JOINING GAMES FROM A SPECTATING SYSTEM

• US 20170001111A1
• Filed: 06/30/2015
• Published: 01/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: WILLETTE, MICHAEL ANTHONY, VERFAILLIE, DAVID HENDRIK, LEUNG, HOK PENG, GILMORE, PATRICK, EVANS, ETHAN ZANE, DURY, CHRISTOPHER PAUL, DAVIS, COLLIN CHARLES, BANTEGUI, RICHARD, SURJO-SUBAGIO, FRANCIS XAVIER, FRAZZINI, MICHAEL ANTHONY, GEORGE, MICHAEL MARTIN
• Granted Patent: US 11,071,919 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/49 Saving the game status; Pausing or ending the game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/86 Watching games played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style

Abstract

A game spectating system that leverages game metadata to allow spectators to join or “step into” games being broadcast. Broadcast content may include user interface elements via which spectators can order, purchase, or otherwise obtain demo or full versions of games. Game client software and game data may be obtained and downloaded to the spectator'"'"'s devices via the spectating system interfaces and broadcast streams. Spectators can order, purchase, or otherwise obtain characters, avatars, and gear for participation in particular games. Using the spectating UI to obtain the game client software, game data, characters, and gear via the broadcast streams, the spectators may join live game sessions of online games, start new game sessions, and/or replay previously recorded game sessions.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more computing devices configured to implement a spectating system configured to;

broadcast video received from a broadcaster device to a plurality of spectator devices, wherein the video includes game play of a respective broadcaster participating as a player in a game executing on a game system;

generate broadcast content at least in part according to game metadata for the game obtained from the game system;

provide the broadcast content to the plurality of spectator devices according to a spectating user interface (UI), wherein the broadcast content includes UI elements for obtaining or joining the game;

obtain spectator interactions with the broadcast content according to the spectating UI, wherein the spectator interactions include inputs to the UI elements indicating requests to obtain or join the game; and

facilitate provisioning of one or both of a game client or a game state to respective spectator devices in response to the requests, wherein said provisioning configures the respective spectator devices for participation in the game.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least some of the game metadata is obtained from the game system according to an application programming interface (API) of the spectating system.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein, to facilitate provisioning of one or both of a game client or a game state to respective spectator devices in response to the requests, the spectating system is further configured to generate inputs to the game system according to an application programming interface (API) of the spectating system, the inputs requesting download of one or both of the game client or the game state to the respective spectator devices.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the game state is a point-in-time record of game information and game data that represents the game at a particular point on a game timeline within a game universe, and wherein the game client on a spectator device is configured to begin or resume game play in the game at the respective point in the game timeline within the game universe according to the game state.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the game metadata includes data describing or representing in-game virtual content, wherein the broadcast content further includes UI elements for obtaining the in-game content, and wherein the spectating system is further configured to facilitate provisioning of respective game content to respective spectator devices in response to spectator interactions with the UI elements for obtaining the in-game content.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the in-game virtual content includes one or both of game characters and game gear for the game characters.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein, to facilitate provisioning of one or both of a game client or a game state to respective spectator devices, the spectating system is further configured to, for at least one spectator device, initiate a game stream to a game streaming interface on the spectator device, wherein the game stream and game streaming interface allow a trial participation in the game executing on the game system from the respective spectator device.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the game stream includes a download of one or both of the game client or the game state to the respective spectator device.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the spectating system is further configured to facilitate enabling of the game client on the respective spectator device in response to receiving an input to a UI element on the spectator device indicating purchase of the game, wherein enabling the game client allows full participation in the game executing on the game system from the respective spectator device.

10. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the game stream includes a download of in-game virtual content to the respective spectator device.

11. A method, comprising:

performing, by a spectating system implemented on one or more computing devices;

streaming one or more broadcasts received from one or more broadcaster devices to a plurality of spectator devices, wherein each broadcast shows game play of a respective broadcaster participating as a player in a game executing on a game system;

generating broadcast content for the broadcasts at least in part according to game metadata;

obtaining indications of spectator interactions with the broadcast content including interactions indicating requests to join the game; and

facilitating provisioning of one or both of a game client or a game state to respective spectator devices in response to the requests, wherein said provisioning enables participation in the game from the respective spectator devices.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising obtaining, by the spectating system, at least some of the game metadata from the game system according to an application programming interface (API) of the spectating system.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the broadcast content includes one or more user interface (UI) elements provided to the plurality of spectator devices for display according to a spectating UI.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein facilitating provisioning of one or both of a game client or a game state to respective spectator devices comprises generating inputs to the game system according to an application programming interface (API) of the spectating system, the inputs requesting download of one or both of the game client or the game state to the respective spectator devices.

15. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the game state is a point-in-time record of game information and game data that represents the game at a particular point on a game timeline within a game universe.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein said provisioning comprises downloading the game state to one or more of the spectator devices, the method further comprising initiating game play on a game client executing on the one or more spectator devices at the respective point in the game timeline within the game universe according to the downloaded game state.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the game state is one of a game state of a previously recorded game session or a game state of the game currently executing on the game system.

18. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the game metadata includes data describing or representing in-game virtual content, wherein the broadcast content further includes UI elements for obtaining the in-game content, and wherein the method further comprises facilitating download of respective game content to respective spectator devices in response to spectator interactions with the UI elements for obtaining the in-game content.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the in-game virtual content includes one or both of game characters and game gear for the game characters.

20. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein facilitating provisioning of one or both of a game client or a game state to respective spectator devices comprises, for at least one spectator device, initiating a game stream to a game streaming interface on the spectator device, wherein the game stream and game streaming interface enable at least partial participation in the game executing on the game system from the respective spectator device.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, further comprising downloading one or both of the game client or the game state to the respective spectator device in the game stream.

22. The method as recited in claim 21, further comprising enabling the game client on the respective spectator device in response to receiving an input to a UI element on the spectator device indicating purchase of the game, wherein enabling the game client enables full participation in the game executing on the game system from the respective spectator device.

23. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein the game stream includes a download of in-game virtual content to the respective spectator device.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that when executed on one or more computers cause the one or more computers to implement a spectating system configured to:

generate broadcast content for a broadcast received from a broadcaster device, wherein the broadcast shows game play of a respective broadcaster participating as a player in a game executing on a game system, and wherein the broadcast content is generated at least in part according to game metadata received from the game system according to an application programming interface (API);

provide the broadcast content to a plurality of spectator devices according to a spectating user interface (UI), wherein the broadcast content includes UI elements for joining the game;

obtain spectator interactions with the broadcast content according to the spectating UI, wherein the spectator interactions include inputs to the UI elements indicating requests to join the game; and

in response to the requests, generate inputs to the game system according to the API requesting provisioning of one or both of a game client or a game state to the respective spectator devices.

25. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the game metadata includes data describing or representing in-game virtual content including game characters and game gear for the game characters, wherein the broadcast content further includes UI elements for obtaining the in-game content, and wherein the spectating system is further configured to facilitate provisioning of respective game content to respective spectator devices in response to spectator interactions with the UI elements for obtaining the in-game content.