

awarding the first player a challenge award if the first player obtained a higher score than the second player in the modular game, wherein operations of the method are executed by a processor.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein awarding the first player the challenge award further includes:

adding the challenge award to assets of the first player in the online game, wherein the challenge award includes one or more of an amount of currency, increase of game score, a new tool, a new weapon, or access to a game feature.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the modular game is played within the online game, wherein a right to play the modular game is won by achieving a requirement in the online game, wherein an initial state of the modular game is independent of a state of progress in the online game.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein providing the interface further includes:

providing a list of friends of the first player for selecting the second player for the challenge.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein providing the interface further includes:

providing an option to the first player to challenge anyone playing the online game.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

providing a messaging interface for sending a message to the second player after detecting that the second player completed the modular game.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

providing an option to send a new challenge to the second player if the second player won the challenge.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein providing the interface to the first player further includes:

receiving a wager amount to bet against the second player in the modular game.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further including:

discounting a wager fee as a percentage of the wager amount.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

providing an option to the first player to buy the challenge; and

providing the challenge to the first player as an incentive for making a purchase in the online game.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

providing a leaderboard for challenges in the online game.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein operations of the method are performed by a computer program when executed by one or more processors, the computer program being embedded in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the modular game is one of a skill game or a game of chance.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

updating, after detecting that the second player completed the modular game, a head-to-head tally of challenges played between the first player and the second player; and

providing the tally to the first player and the second player.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

sending the challenge to a plurality of players simultaneously with sending the challenge to the second player.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the interface includes an option for a wager to bet on the challenge to the second player.

17. A method comprising:

notifying a second player that a challenge has been received from a first player to compete in a modular game;

detecting an acceptance by the second player to play the modular game in response to the challenge;

providing the modular game to the second player in response to the acceptance;

awarding the second player a challenge award if the second player obtained a higher score than the first player in the modular game; and

notifying the first player that the second player completed the challenge, wherein operations of the method are executed by a processor.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein providing the modular game to the second player further includes:

shuffling locations of rewards associated with possible choices within the modular game.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein providing the modular game to the second player further includes:

providing to the second player a same state of the modular game used by the first player.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein providing the modular game to the second player further includes:

providing a chance game to the second player with same winning odds provided to the first player.

21. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the modular game is a skill game, wherein providing the modular game to the second player further includes:

obtaining a different set of contests for playing the modular game.

22. The method as recited in claim 17, further including:

providing an option to the second player to send a message to the first player after completing the modular game.

23. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein operations of the method are performed by a computer program when executed by one or more processors, the computer program being embedded in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

24. A method comprising:

providing a modular game to a first player after the first player wins a bonus to play the modular game, wherein the first player wins the bonus during play of a slots game;

providing, after completion of the modular game by the first player, an interface to the first player for challenging a second player to compete in the modular game;

sending a challenge to the second player to play the modular game within the slots game;

detecting that the second player completed the modular game in response to the challenge; and

awarding the first player a challenge award if the first player obtained a higher score than the second player in the modular game, wherein operations of the method are executed by a processor.