Game achievements system

• US 8,323,112 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2011
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bortnik, Michal, Curley, Vincent H., Jen, James Hsi-Kai, Macauley, James David, Chen, Ling Tony, Lamb, Steven D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US13/019,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20110136575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• 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 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/798 for assessing skills or for ranking players, e.g. for generating a hall of fame computing the game score A63F13/46
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/556 Player lists, e.g. online players, buddy list, black list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/558 by assessing the players' skills or ranking
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/61 Score computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/40 Data acquisition and logging for input to computer G06F3/00

Abstract

Systems and method for providing a game achievements system where players are rewarded with game achievements based on mastering certain in-game facets of the games they play. Each game achievement may be conveyed in a profile as a badge or trophy, title, description, date, etc. Players may also accumulate points based on game achievements. A display interface may be made available such that a player may see his achievements and total points, as well as those of others.

Claims

1. A method implemented at least in part by a processing unit, the method comprising:

tracking activity of a user to capture occurrences of;

system achievements that are achievable via game play in both a first game and a second game associated with a gaming environment, and

in-game achievements that are particular to the first game or the second game; and

aggregating the occurrences into a profile associated with the user by awarding system achievement points for the occurrences of the system achievements and in-game achievement points for the occurrences of the in-game achievements, up to a first total number of awardable points for the first game and a second total number of awardable points for the second game,

wherein the system achievement points for the occurrences of an individual system achievement are applied to both the first total number of awardable points for the first game and the second total number of awardable points for the second game, and

at least one of the tracking or the aggregating is performed by the processing unit.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a display interface reflecting the profile.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the display interface is provided for display via a web browser.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the display interface comprises a badge, trophy, title, or description of an individual in-game achievement.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the display interface comprises a screen snapshot captured when the user earned the individual in-game achievement.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the display interface comprises a first badge, trophy, title, or description of a first individual in-game achievement that is particular to the first game, and a second badge, trophy, title, or description of a second individual in-game achievement that is particular to the second game.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the first total number of awardable points for the first game from an online service.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first total number of awardable points for the first game is not editable by developers of the first game.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising modifying the profile to reflect feedback submitted by at least one other user.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising updating the profile to reflect a preferred controller setting for the user.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising automatically using the preferred controller setting for a new game.

12. One or more computer-readable storage devices having stored thereon computer executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform:

tracking activity of a game player to capture occurrences of;

system achievements that are achievable via game play in both a first game and a second game associated with a gaming environment, and

in-game achievements that are particular to the first game or the second game; and

aggregating the occurrences into a profile associated with the game player by awarding system achievement points for the occurrences of the system achievements and in-game achievement points for the occurrences of the in-game achievements, up to a first total number of awardable points for the first game and a second total number of awardable points for the second game,

wherein the first total number of awardable points for the first game is greater than the second total number of awardable points for the second game.

13. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 12, wherein the system achievement points awarded for the occurrences of an individual system achievement are equal for both the first game and the second game.

14. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 12, wherein the first total number of awardable points is not settable by the first game.

15. A system comprising the one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 12 and the one or more processing devices.

16. The system of claim 15, embodied as a gaming console.

17. A method implemented at least in part by a processing unit, the method comprising:

tracking activity of a game player to capture occurrences of;

system achievements that are achievable via game play in both a first game and a second game associated with a gaming environment, and

in-game achievements that are particular to the first game or the second game; and

aggregating the occurrences into a profile associated with the game player by awarding system achievement points for the occurrences of the system achievements and in-game achievement points for the occurrences of the in-game achievements, up to a first total number of awardable points for the first game and a second total number of awardable points for the second game,

wherein the first total number of awardable points for the first game is greater than the second total number of awardable points for the second game, and

wherein at least one of the tracking or the aggregating is performed by the processing unit.

18. One or more computer-readable storage devices having stored thereon computer executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform:

tracking activity of a user to capture occurrences of;

system achievements that are achievable via game play in both a first game and a second game associated with a gaming environment, and

in-game achievements that are particular to the first game or the second game; and

aggregating the occurrences into a profile associated with the user by awarding system achievement points for the occurrences of the system achievements and in-game achievement points for the occurrences of the in-game achievements, up to a first total number of awardable points for the first game and a second total number of awardable points for the second game,

wherein the system achievement points for the occurrences of an individual system achievement are applied to both the first total number of awardable points for the first game and the second total number of awardable points for the second game.

19. A system comprising the one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 18 and the one or more processing devices.

20. The system of claim 19, embodied as a gaming console.