Method and/or system for adaptive gaming experience

• US 8,221,220 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2007
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Ackley, Jonathan, Blossom, Jonathan, Jordan, Charles Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US11/833,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20080039204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,811 Days
• Field of Search: 463/9, 463/23, 463/29, 463/30, 463/40, 463/42, 463/46, 463/47, 463/39
• US Class Current: 463/23
• 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 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• 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 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location

Abstract

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to systems for providing an interactive experience to game participants.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving one or more inputs from one or more mobile devices, the one or more inputs being based on one or more game participant selections;

receiving location data of said one or more mobile devices;

providing an interactive gaming experience to one or more game participants associated with said one or more mobile devices at one or more interactive installations located at one or more locations indicated by said location data based upon said one or more inputs, said one or more mobile devices being distinct from said one or more interactive installations, individual ones of said one or more mobile devices including a display screen;

maintaining game participant specific information associated with at least one of said one or more game participants; and

altering said interactive gaming experience in real-time according to a predetermined performance metric based, at least in part, on said game participant specific information, said predetermined performance metric relating to progress, or lack of progress, through multiple stages of said interactive gaming experience via one or more interactions at said one or more interactive installations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said game participant specific information comprises an order in which at least one of said one or more game participants attempted to complete a game objective.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said altering said interactive gaming experience comprises changing a game mechanic associated with said one or more interactive installations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said game participant specific information comprises behavior associated with said one or more game participants.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said game participant specific information comprises a physical handicap status of at least one of said one or more game participants.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said game participant specific information comprises time spent by at least one of said one or more game participants in one or more game states.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said game participant specific information comprises a count of images captured on at least a portion of said one or more mobile devices.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said game participant specific information is further representative of a count of said captured images which are posted by at least one of said one or more game participants.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said game participant specific information is representative of one or more paths taken past RFID readers located at said one or more interactive installations.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said game participant specific information comprises a count of help requests associated with one or more game states in said interactive gaming experience.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said game participant specific information comprises a count of a number of skip game state requests associated with a particular game state.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said game participant specific information comprises information identifying game participant collisions and game states associated with said game participant collisions.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said altering said interactive gaming experience comprises changing an order of sub-missions associated with at least one of said one or more game participants.

14. The method of claim 1, and further comprising grouping said one or more game participants into a plurality of groups having an associated set of sub-missions, and wherein said altering said interactive gaming experience comprises changing an order of sub-missions associated with at least one group of said plurality of groups.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said altering said interactive gaming experience comprises preventing collisions of said one or more game participants.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said altering said interactive gaming experience comprises making one or more objectives, tasks and/or missions of said interactive gaming experience easier.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said altering said interactive gaming experience comprises making one or more objectives, tasks and/or missions of said interactive gaming experience more difficult.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said game participant specific information comprises a gender of at least one of said one or more game participants.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said game participant specific information comprises a birth date of at least one of said one or more game participants.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein said game participant specific information comprises a food allergy of at least one of said one or more game participants.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein said game participant specific information comprises an age of at least one of said one or more game participants.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a computing platform, said computing platform being adapted to;

receive one or more inputs from one or more mobile devices, the one or more inputs being based on one or more game participant selections;

receive location data of said one or more mobile devices;

providing an interactive gaming experience to one or more game participants associated with said one or more mobile devices at one or more interactive installations located at one or more locations indicated by said location data based upon said one or more inputs, said one or more mobile devices being distinct from said one or more interactive installations, individual ones of said one or more mobile devices including a display screen;

maintain game participant specific information associated with at least one of said one or more game participants; and

alter said interactive gaming experience in real-time according to a predetermined performance metric based, at least in part, on said game participant specific information, said predetermined performance metric relating to progress, or lack of progress, through multiple stages of said interactive gaming experience via one or more interactions at said one or more interactive installations.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said game participant specific information comprises an order in which at least one of said one or more game participants attempted to complete a game objective.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said computing platform is adapted to alter said interactive gaming experience by changing a game mechanic associated with said one or more interactive installations.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said game participant specific information comprises a physical handicap status of at least one of said one or more game participants.

26. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving one or more inputs from one or more mobile devices, the one or more inputs being based on one or more game participant selections;

means for receiving location data of said one or more mobile devices;

means for providing an interactive gaming experience to one or more game participants associated with said one or more mobile devices at one or more interactive installations located at one or more locations indicated by said location data based upon said one or more inputs, said one or more mobile devices being distinct from said one or more interactive installations, individual ones of said one or more mobile devices including a display screen;

means for maintaining game participant specific information associated with at least one of said one or more game participants; and

means for altering said interactive gaming experience in real-time according to a predetermined performance metric based, at least in part, on said game participant specific information, said predetermined performance metric relating to progress, or lack of progress, through multiple stages of said interactive gaming experience via one or more interactions at said one or more interactive installations.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said means for altering said interactive gaming experience comprises means for changing a game mechanic associated with said one or more interactive installations.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said game participant specific information comprises behavior associated with said one or more game participants.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said game participant specific information comprises a physical handicap status of at least one of said one or more game participants.

30. A method comprising:

receiving one or more inputs from one or more mobile devices, the one or more inputs being based on one or more game participant selections;

receiving location data of said one or more mobile devices;

providing an interactive gaming experience to one or more game participants associated with said one or more mobile devices at one or more interactive installations located at one or more locations indicated by said location data based upon said one or more inputs, said one or more mobile devices being distinct from said one or more interactive installations, individual ones of said one or more mobile devices including a screen that is capable of displaying text;

maintaining game participant specific information associated with at least one of said one or more game participants; and

altering said interactive gaming experience in real-time according to a predetermined performance metric based, at least in part, on said game participant specific information,

wherein said game participant specific information comprises an order in which at least one of said one or more game participants attempted to complete a game objective at said one or more interactive installations.

31. A method comprising:

receiving one or more inputs from one or more mobile devices, the one or more inputs being based on one or more game participant selections;

receiving location data of said one or more mobile devices;

providing an interactive gaming experience to one or more game participants associated with said one or more mobile devices at one or more interactive installations located at one or more locations indicated by said location data based upon said one or more inputs, said one or more mobile devices being distinct from said one or more interactive installations, individual ones of said one or more mobile devices including a screen that is capable of displaying text;

maintaining game participant specific information associated with at least one of said one or more game participants; and

altering said interactive gaming experience in real-time according to a predetermined performance metric based, at least in part, on said game participant specific information,

wherein said altering said interactive gaming experience comprises making one or more objectives, tasks and/or missions of said interactive gaming experience easier at said one or more interactive installations.

32. A method comprising:

receiving one or more inputs from one or more mobile devices, the one or more inputs being based on one or more game participant selections;

receiving location data of said one or more mobile devices;

providing an interactive gaming experience to one or more game participants associated with said one or more mobile devices at one or more interactive installations located at one or more locations indicated by said location data based upon said one or more inputs, said one or more mobile devices being distinct from said one or more interactive installations, individual ones of said one or more mobile devices including a display screen;

maintaining game participant specific information associated with at least one of said one or more game participants; and

altering said interactive gaming experience in real-time according to a predetermined performance metric based, at least in part, on said game participant specific information,

wherein said altering said interactive gaming experience comprises making one or more objectives, tasks and/or missions of said interactive gaming experience more difficult at said one or more interactive installations.